Uzwil
We are still restricted by the regulations in planning and holding the World Cup competitions. First, we had to deal with the cancellations of the organizers in Slovakia and Hong Kong. So we were very happy that the organization team of artistic cycling in Uzwil took on the difficult task of coping with it after more than a year of no competition.
However, we were also prepared to make compromises, which have only brought advantages for all of us. We gladly accepted the proposal to hold our first World Cup round together with the Swiss Junior Championships. From previous years we knew the advantages of bundling the organizational requirements and thus being able to carry out several responsibilities at the same time. The hygiene concepts were particularly new for all of us and further difficulties during the competition for the athletes and the coaches. Also, the differences in the various nations often cause uncertainty. Therefore, big recognition for how all this was managed.
The limitations of the training possibilities were also noticeable. Despite this, or even because of it, 28 starters were ready to face this situation. Unfortunately, neither the athletes from Asia nor the Eastern European artistic cyclists were able to participate. But the hope that the restrictions would be eased made us confident that we could get more rounds started.
Lieme
Thanks to the promise from Lieme, we have succeeded in getting this off the ground. And here we have to take our hats off with great respect for how the team around Janine and Simon Puls managed to do this within only six weeks.
The short notice was also a particular problem. Many athletes had already booked their holidays. So the number of registered participants was lower than in Switzerland. Also, the quarantine restrictions in Asia still limited the travel activities of these athletes. For example, athletes from Hong Kong would have to spend 10 days in quarantine after their return and this is under the strictest conditions. This is an impossible requirement for our athletes. Nevertheless, we were able to motivate ten nations to come to Lieme. New to the circle of indoor cyclists are Afghanistan and Bulgaria.
Now we are looking forward with confidence to the final in Tailfingen. Once again, we would like to thank all the staff in the organizational teams and all the people who helped in the hall and in the whole surrounding area to make the competitions run smoothly without any interference.