UCI Cycling World Championships

The World Champs are coming to Scotland… all of them!

Every year, the best cyclists in the world compete against one another in their various disciplines, typically, these events are spread across the globe, however, this year, they’re all coming together in one country. Between August 6th-13th, the world’s most elite cyclists will descend on Scotland to compete in events across the nation! Most exciting to us, five of these events will be held on our doorstep, at Glentress Forest in the Tweed Valley! These epic races, including Mountain Bike Cross-country and Cross-country Marathon, will ride right by our Alpine Bikes Glentress store. Join us in getting close to the action and read on to find out where and when some of our favourite cycling disciplines will be having their events.

MTB Cross-Country MTB Cross-Country Marathon MTB Downhill Road Para-Cycling Road Gran Fondo Track Para-Cycling Track

Two mountain bikers take on a technical cross country course

MTB Cross-Country

When: 8-12 August

Where: Glentress

Cross Country Mountain bike racing is the ultimate test of cycling endurance and technical ability. Competitors ride a 4 to 6 km off-road loop between 5 and 7 times, making for a total distance between 20 and 42km. The course is a purpose-built track with steep, rough hills and plenty of challenging technical features. Efficient climbing and fast descending are both required in spades for riders to be competitive.

On Tuesday 8th August the Cross-Country qualifying round will be totally free to attend, following Cross-Country events, also hosted at Glentress, will be ticketed. Tickets can be purchased on the UCI’s page. Around these races, there will be many exciting fringe events and our Alpine Bikes Glentress store will be open for bike-related shopping!

A few mountain bikers come around a bend on a dirt track cross country course

MTB Cross-Country Marathon

When: 6 August

Where: Glentress

The cross-country marathon is a truly unique event. It involves riding an off-road route of around 100km in length, so it’s a real endurance challenge. However, the thing that really sets it apart is that as well as a field of around 150 elite racers competing, thousands of amateur riders set off behind them to enjoy and race on the same course as the pros.

The Cross Country marathon is totally free to spectate. The start line is at Traquair House, and then the 100km loop of the Tweed Valley finishes at Glentress. On the day there will be many exciting fringe events and our Alpine Bikes Glentress store will be open for bike-related shopping!

A mountain biker races down a steep technical race course

MTB Downhill

When: 3-5 August

Where: Fort William

Downhill mountain biking is possibly the wildest and most exhilarating event of the World Championships, both for riders and spectators. The course starts half way up a Munro, Aonach Mòr, and runs right to the bottom of the mountain. It is chock full of rocks, roots, jumps and drops but the racers take it on at astonishing speeds of up to 70km/h. After practice runs, competitors must qualify for the final. Then they ride the course in reverse qualification order, so the fastest riders are the last to descend. This makes for close competition with the “hot seat” never being safe until the last rider is down.

A cyclist crosses the finish line, celebrating

Road

When: 5-6 & 8-13 August

Where: Across Scotland

World Championship Road Racing is in an intense battle with cyclists from around the world competing for the rainbow jersey. The racing is split into 3 events: Individual Road Race, Individual Time Trials and Mixed Team Relay. This might sound complex but we’ve broken each of them down for you.

Individual Road Race

This race is as simple in principle as the name implies: the fastest to the finish wins. However, in practice, it’s a complex game of endurance and tactics that often delivers a spectacular sprint finish. Riders will try to conserve energy by staying in the Peloton and drafting behind the riders at the front but they have to be careful not to get dropped if they want to be in with a chance of standing on the podium.

Individual Time Trial

Another solo event that is as straightforward as racing gets (if you don’t look at the space-age bikes). Riders set off individually, at intervals, and race as fast as possible to the finish. No drafting. No Teamwork. Just the rider versus the clock. The margin between podium times can be minuscule, so riders must work for every marginal gain and give 100% from start to finish to win.

Mixed Team Relay

This team event involves a team of six, which comprises three men and three women, racing around a circuit. The men go first, all three set off at once. Then, once the second man has passed the start/finish line, the women can set off. The clock stops when the second woman passes over the finish line. Because only four riders are required to cross the finish line, the remaining two can be used tactically to help preserve the energy of their teammates before they drop out. Teamwork and communication are the keys to claiming gold in this race.

Para-Cycling Road

When: 9-13 August

Where: Dumfries and Galloway

Para-cycling road racing follows a very similar format to road racing, just with adaptations for cyclists with various disabilities. Mostly the adaptations are equipment based with the event itself not changing. Racers are grouped into classes, for example, visually impaired cyclists will be paired with an unimpaired “pilot” on a tandem bike, while those with lower limb impairment would be in a different class using hand cycles. The racing is incredibly tight with more and more nations competing each year as para-cycling gains momentum and becomes more accessible.

Gran Fondo

When: 4 & 7 August

Where: Roads around Glasgow

The Gran Fondo or “Big Race” is a mass participation road cycling event with a huge starting pack, where the aim is simply to get around the course as fast as possible. This race is all about inclusion but that doesn’t mean it’s not competitive. The front of the pack will be hotly contested but even those who aren’t going for gold will be fighting for a new personal best. Pacing tactics count for more than sprinting ability here. With a course between 120 and 200km long with around 3000m of climbing, the Gran Fondo is as much a test of mental resilience as it is one of physical endurance. Follow the action from the side of the road or from your living room for nail biting drama, crushing lows, and soaring highs all the way to the finish line.

Track

When: 3-9 August

Where: Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow

Track cycling is raced in a velodrome that’s 250m around the track with steeply banked sides to keep the riders on track while they take the corners at high speeds. But track racing is so much more than riding around in circle until someone crosses the finish line. There are multiple different events with different formats that test, not only the physical strength of the racers, but also their wit, communication, and tactical planning skills. There are 11 events in total, so there’s something different happening every day.

Sprint

This is a one-on-one knockout race where two riders complete 3 laps of the velodrome. Fastest to the end wins. It may seem simple, however, the tactics are anything but. The rider that ends up in the lead is at a disadvantage because the other can draft, so it all comes down to the last lap!

Team Sprint

The team sprint is actually more of a time trial where a team of three try to get around the velodrome as fast as possible but each lap, one rider drops out. This means only one racer crosses the finish line, but their time counts for the whole team.

Time Trial

This is simplest event of them all. One rider at a time starts from a standstill. They must complete a set distance (1km for men and 500m for women) as fast as possible. It’s a straightforward race against the clock that requires blistering acceleration and maximum power output for the duration.

Keirin

Riders follow in the slipstream of a motorbike (or electric bike) for 750m before it peels off and the real race begins. It’s an all-out high-speed sprint to the finish from here with tight times all the way to the finish line.

Individual Pursuit

This event is similar to the Individual Pursuit but, you guessed it, in teams. Teams of start off on opposite sides of the track and attempt to catch the other team. If no team catches the other, then fastest time wins.

Team Pursuit

This event is similar to the Individual Pursuit but, you guessed it, in teams. Teams of start off on opposite sides of the track and attempt to catch the other team. If no team catches the other, then fastest time wins.

Points Race

This is one of the more tactical events of the track racing programme. Individual riders compete in a field of up to 24 competitors to score points by either lapping the field or winning special “sprint laps”. Lapping the field earns 20 points, while coming 1st 2nd 3rd and 4th in sprint laps earns 5, 3, 2 and 1 points respectively. In the final sprint the stakes are even high as the points double. The race lasts 160 laps for men and 100 for women, so it’s a real test of endurance.

Madison

The Madison is very similar to the points race but it is a team of two relay. Any team can swap their riders at any point during the event using either a push or a hand sling to transfer momentum. It’s a longer event too, fought out over 200 laps of intense racing.

Scratch

This is a straightforward race to complete 15 laps for men and 10 laps for women. It’s a mass start event, so there’s plenty of jostling for the lead, tactical slip-streaming and daring breakaways.

Elimination

Don’t fall behind is the main rule for this event. The field of riders take a rolling start and must sprint every two laps. The last rider to cross the line on each sprint lap is eliminated from the race. This event is a game of energy conservation but it’s important not to be too careful, or riders will find themselves out of the running for medals.

Omnium

The omnium is a medley of events, where competitors must score highly in Scratch, Tempo, Elimination and Points Race to secure a place on the podium.

Para-Cycling Track

When: 3-8 August

Where: Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow

Para-cycling track racing features the same events as track, just with adaptations for cyclists with various disabilities. Mostly the adaptations are equipment based with the event itself not changing. Racers are grouped into classes, for example, visually impaired cyclists will be paired with an unimpaired “pilot” on a tandem bike, while those with upper limb injuries would be in a different class using bikes with adapted handlebars. 6 events will feature, from pure physical efforts like the individual pursuit to tactical challenges like the team sprint.