As the world’s very best cyclists take centre stage in Glasgow and across Scotland for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, hopes are high for the Scottish cyclists who are going for gold.
An incredible 8,000 cyclists and para-cyclists from more than 120 countries will take part in the 10-day event, when 13 individual cycling World Championships will come together in one mega event for the first time ever.
A total of 34 Scottish riders are set to compete in the elite events in front of passionate home crowds in disciplines as diverse as the mountain bike downhill in Fort William and BMX Racing at the Glasgow BMX Centre.
And as the Scots taking part prepare for action, Chief Executive of sportscotland Forbes Dunlop, and Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Maree Todd, wished them the best of luck ahead of 10 days of action.
Mr Dunlop said: “The 2023 UCI World Cycling Championships will be a unique and very memorable sporting event and will put Glasgow and Scotland in the global spotlight once again. It will be a truly historic occasion and it is great to see so many cyclists from Scotland set to take part.
“Competing at this level comes after years of hard work in training and competition. To get to this stage is a real team effort, and for many homegrown athletes, is only possible thanks to National Lottery investment."
“But the focus is now rightly on the cyclists who will battle it out in a range of disciplines and on behalf of everyone in sportscotland, I want to wish them the very best of luck. It is their time to shine I know they will give it their all.’’
Ms Todd said: “I want to extend good luck wishes to every cyclist, coach and official participating in the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. "I’m sure we will witness some inspirational performances over the course of the championships, which I hope will inspire more people around the country to get on a bike."
“The Scottish Government is proud to host this innovative and inclusive event. The 11 days of sporting action will see 8,000 cyclists from over 120 countries compete for 13 world championships and I am looking forward to attending events in person.”
Scotland is ideally placed to host the historic Championships thanks to the range and quality of cycling venues already in place, including the iconic Emirates Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow’s East End.
The £113 million venue received £15million National Lottery investment from sportscotland. It is one of a number of Championships venues to have received vital National Lottery funding from sportscotland in recent years.
There’s still time to see this unique event for yourself so head to the UCI Cycling World Championships website for tickets and all the information you need to get involved and celebrate the power of the bike.
Find out more
Find your tickets on the UCI Cycling World Championships website
Interested in finding out more about cycling in Scotland? Scottish Cycling has a great new website to help you.
Looking for somewhere to participate in Glasgow? Check out the Glasgow Life activity finder
