2011 World Cup to happen without Houffalize round

José Hermida (Multivan Merida Biking Team), on his way to his sixth career World Cup win

José Hermida (Multivan Merida Biking Team), on his way to his sixth career World Cup win (Image credit: Tour of Japan)

Houffalize, Belgium, will not be a stop on the 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup according to an article by hln.be. The popular venue will not return for a 19th edition because, according to the UCI, the race's organization can not meet World Cup event standards.

The 2009 edition almost didn't happen after the race faced financial troubles. It has been the only World Cup mountain bike venue in Belgium for years, and it has been a popular one among racers and fans.

The most recent World Cup in Houffalize was run the first weekend of May. Jose Antonio Hermida and Eva Lechner won the cross country races while Jared Graves and Jana Horakova won the four cross.

According to Het Nieuwsblad, there is a chance the Houffalize round will move to Flanders and, in particular, to Winterslag.

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Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews.  She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'cross and track coverage.