The first edition of the combined UCI Cycling World Championships will be held between August 3-13, 2023 in Glasgow, with the summer date sparking a number of clashes with the traditional road racing calendar.
Described as an '11-day mega event' by the UCI, the Glasgow 2023 World Championships will bring together 13 different cycling World Championships, across at least six different locations around Glasgow and southern Scotland. The event will award rainbow jerseys for road racing, time trials, track, BMX, indoor cycling and para-cycling.
The UCI intends to create a ‘mega-event’ World Championships every four years, in the year before the summer Olympic Games. However the event will have a significant impact on the professional road racing calendar.
Road World Championships are usually held in late September after they were moved from August to extend the season more than 25 years ago. The 2023 Glasgow World Championships will force riders to make difficult decisions about their race programmes.
The 2023 Tour de France ends on Sunday July 23. This year the inaugural Tour de France Femmes starts on July 24 and ends on July 31. The 2022 Vuelta a Espana starts on August 19, with a myriad of other men’s and women’s races scheduled for the high summer.
The UCI has not indicated how it intends to redesign the race calendar to avoid clashes between major races and the Glasgow World Championships, with UCI president David Lappartient focused on the grandeur of the “mega-event.”
The expected budget for the Glasgow World Championships is reported to be between £40-50m, with a significant part of that going to the UCI.
“Today’s announcement of the dates is an important milestone in the organisation of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships,” Lappartient said.
“Bringing our existing UCI World Championships together at the same time and in one venue every four years was one of my visions before my election as UCI President in 2017. We have been working towards this ever since.
“I am delighted that the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships will take place in Glasgow and Scotland. With their experience hosting high-level international sporting events, Glasgow’s iconic sports venues, and the stunning Scottish scenery, we have all the ingredients for an exceptional 11 days of competition.”
