The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow and across Scotland take place 3 to 13 August, and will feature 13 separate UCI World Championships across one enthralling competition. The world’s elite cyclists and para-cyclists will make Glasgow and the surrounding area the centre of the cycling universe. But it won’t just be the world’s elite competing – the world’s finest amateur cyclists will be racing, too, at the 2023 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, whose courses were recently announced.
The Gran Fondo and Medio Fondo races will start and finish in Perth on Friday 4 August and will welcome riders who finished in the top 25% of their age group at a selected Gran Fondo World Series qualifying event.
Road races: a journey of art, history and culture
The Gran Fondo is 160km long, racks up more than 1,600m climbing and will be tackled by men aged 19 to 59 and women aged 19 to 49.
After the start of the most prestigious amateur road cycling event in the world, the riders shadow the River Tay as they move out of the city, known for its Perth Art Gallery, which is well worth a visit if your family member or friend is racing. Pop in to explore the exhibition Modern Scots, which tells the story of influential modern Scottish artists and includes key players in the story of Scottish art, such as Joan Eardley and Sir William MacTaggart, alongside contemporary artists Calum Colvin and Alison Watt. Entry is free.
Back to the racing, the riders head to Methven and Glenalmond before weaving their way through the stunning countryside, passing Sma’ Glen and Amulree towards Aberfeldy and Weem, then on to Tummel Bridge in the Tay Forest. The original and historic Tummel Bridge, built by General George Wade, is now pedestrian only but once acted as a military road as Wade set about ‘civilising’ the area back in the 18th century. Wade felt that communication was the main obstacle to creating harmony and so supervised the building of over 250 miles of roads and 40 bridges.
Of course, the amateur cyclists will have little time to let their minds wander to times gone by as they fly past Munros along the shores of Loch Tummel and on to Pitlochry. They’ll then head to the picturesque village of Kirkmichael, home to the annual Strathardle Highland Gathering and Agricultural Show on the fourth Saturday of August. Hang around until the end of the month and you can enjoy tug-of-war, caber tossing and the sounds of the bagpipes.
Leaving Kirkmichael, the Gran Fondo riders head back towards Perth, making their way through Bridge of Cally, Blairgowrie, Guildtown and Scone. The final throes of the event will see them cross the River Tay and sprint back to the city finish.
All in all, the Gran Fondo features three 5- to 7km-long climbs in the middle section of the course that’ll likely decide who takes the honours after a journey taking in historic and cultural points of interest.
Women aged 50 and over, and Men in the 60+ age categories will compete over the Medio Fondo course of 85.7km long and 777m climbing.
Like the Gran Fondo course, the race starts from the city’s Tay Street and follows the same route to Methven but then will deviate east at Buchanty and head through Chapelhill. The course then takes the riders through Bankfoot, Caputh, Murthly and Spittalfield on the way to Blairgowrie and Rattray, then Perth, where riders will pedal onto the finishing line back at Tay Street.
Individual time trials from sunny Dundee
Then on Monday 7 August, qualified riders can battle for rainbow jerseys in the individual time trial. The 22.8km course starts and finishes in the waterfront city of Dundee, known as Scotland’s sunniest city. Dundee also houses Scotland’s design museum, V&A Dundee, where one of the current exhibitions takes an insightful look at tartan, the textile that symbolises Scotland and has inspired designers worldwide.
After the start of the time trial, riders follow a route parallel to the Firth of Tay estuary that flows into the North Sea. It’s a flat course with 89m climbing, which isn’t a lot but is enough to break the rhythm. Over the opening 6km, the riders will climb to the course’s highest point, which is just 56m above sea level before dropping to the lowest point, which is the 180° turn at the halfway point. Depending on which way the wind is blowing on the day will dictate how hard the second half will be with aerodynamics key to making the podium.
All in all, the 2023 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships will add another exciting chapter to the historic event that is the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow and across Scotland.