Belgian cyclist Jens Adams rests at the finish line after the UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup race in Fayetteville on Oct. 13, 2021.
File photo, Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer
FAYETTEVILLE — World-class cyclocross racing will return to the city in 2022.
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) on Monday announced the cyclocross calendar for the 2022-23 season, which includes a World Cup stop at Centennial Park in Fayetteville on Oct. 16.
The Fayetteville race is one of only two cyclocross World Cup events planned in the United States this year, along with Waterloo, Wisconsin. It seems to have replaced the World Cup race that took place in Iowa City for five years, according to the UCI’s schedule.
The season-long competition included a stop in Fayetteville in 2021, but attendance was low as it was held on a Wednesday instead of the typical Sunday afternoon time slot. Those races were also held during a two-day stretch of steady rain, which left the riders completely drenched in mud.
Women’s elite riders in the UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup race in Fayetteville on Oct. 13, 2021.
File photo, Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer
The park was also the site of the UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships in January, which drew an estimated crowd of over 14,000 people over the three-day event.
This year’s World Cup includes 14 stops. All but one of the host cities has been announced. It’s expected that the Dec. 11 stop will be in London. See the full World Cup schedule below.
2022-23 UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup
Oct. 9 – Waterloo, Wisconsin
Oct. 16 – Fayetteville, Arkansas
Oct. 23 – Tabor, Czech Republic
Oct. 30 – Rucphen, Netherlands
Nov. 13 – Beekse Bergen, Netherlands
Nov. 20 – Overijse, Belgium
Nov. 27 – Hulst, Netherlands
Dec. 4 – Antwerpen, Belgium
Dec. 11 – TBA
Dec. 17 – Val di Sole, Italy
Dec. 26 – Dendermonde, Belgium
Jan. 8 – Zonhoven, Belgium
Jan. 22 – Benidorm, Spain
Jan. 29 – Besançon, France
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story stated that the World Championships drew over 7,000 people, but did not clarify that number was for the final day of the three-day event. The overall event had a total estimated crowd of over 14,000 fans.
