The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi will not involve any cycling athletes but that may change for future editions of the games. UCI president Brian Cookson will support a bid to add cyclo-cross to the list of disciplines for the event.

When the Lance Armstrong case exploded, it was discussed whether cycling could lose its status as an Olympic discipline. That never happened and instead, the sport may extend its position even further by being added to the program for the Winter Olympics.

Road cycling, mountainbike and BMX are all regarded as summer events and have all been included on the list of disciplines for the Summer Olympics. While most track events take place during the winter, its historic legacy has made it a natural part of the Summer Olympics as well.

The only cycling discipline that is current not an Olympic discipline is the only true winter discipline: cyclo-cross. With the season spanning from October to February, it would naturally belong to the Winter Olympics programme and the games which usually take place in February, would be a fitting conclusion to its season calendar.

At the moment, the discipline cannot be added to the list of disciplines because of a rule that stipulates that all Winter Olympic sports need to involve either ice or snow. However, new UCI president hopes that a rule change may open the door for more disciplines in the future.

 "I'm a fan of cyclocross," he told Sportwereld. "Beer, frites and mayonnaise. And Sven [Nys] is an incredible athlete.

"At the moment, it is impossible to have cyclo-cross as a discipline at the Winter Olympics because it does not take place on either ice or snow but perhaps the IOC will change the rule," he added. "At the moment, they lack something. For example, cross country running could be added to the athletics program."

Cookson also aired his views on the new reform of the UCI calendar that will come into effect in 2015. An outline has been leaked to the press and involves the creation of a first and second division of teams with automatic promotion and relegation while the calendar will be restructured to avoid overlapping between major events.

"Belgium will always remain part of the legacy of cycling," he told the Belgian newspaper. "Nothing can replace the classics. What we need to do is to build cycling around those monuments: the Tour of Flanders, Gent-Wevelgem, they are all great races."