UCI World Cycling Championships: Crowds assemble for day one of mega event

The UCI World Cycling Championships has begun in Glasgow following yesterday’s opening ceremony that kick-started the 10 day event. The biggest ever cycling event of its kind will include races that traverse the city and reach out to other parts of the country including Fife and Edinburgh.

Events began this morning at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome with qualifiers for the Men Elite Team Pursuit, Women Elite Team Sprint, Men Elite Team Sprint, Women Elite Individual Pursuit, Women B 1km Time Trial, Women C5 500m Time Trial and the Men C5 7.5km Scratch Race.

Yesterday the organisers of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships kicked off the highly anticipated mega-event with an action-packed Opening Ceremony in George Square.

The Opening Ceremony featured performances by Scottish artists, with a mixture of professional and community-based organisations. There line-up included activities, personalities, dance, spoken word and a headline performance by KT Tunstall.

Acting as hosts were Scottish Commonwealth Games silver medallist Charline Jones and cycling commentator and Glaswegian comedian Alan Anderson. The event served as the official welcoming to the thousands of amateur and elite cyclists from more than 120 countries. George Square will now be the fan zone for the event and the finish line for many of the races.

David Lappartient, UCI President said: “The programme of music and family entertainment planned in George Square will be a fitting celebration on the eve of the biggest cycling event ever staged and will also kick off a full 11 days of activities planned at the official fan zone.”

Paul Bush OBE, Chair, 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships said: “The line-up of local and international artists for the Opening Ceremony of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, including a headline performance from KT Tunstall, will be the ideal curtain raiser for 11 days of exhilarating cycling action in Glasgow and across Scotland.

“The Championships will provide the perfect stage to showcase Scotland once again as a world-class events destination while also delivering a real and last impact for cycling across the country.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved from our strategic partners to the host regions and the local community for all their support in bringing for this first of its kind global event to life.”

For a full list of road closures in Glasgow, click here.