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The 2022 UCI Road World Championships are coming to Wollongong, Australia. The cycling extravaganza will see the world's best cyclists lock horns for the coveted rainbow jersey.
The eight-day affair will take place from September 18 to 25. The championship has an exciting line-up of formats, such as road races, individual time trials and mixed team relay. A total of 13 medals will be awarded across three categories - Elite, junior and the latest addition: U23.
The 95th edition of the championships is only here to be better and more thrilling than ever.
Who is playing at 2022 UCI Road World Championships?
Without a doubt, the championships will see the best cyclists in the world descend in Wollongong.
More than 1,000 cyclists from over 70 countries will be coming Down Under to participate in the competition. Here's a look at some notable cyclists:
Men's
The men's category includes some of the biggest names in the sport. Three-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar, Tokyo silver medallist Wout van Aert, 2022 Vuelta a Espana winner Remco Evenepoel, and of course two-time individual time trial reigning champion Filippo Ganna are to set to feature.
The Australian team have sent some of their best men in the business to win on home turf. Giro d’Italia winner Jai Hindley and 13-time Grand Tour stage winner Michael Matthews will be competing for the green and gold flag.
Meanwhile, versatile Dutch star Mathieu van der Poel will lead the Netherlands pack that comprises national time trial winner Bauke Maollem and 2021 silver medallist Dylan van Baarle.
The Norwegian men's team is also not one to be overlooked, as they comprise veteran Alexander Kristoff and on his Intermarche – Wanty – Gobert Materiaux as teammate. And of course, who can forget Eritrea's Biniam Girmay, who made history for Africa last year by winning silver in the Under-23 race?
Women's
Tokyo 2020 time-trial gold medallist, Annemiek van Vleuten, has had a phenomenal season after completing the treble of Giro d’Italia Donne, Tour de France Femmes and Ceratizit Challenge by la Vuelta. The Dutch legend will look to add a cherry on top of her cake with a victory at the UCI Road World Championships.
The 40-year-old will retire at the end of 2023 and will look to add to her collection of three gold, three silver and two bronze World Championship medals. The Netherlands have come with the intention of bagging medals with a team including talented cyclists, Marianne Vos and Ellen Van Dijk.
Road race defending champion and two-time Olympic medallist Elisa Longo Borghini will also be competing for the prestigious rainbow jersey. With a star-studded line-up, the championships will be nothing short of edge-of-the seat.
What to expect at UCI Road World Championships?
The stunning coastline of the beautiful Australian city of Wollongong will serve as the backdrop for road race and time trial events. The cyclists will have to tackle demanding courses, riding up and down hills and circling the city.
For the first time in the history of the championships, both men and women will share the same time-trial course. They will race along a relatively flat but highly technical 34.2 km route, which will start and end in Wollongong.
Well, if the scenic view and the exhilirating course details aren't impressive enough, the host city has arranged a number of fan attractions.
There is a Spin Fest, which is a city-wide community celebration. It's a free programme: live music, art, entertainment, food and cycling. There will be multiple official and unofficial fan zones as well.
They will have large screens and food stalls for everyone to watch the races and have something to eat as well. There will also be official merchandise that will be sold and expo stalls for fans to catch a VR experience of the races.
To top it all off, the fan zones will also host medal ceremonies. Surely, the pinnacle of UCI road season will not be something anyone would want to miss.
