The historic Glasgow Green, granted to the people of Glasgow in 1450 by King James II of Scotland, has a special new purpose for a week of August: hosting trials royalty at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.
BMX Freestyle Park and BMX Freestyle Flatland competitions will also take place in the Scottish city’s famous park.
Trials action will open with the national team competition, followed by the five individual categories: Men Junior 20", Men Junior 26", Men Elite 20", Men Elite 26" and Women Elite.
Riders compete in semi-finals of three laps over a course with five sections, while the finals will follow the intense one-lap format, with points scored throughout according to how cleanly riders clear the obstacles in each gated section.
Non-stop action
For the Team Competition on Wednesday 9 August, between 3 and 5 riders – each from different individual categories – represent their country. Riders can go in any order within their team. The highest combined scores of each team determines the winners in a thrilling start to the trials action at Glasgow Green.
The following two days are given to the individual semi-finals rounds, to determine which six riders will face each other in the finals in each category. Saturday 12 August will see the finals in all five categories, starting with Men Junior 20" at 10.30am through to Men Elite 26" at 6.30pm.
Riders to watch
In the Women Elite, the defending UCI World Champion Nina Reichenbach needs to hit top form to claim her 6th rainbow jersey. She’ll face the Spanish pair of Alba Riera, the 15-year-old sensation who won the first round of the UCI World Cup in Vic-Catalonia, Spain, and 2021 UCI World Champion Vera Barón, who is in great shape.
In Men Elite 20", Germany’s Dominik Oswald, Austria’s Thomas Pechhacker and top British hope Charlie Rolls, have a hugely talented Spanish contingent to contend with, in Eloi Palau (who faces a race to fitness), Alejandro Montalvo and Borja Conejos, winner of the last round of the UCI Trials World Cup in Ploeuc-l’Hermitage (France).
In Men Elite 26" the Spanish riders including Dani Barón and Julen Sáenz faceFrance’s Vincent Hermance and Noah Cardona, but the favourite is Britain’s Jack Carthy, winner of both rounds of the 2023 UCI Trials World Cup held so far.
Will he feel under more pressure riding ‘at home’?
“For me, I like pressure. But I wouldn’t say that riding in front of the home crowd puts more pressure on you… I would say it kind of gives you wings! If there’s a good crowd it helps you to fly through the sections and get over the obstacles.”