The sprinters fight over the crest of the rise (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Cyclingnews understands that Qatar is on course to be awarded the bid for the 2016 UCI road world championships. The sport's governing body is set to make a public announcement next month, at the Worlds in Limburg, Holland, in which they will announce the winning bid.
A source close to the UCI told Cyclingnews that Qatar is now the only bid left in the race and that the Qatari delegation pressed for an exclusive agreement that would rule out any competition. The governing body's decision and the dates for the event have yet to be agreed upon but there are still finer points to be confirmed before a full agreement is reached.
"There is no other candidate for 2016, only Qatar," the source said. "Qatar and the UCI agreed to secure an exclusive application. The date might be delayed to avoid the heat but it's moving ahead."
Cyclingnews contacted the UCI and they said that although Qatar's candidacy had been received and discussed, a contract had not yet been signed.
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
