Cyclocross as an Olympic sport?

[jpearl]

So my wife and I are sitting there watching a Law and Order rerun, one of many we watch nightly when a commercial for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Turino comes on. As the commercial delves into the pathetic sappiness of twelve year old figure skaters and thier dreams of gold and other heartwarming blather, I wonder to myself; "why the hell isn't cyclocross a Winter Olympic sport?".

Think about it; every other facet of cycling is in the Olympics, even (roadies and traditionalists, please insert gasps here) mountain biking. It's just like when snowboarders joined the ranks of thier more prim and proper skiing counterparts at the Games. CX is a wintersport, shouldn't it be there too?

Granted, CX is not "Alpine" in nature, but then again, neither is figure skating. Heck, you could build an ice rink in Florida and the little twelve year old can still triple pirouette her heart away, no mountains needed. Even the "sport" of curling in the games for cryin' out loud! CX has all the makings of a viable Winter Olympic event. CX races are held in the cold season, usually in snow, and even the World Championships are in the dead of winter. It's fast, it's exciting, it's rough and tumble, it's picturesque, it's got raving lunatic fans who drink gin, play trombones, ring bells, and wave big yellow flags with black Flandrian lions. How much more "winter sport" can you get?

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd love to see cyclocross in the winter Olympics. Anyone think this can one day happen? Any chance that we can see the likes of Sven Nys, Jonathan Page, Enrico Franzoi, Bart Wellens, Erwin Vervecken, Richard Groenendaal, et all (maybe even good ol' jpearl) going for gold rather one day rather than that annoying twelve year old girl?

[Merckx Rider]

Right on...

[Iffacus]

Certainly should be

Think a petition to the UCI and IOC is needed.

[Iffacus]

Certainly should be

Think a petition to the UCI and IOC is needed.

Forgot to add, does anyone know where you can do this online?

[bdaghisallo]

I have considered this before and I think cross is up against one stark reality. And that is that, in order to qualify as a winter olympic sport, the sport must, by definition, require snow or ice as the playing surface. Snow or ice must be involved somehow.

Cross does not require snow, though it can work with it.

It won't, however, find a spot in the summer games since the cycling section of that is already filled to the athlete limit imposed by the IOC on each world governing federation. In order to get cross in the summer games, some other cycling competition would have to be sacrificed. Already, the kilo on the track, one of the three blue riband events along with the pursuit and the match sprint, has been sacrificed, from Beijing on, to make way for BMX.

[cyclintom]

Hasn't professional sports wrecked enough recreational pursuits?

Now you can't have a friendly local park cyclocross without everyone trying to look like Sven Nys.

[xccx]

I sort of agree w/cyclintom. I love the olympics, but I think it would be bad for cross. I like how cross is a grassroots/underground community of racers, and I like the fact that not many ppl know about it. I'm continually amazed that serious roadies, tri-geeks and mtb-ers have never even heard of cross -- lets keep it that way.

[jpearl]

Fine then, I guess then I'll just have to watch the annoying 12-year old figure skating girl during the commercial breaks on Law and Order.

BTW, xccx, it is kinda fun when a nu-skool credit card tri-geek, cocksure Lance-wannabe with shiny new Trek gear, or quadruple-suspended MTBer with a squeeky-clean bike goes "cyclocross, what's that? Is that, like, hybrids..."