The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and its World Cycling Centre (WCC) are delighted to announce a full programme of activities throughout the summer of 2022.
The UCI WCC, home of the UCI headquarters, is located in Aigle, in the Swiss Canton of Vaud, which is celebrating the Year of the Bike in 2022. It is therefore fitting that the UCI WCC confirms and solidifies its position at the heart of cycling.
After hosting the start of the final stage of the Tour de Romandie in May, the UCI WCC is now preparing three days of festivities focusing on the Tour de France. With the 9th stage starting in Aigle on Sunday 10 July, the UCI WCC will be hosting numerous activities in its role as Relais Etape (stage stopover). The peloton will pass by the UCI WCC twice before heading to Châtel Les Portes du Soleil in neighbouring France.
Festivities at the UCI WCC will start the previous day – when the 8th stage finishes in nearby Lausanne – and will continue until Monday 11 July, the first rest day of the three-week stage race. More than 10,000 spectators are expected in Aigle for the start of the 9th stage, and the UCI WCC is ready to welcome them at a dedicated fan zone and village with a giant screen where they can watch Saturday’s and Sunday’s stages live, stands, contests, animations, refreshments and fun activities for families and children.
Visitors will also have the chance to participate in track cycling and BMX Racing initiations, mechanics workshops, and guided visits of the UCI World Cycling Centre. As always, the UCI WCC’s pump track and technical circuits will be available to all, and the restaurant ‘’Le Velodrome’’ will be open all day.
Fans will be able to whet their appetite for the Tour de France before it arrives in Aigle thanks to the travelling exhibition dedicated to the Tour de France, which will be installed at the UCI WCC and open to the public from 22 June until 19 September. Updated each year, this comprehensive exhibition looks at this iconic sporting event from different angles including its history, the history of the yellow jersey, how a route is devised, a day at a stage, the advertising caravan, and how live coverage works. This year sees a special section dedicated to the Tour de France’s connection with Switzerland and Swiss riders. Free of charge, this Tour de France Expo will include a display of historical bikes and former leaders’ jerseys as well as interactive screens to engage visitors.
Click here to download the official poster of the "Tour de France L'Exposition"
Meanwhile, from this weekend, fans of cycling will also be able to feast their eyes on a new temporary photo gallery, “Elite” set up in the UCI WCC velodrome, along the walkway above the track. This exhibition comprises images from major events, principally from 2021 and 2022: UCI World Championships, UCI World Cups, UCI WorldTour, UCI Women’s WorldTour and the Olympic Games. It takes viewers on a tour of cycling that is a reminder of the sport’s incredibly varied and diverse facets.
After a private viewing on the evening of Friday 3 June, World Bicycle Day, the Elite exhibition will be open free of charge to all visitors to the UCI WCC from the following day. Moreover, all the UCI WCC’s exhibitions have been updated and modernised. They contain information on the UCI, its World Cycling Centre, their history and activities.
To launch this incredible summer of activity, the UCI World Cycling Centre will celebrate World Bicycle Day tomorrow, 3 June, in style thanks to activities organised throughout the day for local schoolchildren and the general public. Initiations, visits, and a chance to go for a bike ride with the UCI President David Lappartient and UCI Director General Amina Lanaya are on the agenda of this special day dedicated to the bicycle.