It’s less than two months until the world’s greatest cyclists and para-cyclists head to Scotland for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and the excitement is tangible. Over 8,000 athletes from 120 countries will compete over 13 existing UCI Cycling World Championships in the biggest cycling event ever. Dumfries & Galloway, in the south-west of Scotland, will play host to the road competitions for the para-cyclists…
Nearly two centuries later…
Dumfries & Galloway has already etched its name into the pantheons of cycling history as it lays claim to introducing the world to the first pedal-driven bicycle in 1839.
In 2023, it will welcome bicycles, tandems, tricycles and handbikes when it hosts the individual para-cycling road competitions (9-12 August) of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.
The individual time trials will take place on 9 and 10 August over three distances – 11.5km, 16.9km and 28.1km depending on the sports class – that rack up around 71m, 114m and 209m of climbing, respectively.
Great Britain’s Fin Graham (C3) - successful in the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup and winner of two silver medals at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo - was born and lives in Scotland and welcomed the announcement that Dumfries & Galloway will host the para-cycling road events.
“The landscape and scenery in the region is stunning and will be a great host to the Championships,” he said after the announcement in 2021. “To have the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships involved alongside the other UCI World Championships is huge for our sport and it is a huge ambition of mine to take part in front of a home crowd as well.”
His ambition will come true and he’ll be one of the favourites to take gold. And what an inspirational backdrop to deliver world-class performance. Nearby attractions include the Logan Botanic Garden, which is a wonderful, cleansing way to unwind and clear out the cobwebs. It’s home to a plethora of remarkable plants, including exotic species from South and Central America, Southern Africa and Australasia.
It will be a discovery for many of the athletes, including Australia’s Emily Petricola (C4), who told us earlier in the year how these championships will be a new adventure. “I’ve never raced in the UK, let alone Scotland. The main thing I’ve heard is that it might not be warm outside,” said the 43-year-old.
(At the time of writing, Dumfries and Galloway was experiencing late 20°C temperatures)
A multi-faceted journey
The time trials will be followed by two days of road races, on 11 and 12 August, then the para-cycling road competitions will move to Glasgow on Sunday 13 August for the team relay.
All the road races will take place over the same 15.5km circuit that includes 118m of elevation. Riders will set off from the Dumfries Crichton Campus of the University of West of Scotland before heading out to the village of Glencaple, which is situated on the banks of the River Nith. Glencaple is a Gaelic name, meaning “horse valley” from the words “gleann” (narrow valley) and “capall” (horse; mare). The area’s birdlife is one of the many reasons visitors head to Glencaple, hoping to see wildfowl and waders, albeit this is more autumn and wintertime.
Another of the region’s attractions is the nearby Annadale Distillery. There are five major whisky producing regions in Scotland, each with their own unique characteristics: Speyside, Islay, Highlands, Campbeltown and Lowlands. Annandale Distillery is a great example of a Lowland distillery, first opened in 1836 and reborn in 2014 following an extensive restoration project. Despite modernisation, the master distillers at Annandale still make whisky according to traditional methods.
Dumfries & Galloway has a long association with competitive cycling, having hosted the Tour of Britain on 10 separate occasions. The para-cycling road competitions at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships will cement this stunning area’s reputation as one of the must-cycle areas around the world.