Countdown to 2023 UCI Glasgow Cycling World Championships begins

The countdown is on for the biggest cycling event the world has ever seen.

There are less than six months until more than 8000 elite and amateur athletes, representing more than 120 countries, take to the world stage to compete in 13 disciplines at the UCI Glasgow 2023 World Championships.

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Hundreds of Australian riders are expected to take part in the championships and vie for their chance to don the coveted rainbow jerseys.

Across 11 days of action, from August 3-13 new champions will be crowned on every day of action kicking off in the velodrome with Para-Cycling Track events and finishing with the women's elite road race.

There are 190 rainbow jerseys up for grabs.

The disciplines include: Road, Track, Para-cycling Track, Para-Cycling Road, Mountain Bike Cross Country (including Olympic, Short Track, Team Relay, and E-MTB), Mountain Bike Marathon, Mountain Bike Downhill, BMX Racing, BMX Freestyle Park, Trials, Gran Fondo, BMX Freestyle Flatland, and Indoor Cycling.

Australia expects to have competitors in all events except BMX Freestyle Flatland and Indoor Cycling.

glasgow schedule

AusCycling Director of Operations-Performance Paul Brosnan has been appointed Australia’s Chef de Mission (CdM) for the 2023 UCI World Championships.

“It is indeed a great honour, I am both excited and thoroughly looking forward to supporting the AusCycling National Team leading into and on the ground in Glasgow later this year,” Brosnan said.

“The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships will be a very unique event. It will be the first time in history all these disciplines have been raced in one region at the same time. This is an exciting opportunity for our Australian riders to be on the world stage in front of tens of thousands of spectators across Scotland as well as broadcast to millions around the world."

Three deputy CdM's have been appointed to support Brosnan and the broader AusCycling National Team in Glasgow.

Evan James will head up MTB, Luke Madill the BMX Challenge, and Rik Fulcher for Olympic and Paralympic events.

It is anticipated the Australian team will consist of about 300 competitors and 80 staff across all events.

WOrld champs

AusCycling staff and support crew will be spread across at least four primary locations for the World Championships i.e., Glasgow (Track / Para, Road, BMX Freestyle and Race, Trials), Fort William (MTB Downhill), Tweed Valley (MTB Cross-country and Marathon), Dumfries and Galloway (Para Road). The location of the Gran Fondo event is to be announced.

Aussie riders can still qualify for the Gran Fondo World Championships at the Tour de Brisbane on April 2.

The 2023 UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships were held at the weekend in the Netherlands, with two Australians Sam Northey and Tristan Nash representing Australia in the Junior men and Under 23 races. Northey finished 67th in the junior men’s race, while Nash placed 48th.

The 2023 UCI Cycling E-Sports World Championships are on February 18 and will use new routes in Zwift based on the roads of Glasgow.

AusCycling changes selection policies to improve fairness, participation