After the vibrant elite men’s race that ended the Benidorm event, Pascual Momparler, RFEC coach and organizer of the event, took stock in AS: “It was very nice. We were able to bring the World Cup here and I’ll take what the fans have enjoyed. There was a desire for cyclocross in the people and they have infected the cyclists, who have made us vibrate until the end. An incredible race.” celebrates. In March they will know if they repeat as the venue for the next season, and the hopes after what has been seen are very high. The fee to be paid for the race is 50,000 euros, which goes mainly to Flanders Classics, organizer of the World Cup events.
On a sporting level, the test was unbeatable. The best Mathieu van der Poel made an appearance in Benidorm on Sunday. During the last months, and despite his great results, the Dutchman usually had a ‘but’ in his races, regardless of his records: his back. Problems that even forced him to stop in some appointments and that he already seems to leave behind: “I am satisfied with the victory, but also with my back. That he had no pain was also another great news”, celebrated the one from Alpecin, highly acclaimed by Spanish fans.
The World Cup is held in two weeks (February 5 in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands) and the level of both Van der Poel and Van Aert is so even that today it is difficult to say a favourite. The Belgian, who this time could not raise his arms, regretted a mistake he had in the final stretch: “It was important to be in the lead in the middle of the last lap and I couldn’t,” said the man with the Jumbo. Luckily, he avoided crashing just at the finish line as he passed close to the billboard: “Fortunately I was able to react in time,” he sighed. The one who entered the finish line with a smile was Felipe Orts, used to racing against Belgians, Dutch… This time he did it in front of his friends and fans, and with a brilliant ninth place: “I am very happy, everything went perfectly. The atmosphere was brutal, I had seen few races like this in my life. Many discovered how beautiful cyclocross is”. It’s the feeling.