- By Steve Sutcliffe
- ` Sports
31 minutes ago
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Briton Tom Pidcock will be one of the main attractions of the cross-country mountain bike competition
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UCI Cycling World Championships 2023 |
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Venues: Glasgow and across Scotland. Dates: 3.-13. August |
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Coverage: Watch live on ` Two, ` Three, ` iPlayer, ` Red Button, ` Sport website and app. |
The inaugural UCI Combined Cycling World Championships get underway at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow on Thursday.
The 11-day event, which will be broadcast live on the `, will end on August 13.
Around 2,700 riders will compete for rainbow jerseys in seven disciplines, with more than 200 world titles at stake.
Road racing, time trials, track, BMX, mountain biking, indoor cycling and, for the first time, fully integrated para-cycling are all included.
Only the cyclocross, which took place in the Netherlands in February, is missing from a compressed schedule.
But which British drivers are likely to shine? What exactly is the Gran Fondo? And who are the other stars of sport and racing to watch in Scotland?
` Sport looks at the biggest multi-disciplinary cycling event of all time.
Archibald focuses on home soil
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Katie Archibald is a four-time world champion
Local hero and two-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Archibald is ready to take center stage as the track battles for three world titles in the team pursuit, Madison and Omnium.
Neah Evans, the reigning world points race champion, is also looking to impress as the British track cyclists unveil a new, state-of-the-art Hope Lotus bike that they hope to ride to Paris 2024 Olympic glory.
Olympia housemates Elinor Barker and Katy Marchant are both competing in their first world championships since the birth of their sons in 2022.
Meanwhile, Jack Carlin, who took silver and bronze at Tokyo 2020, will be looking to add a maiden gold medal to his collection of six gold medals at World or Olympic level.
Expectations are high for the Para Athletics squad, which includes 16-time world champion Neil Fachie, while Jody Cundy will be looking to win the 14th consecutive kilo world title.
Tandem stoker Lora Fachie will return to the track alongside pilot Corrine Hall – following the birth of her son last year – while multi-talented Kadeena Cox will also be looking to add to her growing medal roster in para-athletics and para-sports. To go biking.
Thomas & Pogacar among Glasgow’s street kings
2018 Tour de France winner and two-time Olympic champion Geraint Thomas leads Britain’s hopes in the men’s time trial on August 11.
A day earlier, Lizzie Holden is hoping to repeat this year’s national success in the women’s race on the international stage.
Two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar will take part in the elite men’s road race, which is run over a 271.1km route from Edinburgh to Glasgow with a notable climb, the Crow Road, before a technical circuit reached in Glasgow city centre.
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Slovenian Tadej Pogacar is considered one of the best road racers in the world
That should suit the reigning champion Remco Evenepoel and his Belgian compatriot Wout van Aert.
British national champion Fred Wright also has to deal with two-time French winner Julian Alaphilippe and Dutch classics specialist Mathieu van der Poel on August 6th.
To close the curtain on the August 13th event, the best female road cyclists are represented.
Tour de France Femmes winner Demi Vollering leads an impressive line-up: Annemiek van Vleuten, Marianne Vos, Lotte Kopecky and Britain’s Lizzie Deignan, the 2015 winner, will all go head-to-head over a 154.1km course starting in Loch Lomond and ending in Loch Lomond, compete six laps through Glasgow city centre.
Britain’s Dame Sarah Storey is also aiming for the 17th road world title and 42nd overall when she competes in both the women’s C5 time trial and the road race at Dumfries and Galloway.
The UK Para-Road squad also includes four current World Champions including tandem pair Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl, Fin Graham (MC3) and Women’s C1 Time Trial and Road World Champion Fran Brown.
Meanwhile, thousands of cyclists will take part in mass events around Highland Perthshire for Friday’s Gran Fondo, which means ‘big ride’ in Italian.
On the longer route, participants cover 160.3 km, while the shorter distance is 85.7 km. There will also be a 22.8 km individual time trial in Dundee on Monday 7th August.
Pidcock adjusts his visor
After finishing 13th in this year’s grueling Tour de France, Britain’s Tom Pidcock is turning back to mountain biking.
The Olympic gold medalist travels to scenic Glentress Forest south of Edinburgh alongside 2021 World Champion Evie Richards for the cross-country races between August 8th and 12th.
Junior World Champion Jordan Williams and Rachel Atherton, who is seeking her seventh world title, will compete for rainbow jerseys in the August 3-5 downhill events in Fort William.
British BMX racing and freestyle teams include Olympic champions Beth Shriever and Charlotte Worthington, and Olympic and World Championships silver medalist Kye Whyte.
Olympic bronze medalist Declan Brooks and newly crowned European champion Kieran Reilly are also competing with medal ambitions.
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