Yorkshire Gears Up For World Cycling Championships
I f you haven’t already heard, this month Yorkshire will host the 2019 UCI Road World Championships and we are predicting a bit of a party.
It is the first time Great Britain has hosted the event since 1982 and over nine days, more than 1,000 of the world’s top cyclists will compete in the county in a series of races designed to really test their mettle.
All the events will end in Harrogate and proceedings will get underway with an opening ceremony on the evening of September 21st in the Fan Zone on The Stray which is set to be the focus of the championships.
UCI President David Lappartient will be jetting in from Switzerland to declare the Championships officially open along with Yorkshire 2019 CEO Andy Hindley and British Cycling CEO Julie Harrington.
A host of entertainment is also been laid on to add to the celebrations and will continue through the week with performances from the likes of Jarvis Cocker and the Pigeon Detectives.
Yorkshire 2019 CEO Andy Hindley said: “Hosting the UCI Road World Championships is a once-in-a-generation event, so we felt it only fitting that we had an opening ceremony. We’re thrilled to have the UCI President David Lappartient in attendance to officially get things going and have laid on some great entertainment which will add to the party atmosphere.
“Of course, the racing will have already got going earlier that day with the Yorkshire 2019 Para-Cycling International, so it’s much a celebration of that as well as the start of the Championships proper.”
This is the first time a para-cycling event has ever been organised alongside the UCI Road World Championships.
It will be one of the highest-profile para-cycling competitions ever held and include 26 races in total, with men’s and women’s contests taking place across all four para-cycling classifications. Setting off from Beverley, Tadcaster and Wetherby, all races will finish in Harrogate and the results will count towards qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
If you want to get involved, check out our guide to both the races and the best viewing spots.
2019 UCI Road World Championships, September 22nd to 29th, worlds.yorkshire.com
Harrogate Time Trials
The UCI Road World Championships promises to get off to an exciting start with a series of time trials focused on Harrogate. Running over two days, the competitors will be charged with completing a set number of circuits of the town centre. The loops heads out of Harrogate towards RHS Garden Harlow Carr and into the countryside. There are a series of sharp climbs before it returns via Valley Gardens and the Duchy estate to Parliament Street.