Pretty good day for US cyclocross-

From Cyclingnews.com

2013 Cyclo-Cross Worlds to be held in Kentucky

Louisville secures first US cyclo-cross world championships

The 2013 world cyclo-cross championships will be held in Louisville, Kentucky, the UCI announced on Friday.

As part of the agreement, Louisville will also host the 2012 and 2013 world master cyclo-cross championships.

It is the first time a cyclo-cross world championships will be held in the USA and is thanks to the hard work of Joan Hanscom and Bruce Fina, who organise the US Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross in Louisville.

“This is thrilling news. We’ve been working for six years with the US Cycling National Team and six years on the USGP to further develop the sport in the US to the point where our riders can be competitive on a global scale. Hosting the worlds in the US is the next logical step,” Fina said in a statement issued by USA Cycling.

Despite most riders facing a transatlantic flight to take part, the big names in the sport are enthusiastic about racing in Louisville. Belgian cross star Sven Nys even said he would delay his planned retirement in 2012 so that he could ride in the 2013 world championships.

The course for the world championships will be in the Eva Bandman park, just a mile from the centre of Louisville. The venue is set to become a permanent cyclo-cross park thanks to support from the city of Louisville.

“I was impressed with the vision and detail of the plans to develop the area into a cyclo-cross race venue. The area, terrain and surroundings lend themselves perfectly to a major race venue,” UCI cyclo-cross technical delegate Simon Burney, who inspected the course, said.

The world cyclo-cross championships will be held in Sankt Wendel, Germany in 2011 and in Koksijde, Belgium in 2012.

By:
Stephen Farrand