Great Britain prepares bid to host Road World Championships
- Monday, 3 October 2011
- 4 Comments
Jeremy Hunt chases, Elite men's road race, Road World Championships 2011
Great Britain is in the early stages of arranging a bid to host the UCI Road World Championships.
British Cycling president Brian Cookson told Cycling Weekly that he hopes Britain can hold it in the next "seven, eight years. To put together a coherent bid for the World Road Championships has always been on our major event strategy as an objective," he said.
"We're in a pre-planning stage, where we're looking at where and how it might happen, though the current economic situation makes it restrictive. We're constantly raising discussions with host cities and possible destinations," he added.
He said that the success of Cavendish and other medalists had helped to push the project up the agenda. "We want to host it while Cavendish is still riding," he added.
Cookson, who was recently made head of the UCI Road Commission, mentioned Wales, Scotland and London as potential places.
Great Britain has hosted the road world championships twice before, at Leicester in 1970 and Goodwood in 1982, where Mandy Jones was a popular home winner.
Describing the usual process of application, he added: "You have to bid and be unsuccesful, and be knocked back a year."
The destination for each world championships is allocated roughly three years in advance by the UCI Management Committee.
At this year's world championships in Copenhagen, the 2015 event was given to the American city of Richmond.
Related links
David Cameron visits home of British Cycling
Cavendish wins World Road Race Championship
Reader comments
Add your commentsOctober 03 18:26
Baz
This would be great but not London again, surely? The British Tourist Board might think it a good thing for a global tv audience to see riders passing Buck House, Tower Bridge and all the rest but let's hope British Cycling can come up with a proper cycling circuit worthy of the occasion.
October 03 21:37
Stephen Nightingale
Edinburgh. Can't you just see them climbing the cobbles of the Royal Mile to finish on the Castle Esplanade, you know, where they hold the Tattoos?
October 03 22:48
Jon
"We want to host it while Cavendish is still riding," - hosting it shouldn't be about setting it up for a home win.
That would be rude. I'd like to see a nice hilly course with some rugged countryside, Up North / Wales / Scotland / Northen Ireland / Devon etc. And please not London.
October 04 09:23
stephen macdonald
of course it will be london,the alleged tour of britain shows the complete lack of imagination of the cycling powers that be in the uk.
i dont think i could be more underwhelmed if i tried