WHEN London-based men's under-23 rider James Madgwick suggested that Peel Park would be a good venue for a World Cup cyclo-cross race, Fred Rothwell at first seemed reluctant, chiefly due to worries over car parking.

Yet now, after getting an anonymous endorsement from someone within British Cycling, Rothwell – who recently organised the HSBC National Cyclo-Cross Championships at the Bradford venue – is more upbeat about the possibility of Peel Park joining the Tour de France and Tour de Yorkshire on the world cycling stage.

"The earliest it could be done would be the 2019-20 season – and that sounds a long way away but it isn't," he said.

Halifax-based Rothwell is talking of stepping down after next December's National Trophy Series round at Peel Park but admitted: "If there was a World Cup event at Peel Park, I would want to be involved.

"It would take an enormous amount of work and there might be 20,000 watching – Milton Keynes got 12,000 in 2014 – but riders already said to me after the nationals there that Peel Park was like a mini Belgium.

"We as Yorkshire Cyclo-Cross wouldn't be able to nominate ourselves to stage a World Cup race.

"We would have to be nominated by our governing body but it would be three months after the Tour de Yorkshire had passed through, there would still be that massive buzz and we have Sir Gary Verity.

"Venues in the Netherlands and Belgium, like Zolder, Koksidje and Hoogerheide, attract 40,000 spectators for World Cup races, while for a World Championship it would rise to 60,000.

"For the ten minutes up to when a race starts, the spectators begin rhythmically tapping on the hoardings on the barriers near the start line.

"Five minutes later it become louder and again with two minutes to go and a minute to go.

"By that time there is a crescendo and riders go through this wall of noise at the start, which really gets their adrenaline going.

"We had it on the finishing straight in Peel Park, which is one reason for the Belgium comment, but I would also like it to be near the start area as well, hopefully in time for December."

The two-day National Championships ran smoothly, chiefly thanks to Bradford Council (from their chief executive Kirsten England, who was present on both days, downwards) and their parks and recreation department, Kinesis UK and Triton Construction.

Rothwell said: "We only got one complaint – and that was probably from someone who wasn't able to walk their dog.

"I went to Peel Park the day after and although you could obviously see that there had been racing, all the litter had been picked up and the rain had self-cleaned the park.

"We did all right financially – we were in the black – but Milton Keynes had a bit of a shock for the World Cup.

"It cost them £100,000, of which they were expected to get £70,000 back, but instead they got £100,000 back but it cost them £400,000."

After staging the National Championships, Rothwell can now relax until mid-summer before he starts his preparation for the National Trophy on Sunday, December 10.

"It wasn't just me as secretary of Yorkshire Cyclo-Cross organising the nationals," he said.

"There was course designer Phil Ingham (Pedalsport CC), YCC treasurer Pete Sutton and Mandy Parker, who does the kind of things that I hate doing such as filling in a 14-page document."

There were ten races over the two days and, not surprisingly wearing his Yorkshire hat, Rothwell said that his favourite races were the victories of Shipley's Chris Young (men's over-50), Bradford's Billy Harding (men's under-23) and Otley's Tom Pidcock (junior men).

"Chris' win was my favourite because it was unexpected and he did it from behind and beat Tim Gould, whereas Billy and Tom were expected to win," he said.

"But if it hadn't been for Tom's ride, people would have been raving about how good Ben Turner (HMT with JLT Condor) was.

"Other good rides came from Ian Field (East Morton) in the elite men – it would now be nice to see him get into the top 20 at the World Championships – Nick Craig, who rode in both the veterans' 40-49 years and men's elite races, Evie Richards and Isla Rowntree.

"Isla, who was on a single-speed bike, rode the women's veterans' race on Saturday (finishing third) and was passing riders towards the end of the elite women's race the following day."

As for the course at Peel Park in December, Rothwell added: "We will keep the course pretty much the same, apart from the odd tweak.

"There is a move to make the National Trophy Series meetings two days instead of one, which would give the riders more chance to prepare and reconnoitre the course, but that could make every National Trophy meeting more like a national championships."