Glasgow prepares for UCI World Cycling Championships with intensive road repair programme

An intensive road repair programme, including road closures, is under way in the city. Great Western Road is currently closed for seven days for resurfacing.August’s UCI Cycling World ­Championships will be the biggest event of its kind, drawing the eyes of a billion TV viewers.

The UCI event attracts the world’s best riders, including two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar, 24, of Slovenia. He is among the hot favourites for the men’s road race that takes in a 170-mile course between Edinburgh and Glasgow – the host city for the ­championships.

The championships will run from August 3 to 13, featuring 13 UCI World Championships in a mega event in Glasgow and across Scotland. It brings together road riding, mountain biking, road cycling, velodrome, indoor cycling, and BMX and para world ­championship races.

Seven thousand potholes were reported to Glasgow City Council in the first two months of 2023 alone, causing the local council to double its budget for road repairs to £12million. It blamed the potholes on bad weather.

A spokesman said: “No specific funding has been set aside for road repairs ahead of our hosting of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.“If there is remedial carriage repair work to be carried out, or potholes identified on the route before the championships, they will be fixed as part of the council’s business as usual roads maintenance.” Watch the video from The Scotsman above or watch here.

Meanwhile, organisers of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships unveiled the Championships kit this week. The ‘Champs Clan‘ is the team of 4,000 volunteers who will play a role in the success of the biggest cycling event ever organised for the sport.

Glasgow City Council says: “The Champs Clan will be a recognisable and cherished part of the UCI Cycling Worlds, creating special memories for volunteers and fans in the same way as the “Clyde-siders” in the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the “Gamesmakers” for the London 2012 Olympics.”

The first gathering of the Champs Clan was held on Sunday 18 June, where 1,500 volunteers descended on Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall for an orientation day hosted by Heart Scotland’s Des Clarke and Jennifer Reoch.

Also in attendance at the event was Sean Batty, presenter and Champion for the volunteer programme, Lusia Steele (track cyclist representing Scotland and Great Britain), Trudy Lindblade (CEO of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships).

Christina McKelvie, MSP, Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development said: “Volunteers have an important part to play in the success of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and we are grateful to them for their enthusiasm and commitment to this groundbreaking mega event.

“It was great to see the energy and passion from the volunteers when I attended the first gathering of the Champs Clan held recently in Glasgow. I’m confident that our volunteers will give visitors a warm Scottish welcome during an exciting eleven days of sport in August.”

UCI President David Lappartient said: “An event the size and importance of these UCI Cycling World Championships could not run smoothly without the commitment and hard work of the volunteers. I sincerely thank the thousands of people who signed up to be part of the Champs Clan. They will be recognisable during the event thanks to their kit unveiled today, and I look forward to meeting some of them when I attend the different UCI World Championships taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland.”

Sean Batty, 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships Volunteer Champion said: “It’s amazing to see the excitement among the Champs Clan as they gathered for the first time. They will all play such a key role in delivering this incredible event. We all can’t wait for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships to start and for Scotland to put on a show for the whole world to enjoy.”