Glasgow to Host 2013 Elite Men’s & Women’s National Road Race Championship
January 21, 2013
The 2013 Elite Men’s and Women’s National Road Race Championships will be staged in Glasgow, British Cycling have confirmed.
The event, which takes place on Sunday 23 June, will form part of the proposed course for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, and with the majority of racing based within Glasgow’s city centre, will provide a spectacular backdrop for an epic weekend of elite level cycling.
The bid to be host city for the National Championships saw British Cycling receive unprecedented interest from towns and cities around the country. Jonny Clay, British Cycling’s Cycle Sport and Membership Director said:
“In recent years we’ve seen our national road championships won by riders who between them have won numerous Olympic and World Championship medals, as well as the Tour de France. The stature of the event and the calibre of the riders who contest it have been reflected in the competition to host the race for 2013.
“We received some great applications and there were several bids that would each have provided a fantastic National Championships. We’d like to express our thanks to all those who bid for the event in 2013 and we hope to reward their enthusiasm by working with many of them to create other new events in the future”
Speaking of their delight at being awarded the event, Councillor Archie Graham, the Deputy Leader of Glasgow City Council and the Executive Member for the Commonwealth Games, said:
“There’s never been a more exciting time for cycling in Britain thanks to the outstanding performances of our cyclists at the London 2012 Olympic Games and last year’s Tour de France. Glasgow is committed to the development of cycling at all levels as shown by our investment in the £113million Emirates Arena which includes the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
“Our desire to bring major events such as the 2013 National Road Championships to the city with events such as this and the recent UCI Track Cycling World Cup, which sold out in under half an hour, will help inspire the next generation of cyclists to fall in love with the sport.”
For the first time in its history, the 2013 road championship will see the National Time Trial Championship contested as part of the same weekend as the road race events, meaning the championships will be present in the city for an extended period from Thursday 20th when the time trials will take place to Sunday 23rd when the men’s and women’s road races will take centre stage.