The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is pleased to announce that the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and BigMat, Europe's leading independent building materials retailer, have signed an agreement under which the French company will become one of the event’s Official Partners.
The agreement sees BigMat become the Official Building Products Retail Partner of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, which will bring together 13 UCI World Championships at various venues in Glasgow and across Scotland (Great Britain) from 3 to 13 August 2023.
BigMat is already well-known in cycling. The company has been heavily involved in supporting our sport through its sponsorship of UCI Teams for many years from the mid-1990s and also as a partner of several UCI World Championships that took place in France in 2022: for mountain bike in Les Gets, for BMX Racing in Nantes and for track in Saint-Quentin-les-Yvelines.
UCI President David Lappartient said: "BigMat has a tradition of supporting cycling, including UCI events for different disciplines. It helps promote cycling not only as a competitive sport, but also as a lifestyle and environmentally-friendly means of transport. To have BigMat as an Official Partner of the UCI Cycling World Championships will be a fantastic asset to this inaugural event, which as well as catering to the best cyclists in the world, places great emphasis on promoting the joys and benefits of bicycle riding to the wider population.”
Trudy Lindblade, CEO, 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships said: “With the final preparations underway for the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships, we are pleased to have BigMat join the Cycling Worlds family as an Official Partner. Having already provided significant support at previous major cycling events, we welcome their continued investment in the sport as we prepare to deliver the biggest cycling event ever.”
The President of BigMat International Fabrice Maud said: "The history of the BigMat International group has always been intrinsically linked to the world of sport, particularly for the values it conveys such as unity, solidarity and team spirit. These values perfectly reflect our cooperative spirit.
“As far as cycling is concerned, we are delighted to be able to renew our support for this sport, which is so dear to all the members of our brand.
“Supporting cycling is also part of our continual promotion of the bike as an eco-responsible way of getting around that helps to protect our planet, not to mention the positive impact that physical activity has on the well-being of every human being. It is therefore only natural for us to support the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, which will have a global impact and enable us to strengthen our position in line with our values.”
About the UCI
Founded on April 14, 1900, in Paris, France, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the worldwide governing body for cycling. It develops and oversees cycling in all its forms and for all people: as a competitive sport, a healthy recreational activity, a means of transport, and also just for fun. The UCI manages and promotes the ten cycling disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, BMX Racing, BMX Freestyle, cyclo-cross, trials, indoor cycling, cycling esports and gravel. Five of these are featured on the Olympic Games programme (road, track, mountain bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle), two in the Paralympic Games (road and track), and four in the Youth Olympic Games (road, mountain bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle). For more information: www.uci.org.
About BigMat
BigMat International is Europe's leading group of independent retailers of building materials and products for renovation and construction.
Founded in 1981 in France by business leaders close to their customers, the group has also expanded into six other European countries (Belgium, Spain, Italy, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovakia). BigMat brings together 571 independent trading companies, with a total of 997 sales outlets, under a banner of shared values and services.
BigMat's structure is that of a cooperative: its members are both customers and associates. Sharing experience between members is an essential value of the brand.
BigMat offers a range of quality building materials for new-build and renovation projects, to both professional builders and private individuals. The brand is a key link in the professional chain, between the manufacturer and the end customer.
Key figures for BigMat International:
3.2 billion euros in cumulative sales
571 members
997 sales outlets
more than 8,000 employees.
For more information: www.bigmat.com.
About the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships
From 3 to 13 August 2023, the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships will be hosted in Glasgow and across Scotland. It will be the single biggest cycling event in history, bringing together for the first time 13 existing UCI World Championships into one mega event.
This historic and innovative event will welcome more than 8,000 amateur and elite cyclists from more than 120 countries and crown over 190 UCI World Champions across 13 UCI World Championships, which includes: BMX Freestyle Flatland; BMX Freestyle Park; BMX Racing; Gran Fondo; Indoor Cycling; Mountain Bike Cross-country; Mountain Bike Downhill; Mountain Bike Cross-country Marathon; Para-cycling Road; Para-cycling Track; Road; Track; Trials.
The anticipated global TV audience will place the event in the top-10 most watched sporting events in the world, rivalling the Olympics and Commonwealth Games and placing Scotland on the world stage as a destination for elite cycling and cycle tourism.
Currently the UCI stages annual UCI World Championships in each of its disciplines in different host cities around the world throughout the year. Starting with the inaugural event in 2023, the UCI Cycling Worlds will bring these championships together every four years, the year prior to the Olympics.
The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships is more than just an event. It will be a catalyst for behavioural change across Scotland by giving everyone the opportunity to experience the freedom riding a bike can bring to their lives. By working in collaboration with cycling and wider partners, it will amplify and unify existing work and activity across health, transport, tourism, and participation.
The event will be delivered in collaboration between the UCI, Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, UK Sport, British Cycling, Glasgow Life and VisitScotland with its EventScotland team through 2023 Cycling World Championships Ltd, with the partnership creating a blueprint for future editions by ensuring the inaugural event is authentic, innovative, and distinctive. www.cyclingworldchamps.com.