In the run-up to the Val di Sole World Cup there was a lot of reporting on the organizer’s intent to make this event a showcase that would move cyclocross a step closer to Olympic status. It was even made known that in the event that the course was clear, the snow makers would be fired up.
Mother Nature stepped up, however, with a storm just a few days before the race, blanketing the course and creating the conditions for some exciting racing and some spectacular visuals.
Vermiglio, the host town of the event, is nestled in a deep valley, as the name suggests. At either end there are views of spectacular mountains. Unfortunately, from my perspective, this means the floor of the val only gets about 40 minutes of sole this time of year. That came during the women’s race, which is why those photos look quite a bit different from the men’s race.
The only other downside for me was that the course was rather large and trudging through the snow slowed me down considerably when moving from spot to spot. But there were plenty of beautiful backgrounds and interesting features to more than make up for a few minor challenges.
I have no idea what cyclocross’s chances are of becoming an Olympic sport. In order to be in the Winter Olympics it must be contested on either ice or snow. And while I think this World Cup was generally a success, cyclocross would, I believe, be the first sport to make it in that does not require ice and snow. (I realize there are roller versions of some skating/skiing sports, but they do not use the same equipment regardless of terrain as cyclocross does.) That seems to me to be a pretty high hurdle but one worth pursuing, particularly if the byproduct is that we get treated to more spectacles such as the one we saw this past Sunday.