Six rainbow jerseys will be up for grabs in the road races contested between 5 and 13 August as part of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships
The excitement is palpable at the dawn of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, which begin on Thursday 3 August. The 13 UCI World Championships taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland over 11 days of unprecedented cycling action include those for road, with the road races taking place on the two weekends (5-6 and 12-13 August) of the event.
Thousands of spectators will line the road race routes from Loch Lomond and Edinburgh to the finish line on the streets of Glasgow.
Six rainbow jerseys on the line
The world’s rising talent will compete for the first two road race rainbow jerseys in the Junior categories on Saturday 5 August, starting and finishing in Glasgow.
The Men Elite will then take centre stage on Sunday 6 August for a battle that promises to be grandiose, starting in the Scottish capital Edinburgh and taking in the magnificent landscapes of south-west Scotland before arriving in Glasgow. Riders will cover 271.1km with 3,570m of elevation in a bid to claim the right to the rainbow stripes, property of Remco Evenepoel since last year’s UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong, Australia.
Six days later, on Saturday 12 August, the Men Under-23 peloton will set off from the Trossachs National Park on the shores of Loch Lomond, as will the Women Elite and Under-23s the following day. It’s a spectacular course before reaching Glasgow and the final circuit where riders will compete for the remaining road race titles of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.
Road race programme:
Saturday 5 August: Men Junior and Women Junior
Sunday 6 August: Men Elite
Saturday 12 August: Men Under-23
Sunday 13 August: Women Elite and Under-23
Global stars come together
As the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships draw closer, each national team is beginning to reveal their rider line-up aiming for victory.
Belgium’s looking to retain the Men Elite title after Remco Evenepoel conquered all in Wollongong, Australia, last year. Like last year, the 2022 UCI World Champion will be joined by the ultra-versatile Wout van Aert. France is sending a powerful squad that includes the likes of Julian Alaphilippe, Christophe Laporte and Valentin Madouas; the Netherlands features Mathieu Van der Poel, while Denmark is led by Mads Pedersen and Mattias Skjelmose.
Among the Women Elite, the Netherlands are coming with strong favourites capable of winning such as Demi Vollering, Marianne Vos and defending UCI World Champion Annemiek van Vleuten, who’s after one last UCI World title to give the final rainbow touch to her legendary career.