Louisville will host the 2013 UCI World Elite Cyclo-cross Championships early next year, which is being held outside of Europe for the first time in the sport’s 60-year history. Cyclo-cross is a bicycle race on multi terrains and with some obstacles where riders may have to dismount and traverse. This year, the Masters and Elite race will be held at Louisville’s Eva Bandman Park off River Road. Metro Parks began construction in 2009, spending $125,000 to build the course, which has been called the best Cyclo-cross only course in the United States by some experts, according to Louisville Sports Commission executive director Karl Schmitt, who helped bring the event to Louisville. “It is a course that has enough elevation change and undulation and there is a lot of natural sand there because it’s close to the river. That’s a challenging part of the course,” he said. Schmitt says he expects 200 riders for the Elite Championships, and several hundred more will likely participate in the Masters race the previous days. Races begin on Jan. 29 and run through Feb. 1. The economic impact is expected to be between $3 million to $5 million.
