The dream of all cyclo-cross fans is much older than the petition by Italian Sandro Gaetani. An attempt was made to make cyclo-cross an Olympic sport back in the late 1990s, but without success. Gaetani's petition on Change.org ties in with this earlier dream and is aimed at the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations, IOC President Thomas Bach and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The petition is currently circulating in various posts on Facebook and currently has just over 1,500 supporters - although it was started two years ago.

It looks like another unsuccessful attempt to make the sport Olympic. But now that the cyclo-cross season is underway again, the issue seems to be gaining momentum again. Whether the petition will be successful will probably also depend on other factors. However, this is not just a dream that some enthusiasts want to see fulfilled, but there are also good reasons to be read on Change.org.

Tradition, costs, excitement and spectator numbers

The reasons why cyclo-cross should be included on the list of Olympic sports are obvious. In addition to the fact that cyclo-cross is a winter cycling sport with a long tradition and world championships have been held in this discipline since 1950, it is also suitable as a winter Olympic sport for other reasons.

For example, huge sums of money are spent on artificial snow and immense terrain corrections for ski slopes these days. Cyclo-cross would set an example here. The cost of providing an attractive cyclo-cross course is relatively low. Swiss cycling clubs, for example, need less than a day to do this. Of course, the effort required for such a large race is much greater, but you can manage with relatively modest terrain conditions for a cyclo-cross race, and the competitions can be held in practically all weather conditions. Artificial snow and terrain corrections would therefore become obsolete.

The second point is the excitement, because cyclo-cross races are fast and offer plenty of action for over an hour. There is tactics, slipstreaming, attacks and even crashes - spectacular and usually without consequences. Large crowds are guaranteed, as major events such as World Cups or Superprestige races attract huge crowds in many countries. At the World Championships, for example, almost 60,000 spectators made their way to the course, even in rainy weather.We are deliberately leaving out the industry aspect, even though a look at the portfolios of bike manufacturers reveals that almost all of them offer cross bikes or gravel bikes. There are numerous sports that are hardly relevant to the industry, but are nevertheless of Olympic importance.

It remains to be seen whether the petition will really gain momentum after two years - cyclo-cross deserves it. If the petition sinks back into the depths of the internet, there will certainly be another attempt in 15 years' time. The petition can be followed and supported at the following link.

www.change.org/cyclocross-in-the-list-of-olympic-winter-sports