The UCI Cyclocross World Cup Antwerp, scheduled for December 5 as the next race in the series, has reportedly been cancelled by the organizers as a result of tightened spectator measures amid the deteriorating COVID-19 situation in Belgium.

The last World Cup race in Belgium, the Coxsayde on November 21, did take place, but since then new rules have been introduced, allowing spectators to continue to enter, but with stricter distance and seating rules in effect from November 29 to December 15.

Organizers say that the International Cross "lives on because of the large crowds and the atmosphere and ambiance," but the current measures risk making it unpalatable.

"Antwerp cyclocross is supported by the general public and is traditionally a meeting place for all Antwerpers who love cyclocross and atmosphere," organizer Golazo's Christophe Impens reports on Dutch website Wielerflits in a report on the Dutch website Wielerflits." However, in order to optimally guarantee the safety and health of everyone, a number of special measures must be taken that are also difficult to control."

"It is a very important event," said Christophe Impens of Golazo, the organizer of the event.

"That applies to the general public along the course, but even more so in the so-called atmosphere tents as well as the VIP tents. This is not an obvious decision, but the city of Antwerp understands this, given the difficult corona situation and the changed measures."

Antwerp was set for round nine of the World Cup series, currently led by elite women's Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) and elite men's Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen Bingor). Both won the most recent round in Besançon on Sunday.

The next World Cup in Antwerp will be in Val di Sole, Italy, on December 12, Luxembourg, Netherlands, on December 18, and Namur, Belgium, on December 19. The Namur match will take place a few days after the next scheduled reassessment of the COVID-19 situation.

"We are waiting for the next Federal Consultative Committee meeting on December 15," Impens said in the Wielerfritz report. 'Depending on the decisions there, we will consider our next cyclocross races one by one.'

Last season's cyclocross World Cup was hit hard by cancellations, limiting the top-level series to five events. Antwerp is the first cancellation of the season, with eight races already held and seven more scheduled.