“If he were allowed, Pogacar would already be racing in cyclocross”: UCI dreams of Slovenian to boost the discipline

The UCI's sports director, Peter Van Den Abeele, recently analyzed the evolution of cyclocross and its potential leap to the Winter Olympic Games, while highlighting the growing interest from big names in road cycling, including Tadej Pogačar.

The UCI is confident in the growth of cyclocross and cites Pogačar as a model of the modern cyclist

Belgian Peter Van Den Abeele, current Sports Director of the UCI and former cyclocross specialist, evaluated for the newspaper Nieuwsblad the moment the discipline is going through and its international projection. During his visit to the Koppenbergcross, the former rider emphasized that cyclocross is experiencing a stage of expansion beyond Flanders and that even top-level figures in world cycling, such as Tadej Pogačar, would be willing to return to the mud if their teams allowed it.

"Pogačar also raced in cyclocross (he was national champion in 2019). If his team allowed it, he would already be competing," pointed out Van Den Abeele.

Van Den Abeele celebrated that cyclocross has partially broken its traditional boundary of Flanders, with events succeeding outside of Belgium. "Benidorm is a hugely successful event and Liévin was a fantastic World Championship. Even so, the races in Flanders remain the most powerful," he explained.

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The UCI leader acknowledged that expanding the calendar outside the Belgian heartland is not easy, but he believes that some new international venues are consolidating an increasingly broad fan base. "Two more major events outside Belgium would bring balance," he pointed out.

Among the factors that have most helped the growth of cyclocross, Van Den Abeele highlighted the commitment of professional teams to multidisciplinary structures. He pointed to examples of teams like Alpecin-Deceuninck, EF Education, or Jayco-AlUla, which have riders from different disciplines under the same project.

The UCI aims to strengthen that connection with a new regulation that will come into effect in 2027: professional teams will be able to earn UCI points obtained in other disciplines besides road cycling. "For the big teams, it will be anecdotal, but for the small ones, it could be a great opportunity," said the Belgian.

One of the most relevant points of the interview was the possible inclusion of cyclocross in the program of the 2030 Winter Olympic Games. Van Den Abeele confirmed that discussions with the International Olympic Committee and the French organizing committee are progressing in a good direction.

As he explained, the IOC is considering relaxing its traditional criterion that winter sports must be held on snow or ice. "An outdoor discipline practiced in winter could meet the requirements," he assured. The final decision will be made, at the latest, before the World Championship in Hulst in January 2026.

Van Den Abeele's vision places cyclocross in a phase of maturity and expansion: a sport that is opening up to the world, attracting big stars, and could enter the Olympic calendar for the first time in its history.