The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland will unite 13 different UCI World Championships between 3 and 13 August. Here, we delve into what lies ahead for the planet’s greatest road riders…
Challenging parcours
The Men Elite event will cover a distance of 271.1km with 3,570m of climbing while the Women Elite, which includes the Women Under 23 category, face 154.1km including 2,229m of climbing. Thanks to one extra lap of the final Glasgow City circuit than the women, the Men Under 23 riders will cover 168.4km with 2,436m of climbing.
Men Elite road race, taking place on Sunday 6 August, starts in the vicinity of Arthur’s Seat, an ancient volcano that overlooks Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh. It’s a suitably awe-inspiring start for the world’s finest riders and provides a taste of the rich history to follow.
From there, the riders pass through Edinburgh’s Old Town and flirt with Edinburgh Castle, one of the oldest fortified places in Europe that has served as a royal residence, military garrison, prison and fortress. The castle is also famous for the Edinburgh Tattoo, which is an annual series of military tattoos performed in August.
What follows will be one of the most photogenic and memorable images of the entire road race as the riders cross Queensferry Crossing, one of three bridges connecting Edinburgh to Fife. In close proximity, the original Forth Bridge, now open only to trains, is a stunning cantilever bridge completed in 1890 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is famous for many things including the phrase, ‘Painting the Forth Bridge.” This came to mean a never-ending task as once the maintenance crew had finished painting the 2.5km-long bridge, they’d need to start again from the other end. This non-stop paint job continued until 2002 when a new, longer-lasting paint was introduced.
Once the riders have pondered its history – or consumed an energy gel – they’ll roll on past Falkirk, Bonnybridge, Denny and Fintry, which takes in views that include the spectacular Kelpies – 30-metre-high horse-head sculptures that stand proudly aside the Forth and Clyde Canal. The riders then climb the Crow Road, a 5.8km ascent with an average gradient of 4%. This could be a key section where the national teams will look to test their competition. From here, they’ll descend into the Glasgow finishing circuit. This is the finishing circuit for the Women Elite road race (which encompasses the Women Under 23 road race), on Sunday 13 August, and the Men Under 23 road race, on Saturday 12 August.
We’ll return to the Glasgow finishing circuit shortly.
Loch Lomond beginnings
For now, let’s deviate to the Women Elite and Men Under 23 road races, which both begin along the banks of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, which is Scotland’s first National Park. This is a stunning backdrop for spectators to explore thanks to rugged hills, wooded nooks and enticing water.
The riders will have little time to absorb the views as they swiftly pass Gartocharn and Drymen and head towards Fintry. Then the parcours joins the Men Elite route where the riders will do battle with Crow Road before heading to that Glasgow finishing circuit.
The Glasgow finish
So, what of the Glasgow finishing circuit?
It’s exactly the same 14.3km lap for the Men Elite, Women Elite and Men Under 23 riders, who will tackle it 10, six and seven times, respectively.
Riders will enter from Glasgow’s West End before facing the climb to Park Circus - with stunning panoramic views across Kelvingrove Park - before heading into the city centre, passing the internationally recognised Glasgow School of Art, University of Strathclyde and historic Glasgow Cathedral.
The circuit then takes in the iconic Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, and the world-leading university of Glasgow, both of which are architectural landmarks. A 0.2km climb, which averages 7.7%, precedes the descent into George Square, before a pair of 90° left-handed corners into the finishing straight. All in all, the road races in Scotland will provide the world-class test and breath-taking backdrop that’s befitting of the world’s best riders.
The road races for the Junior athletes (both Men and Women) will take place entirely on the Glasgow circuit on Saturday 5 August. The Junior Men will complete nine laps (127.2km) while the Junior Women do battle on five laps (70km).
UCI Cycling World Championships road races
Saturday 5 August: Men Junior and Women Junior (Glasgow)
Sunday 6 August: Men Elite (Edinburgh – Glasgow)
Saturday 12 August: Men Under 23 (Loch Lomond – Glasgow)
Sunday 13 August: Women Elite (Loch Lomond – Glasgow).
More information on the UCI website here.