KBWB President Van Damme: “The Cycling World Championships is a very heavy financial effort” | World Cyclocross Championship

Fayetteville, Arkansas, is preparing to host the cycling world championships at the end of this month. The World Championships in the United States entail a lot across the board, especially in a world still ravaged by the Corona virus.

“It’s going to be a World Cup in tough conditions. It’s a tough exercise for us,” says federation president Tom Van Dam, who is in constant consultation with the UCI.

“They assured us that the World Cup would go ahead as planned, with the program as planned. Also with the youngsters and the relay. The organization and the trip are obviously a cause for concern. Our medical cell is monitoring the situation daily. To see if the trip can be completed safely.”

The Dutch go to the United States only with a limited delegation, but Van Damme does not want to know. “We stick to our selection criteria,” he says. “It’s the union’s mission to definitely give our young people opportunities to develop and continue working in their careers.”

“I would like to emphasize once again that we do not receive any government support because cycling is not an Olympic sport, so we have to pay for everything ourselves. This is a very heavy financial effort for us, but I think we should do it as a federation.”

The Cycling Association has also lost a lot of income due to the Corona measures. “We will have to rely on our reserves this year,” Van Damme admits.