This year, for the first time, the UCI Road World Championships and UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships are being combined into one event. The action will take place in Zurich, Switzerland, from 21 to 29 September.
Switzerland holds a very special place in the long history of the UCI Road World Championships. As far back as 1923, the third edition of the event, held in Zurich, crowned Italy’s 22-year-old Libero Ferrario in the amateur race ahead of two Swiss riders, Othmar Eichenberger and Georges Antenen. A century (and a year) later, the UCI Worlds have grown into a much bigger rendezvous, with approximately 1,000 cyclists competing for 13 rainbow jerseys. They settle again in Zurich for a new chapter in the relationship between cycling and Switzerland, a natural home for two-wheel enthusiasts of all levels.
It’s also in Switzerland, in the settings of the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle, headquarters of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), that the UCI World Championships for para-cycling entered a new era. In 2006, para-cyclists raced on the roads around the UCI WCC and on the centre’s track in an event that combined para-cycling road and para-cycling track. It was one year before para-cycling was officially integrated into the UCI.
Now, both the road and para-cycling road specialists are ready to flock to Zurich at the same time, for a comprehensive programme at the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships, awarding 66 titles in nine days of competition, from the mixed hand bike team relay on Saturday 21 September to the Men Elite road race on Sunday 29 September.
The riders will explore the city and the region of Zurich, combining the views on the picturesque lake and the nearby forests and mountains. “This is all my training area,” Switzerland’s Men Elite road race National Champion Mauro Schmid rejoices. “These are really nice courses. It’s definitely quite a tough course, not super steep, but some proper climbing, quite punchy, especially with the length of the race, it will be one of the harder editions in recent years.”
Swiss Alps, a land of cycling
The challenges offered on Swiss heights are well known. Every year, these mountains attract thousands of cyclists, locals and tourists, marvelling at the landscapes and the quality of the infrastructure. Amateurs and professionals alike love the Swiss environment to ride their bikes, whether it’s purely for leisure, in mass events as prestigious as the Gran Fondo Suisse (part of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series), Gravel Suisse (part of the UCI Gravel World Series) and in races at the highest level of cycling, with the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de Suisse, both held for men and women.
Most recently, it was Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky, the reigning Women Elite road race UCI World Champion, who triumphed in Romandie. A couple of months earlier, Demi Vollering claimed victory in the Tour de Suisse what she described as a “home victory”. The Dutch star lives in Switzerland and, when she’s not chasing glory all around the world, she’s used to sharing snippets from her explorations of the Alps, by bike or on foot, with her partner and her dog.
The Swiss Alps have also given rise to some of the greatest champions in history, starting with Ferdinand (“Ferdy”) Kübler and Hugo Koblet, winners of the Tour de France in the 1950s, both hailing from Zurich. Italy’s Gianni Bugno (two-time road race UCI World Champion, in 1991 and 1992) was born in Brugg, just outside of Zurich. Stefan Küng was also born in the area, while one needs to head towards Bern to explore the roots of Fabian Cancellara and Marlen Reusser, ambassadors of Zurich 2024.
All of them rode on the famous Oerlikon velodrome. Active since 1912, it is the oldest open-air operational sports arena in Switzerland. And it will host the start of the Men Elite time trial during these UCI Worlds.
From Mendrisio to Zurich, passing by Nottwil
Further south, Mendrisio was home to the last UCI Road World Championships held in Switzerland, in 2009. Fabian Cancellara delighted the local crowds with his victory in the Men Elite time trial, while the USA’s Kristin Armstrong dominated the women’s event to take her second rainbow jersey. Cadel Evans made history by claiming Australia’s first title in the Men Elite road race, while the Women Elite road race winner was Italy’s Tatiana Guderzo.
Closer to today, the 2015 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships were held in Nottwil, 50 kilometres from Zurich. The edition highlighted the talents of many athletes, including Flurina Rigling, hailing from Zurich.
At 28 years old, Rigling is another ambassador for the 2024 UCI Worlds. “I see the UCI World Championships as an opportunity to make para-sport more present in society and to make the performances and professionalism of the athletes more visible,” says the athlete who has just won two medals at the Paralympic Games Paris 2024.
Photo credits: Daniil Korbut