Glasgow will host inaugural combined UCI Cycling World Championships

The historic event will bring together 13 cycling disciplines for the first time in 2023

Glasgow hosted the 2018 European Championships (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Glasgow will host the first ever combined cycling World Championships in 2023, the UCI has announced.

The groundbreaking sporting event will bring together 13 cycling disciplines over two weeks in August for the first time, with thousands of riders competing for rainbow jerseys.

Held every four years, the UCI Cycling World Championships will bring together road, track, mountain biking, downhill, trials, indoor cycling, Gran Fondo and para-cycling titles in one event.

>>> ‘I’m already thinking about just making the next time cut’: Harry Tanfield’s surprising day on top in Valenciana

Speaking at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow on Friday (Feburary 8), UCI president David Lappartient said: “The creation and the implementation of this event was one of the commitments I made during my campaign for UCI presidency and I am proud to have fulfilled it.

“Glasgow and Scotland have a great deal of experience in the organisation of major sporting events, notably multi-sports, such as the first edition of the European Sports Championships that it organised in 2018.

“I am convinced that the UCI Cycling World Championships will be a great success, and I look forward enormously to preparing them with our Scottish partners.”

Lappartient said he hopes the event will encourage cycling as a form of daily transport and that Glasgow will use the championships to push for increased cycling in Scotland.

The championships will be held each pre-Olympic year from 2023.

Glasgow and Scotland host annual rounds of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and have held the 2007 Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships, the UCI Track Cycling World Cup and the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The Scottish government’s cabinet secretary for culture, tourism and external affairs Fiona Hyslop said: “As the first ever host of this event, Scotland will cement its position as a leader and innovator in the planning and delivery of major sporting events.

“Our overall aim is for Scotland to become one of Europe’s top cycling nations with cycling firmly embedded across Scotland as the favoured way to travel to school and work, as an enjoyable leisure activity and efficient way to improve health.”

>>> ‘If we face it with honesty, it can work’: Geraint Thomas confident in joint Tour de France 2019 leadership with Chris Froome

The event will be held across Glasgow’s existing world-class cycling infrastructure, including the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and the Glasgow BMX centre. No new venues will be built for the event.

Olympic gold medallist and three-time track world champion Katie Archibald said: “I’ve competed in a few major events in Scotland, and they are amongst some of my career highlights thanks to the amazing support myself and my team-mates get from the home crowd.

“The UCI World Championships 2023 sounds really exciting, it’ll be the year before the Paris Olympics, meaning all the nations will be ramping up their preparations so the racing will be great to watch.

“I also like the idea of being able to support my team-mates from other disciplines in their World Championships.”

Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Alex Ballinger

Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.  Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.