Axel Merckx plans to bring Road World Championships back to North America
Portland, Oregon, a possible US candidate for UCI Road Worlds in 2025 or 2026
![Great Britain's Lizzie Deignan – née Armitstead – sprints to victory in the elite women's road race at the 2015 UCI Road World Championships in Richmond, Virginia, in the USA](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Da5vpg8yLgcaHwWK7cZMBj-320-80.jpg)
Axel Merckx – the manager of the Hagens Berman Axeon development team – is hoping to bring the UCI Road World Championships back to the USA in 2025 or 2026, with Portland, Oregon, the possible destination for the event.
The Road World Championships last took place in North America in Richmond, Virginia, in 2015. That year, Slovakia's Peter Sagan won the elite men's road race, while Great Britain's Lizzie Armitstead – now Lizzie Deignan – was victorious in the elite women's road race.
Canada-based Merckx – who is the son of five-time Tour de France champion Eddy Merckx – told Het Nieuwsblad that it's still early days, but that he's strongly involved, and passionate about bringing the event to Portland.
"The plans look good, but are in their infancy," Merckx said. "The organisers have yet to gather the funds, and we're also counting on the support of the local authorities.
"We're hoping to organise the Worlds for 2025 at the earliest, but it could be 2026," he said. "So there's still some time. We are working hard on it, and would have liked to have had our file ready by the end of the year, but it may be a little later due to the coronavirus crisis."
Merckx – who won a stage of the Giro d'Italia in 2000 and took bronze at the 2004 Olympic Games road race – explained his role: "I'll help outline the course, among other things. The organisers want to make it attractive, but it should not become a battlefield, either. I think a World Championships [road race] circuit should offer every type of rider a chance to win the rainbow jersey."
With the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing in Europe, the Middle East has been mooted as a possible alternative for this season's World Championships, which are currently scheduled to take place in Aigle and Martigny, in Switzerland, in their original 2020 calendar spot of September 20-27.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The Worlds are then due to take place in Bruges and Leuven in Belgium in 2021, Wollongong in Australia in 2022, Glasgow, Scotland, in 2023, and Zurich – in Switzerland once again – in 2024. An African country is likely to be given precedence for 2025, but the USA would also be a strong candidate.
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/j0riqebpsw1715769462.png)
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/j0riqebpsw1715769462.png)
Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling. Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell, the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English. The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999, and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling. Since then, major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features, news, results, photos and tech reporting. The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling.