Franco: “It’s a great challenge, but I trust it will stay on the championship calendar”
The test will generate an impact of “between seven or eight million” in the capital of the Costa Blanca
MADRID, 5 Apr. (SportsFinding) –
Benidorm presented this Tuesday in Madrid the test of the 2023 cyclocross World Cup, which will be held on January 22, will have an economic impact of “between seven or eight million” and trusts that it will be a “showcase” for the capital of the Costa Blanca and a “springboard” for the practice of this sport in Spain.
The event, held at the Higher Sports Council (CSD), was attended by the president of said body, José Manuel Franco; the mayor of Benidorm, Antonio Pérez; the president of the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC), José Luis López Cerrón; and the national cycling coach and CEO of Momparler Cycling, Pascual Momparler.
Also present were the Spanish cyclocross champions, Felipe Orts and Lucía González, and fellow runner Kevin Suárez.
After more than a decade of absence, the last time was in 2011, the Cyclocross World Cup will return to Spain. “I am excited about this World Cup because cycling is not Olympic, but it is deeply rooted in this country. It is a spectacle, but also a springboard for the road because the riders are competing in the classics,” said López Cerrón.
The mayor of Benidorm, Antonio Pérez, explained the genesis of the candidacy of the capital of the Costa Blanca. “Pascual (Momparler) told me that it had been 11 years since we had the World Cup, we had a Spanish champion 5 kilometers away and Benidorm had to recover that ‘umbilical cord’ with cycling,” he revealed.
Pérez stated that Benidorm stands out for being a destination “with a global offer all year round”, but that the bicycle is a “fundamental” part of its strategic plan, and gave the 100 kilometers of “cycling mobility” as an example.
“This World Cup is a tribute to so many years of relationship with amateur and professional cycling,” argued Pérez, who recalled that, for many years, the region has been a regular gathering place for cycling teams during the winter preseason due to its mild temperature.
For his part, the president of the CSD, José Manuel Franco, stressed the importance of increasing sports tourism, which is “sustainable”, and that this has been possible thanks to European funds that include inclusion and sustainability and have meant the ” second great revolution in Spanish sport”.
“Sport is the best investment that any company can make. It is a great challenge to organize the best World Cup event, but I am confident that it will stay on the championship calendar. Other countries like the Netherlands and Belgium can beat us in history and tradition, although not in enthusiasm and passion”, he commented.
TECHNICAL CIRCUIT “WITH ARENA” AND VIP TENTS
Pascual Momparler justified the choice of Benidorm for its strategic location, with a nearby airport, Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández, and hotel capacity, as well as the possibility of setting up a “very technical” circuit next to the Guillermo Amor stadium with the presence of sand in allusion to the beaches of Benidorm.
“It will have sand, it will be very technical and we will set up VIP tents to enjoy an experience as is done in other countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands or the United States. We are going to be the only organizer who can count on Van der Poel and Van Aert, and in a sport in which women have more audience than men,” he said.
Momparler wanted the Benidorm 2023 World Cup, which will distribute the same prizes for men and women, to be the “tip of the iceberg” of what the organizers of cyclocross events are doing in Spain.
For his part, the Spanish champion Felipe Orts celebrated playing a World Cup test “5 kilometers” from his home, in Villajoyosa. “I’m going to prepare her one hundred percent to be in the top ten,” he assured. And Lucía González stressed that it is the first women’s event of the World Cup in Spain. “Racing here has to give us that extra to give the best of ourselves,” she said.