Dates of UCI 2023 Cycling Worlds announced

The dates for the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships, taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland, were announced today (Wednesday 2 February). The announcement was made during a press conference by the event’s organisers, 2023 Cycling World Championships Ltd, and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

From 3 to 13 August 2023, the UCI Cycling World Championships will deliver one of the most important moments in the history of the sport, bringing the global cycling family together for the first time.

The dates of the 11-day mega event were revealed during a virtual international press conference. UCI President David Lappartient, UCI Director General Amina Lanaya, Chair of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships Paul Bush and the event’s CEO Trudy Lindblade all participated.

David Lappartient said the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland in 2023 would have a transformational effect on the sport.

Bringing together 13 UCI World Championships across cycling’s different disciplines, the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships will deliver an event never seen before on the world stage.

Taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland in August 2023, the unprecedented event will welcome more than 8,000 amateur and elite cyclists from more than 120 countries with more than 190 UCI World Champions crowned.

More than one million spectators are expected to attend the Championships, with a global TV audience of around one billion making it one of the Top 10 watched sporting events on the planet.

The 13 UCI World Championships included in the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships are: BMX Freestyle Flatland; BMX Freestyle Park; BMX Racing; Gran Fondo; Indoor Cycling; Mountain Bike Cross-country; Mountain Bike Downhill; Mountain Bike Marathon; Para-cycling Road; Para-cycling Track; Road; Track, and; Trials.

To date, six venues have been announced in Glasgow and across Scotland, with additional venues and locations to be confirmed in the coming weeks and months to ensure a pan-Scotland delivery and to capture the imagination of the entire country.

In addition to the five venues in Glasgow, Dumfries & Galloway will provide the stunning backdrop for para-cycling road, continuing the region’s long association with world-class cycling events, including the Tour of Britain on 10 separate occasions.

The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships were awarded to Glasgow and Scotland as a result of significant previous experience hosting high-profile sporting events. Glasgow and Scotland have become a sporting hotspot by welcoming unforgettable competitions such as this summer’s UEFA EURO 2020 matches, the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the multi-sport Glasgow 2018 European Championships as well as cultural events including the world-renowned Edinburgh Festivals.

Since the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, participation sessions at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome have experienced positive uptake and cycling numbers have risen across Scotland. It is hoped the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships can continue the increase of pedal power in Scotland, inspiring the next generation of riders across a variety of cycling disciplines.

The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships are being delivered in collaboration between the UCI, Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, UK Sport, British Cycling, Glasgow Life and VisitScotland. The partnership aims to create a blueprint for future editions by ensuring the inaugural event is authentic, innovative and distinctive.

The UCI, cycling’s world governing body, currently stages annual World Championships in each of its disciplines across the year in different host cities around the world. The UCI Cycling World Championships will bring these championships together every four years, the year prior to the Olympics, starting with the inaugural event in 2023.