Inclusion in the Winter Olympics has the potential to rewrite the landscape of cyclo-cross, says GB national coach Matt Ellis.
“From a GB perspective it’s massively exciting,” he told Cycling Weekly this week. “It would, I believe, dramatically change everything.”
“I think there’s a good chance it’ll happen,” Lord Coe said. “And I think it’s come at the right moment, because [IOC president] Kirsty Coventry is certainly prepared to think differently about the programme….”
There is precedent for running cross on snow and ice – the current Val di Sole event, for example. But it isn’t cyclo-cross as most of us know it – or as the world’s top riders train for.
“You would open up the pool of development, he said. “You’re going to broaden the pyramid at the bottom for development – there will be more riders involved in our pool of talent.
“There’s a lot of short-term excitement,” Ellis added, “but then once it starts getting a bit more notoriety, and then you get the actual Winter Olympics. Suddenly, you’ve got a whole new audience – a shop window for more people to come and get involved.”
He cautioned about getting too excited about the prospect though, and referred back to a time during his career when precisely the same thing was being discussed – to no avail.
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