News: Routes for Road Worlds Announced

The routes for the 2019 Road World Championships have been revealed with Harrogate the centre of the action for the Time Trials and Road Races starting on Saturday 21st September

RST Cycle Clothing & Trigon Bikes

News: Routes for Road Worlds Announced

The full routes and race schedule for the Yorkshire 2019 UCI Road World Championships have been officially unveiled in Innsbruck (Austria).

The racing starts on Saturday 21st September with Para-cycling events before the first UCI World Champions are crowned the following day with the maiden Team Time Trial Mixed Relay.  The Yorkshire 2019 programme will continue through until Sunday 29th September with Individual Time Trials and Road Races for Junior (Under 18), Under 23 and Elite male and female riders.

British World Championship Stats

1 – Women Elite Individual Time Trial winner (Emma Pooley in 2010)

2 – Men Elite Road Race winners (Tom Simpson in 1965 and Mark Cavendish in 2011) and Men Elite Individual Time Trial (Chris Boardman in 1994 and Sir Bradley Wiggins in 2014)

4 – Number of Men Elite Individual Time Trial medals Chris Boardman owns (1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze)

5 – Women Elite Road Race winners (Beryl Burton in 1960 and 1967, Mandy Jones in 1982, Nicole Cooke in 2008 and Lizzie Armitstead in 2015)

7 – Total number of UCI Road World Championships medals Nicole Cooke owns (4 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze)

16 – Total number of men’s UCI Road World Championships medals (5 gold, 6 silver, 5 bronze)

21 – Total number of women’s UCI Road World Championships medals (12 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze)

50 – 50.08 kph – Average speed Sir Bradley Wiggins achieved over 47.1km when he won the 2014 Men Elite Individual Time Trial (31.12mph)

The Centre Piece
The historic city of Harrogate will serve as the destination town for every race, with start locations across the county to ensure the Championships reach as many people as possible.

The Harrogate circuit … Click for a bigger version of this map
… continued after advert

The full race programme is as follows:
— Day 1: Saturday 21 September: Beverley-Tadcaster-Wetherby-Harrogate Circuit – Para-cycling Road Races (C1 Event)
For the very first time, a UCI-sanctioned international Para-cycling event will take place alongside the UCI Road World Championships. The event itself will act as a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and will welcome entries from every Paralympic road racing classification. This one-day event will comprise races for four groups of disabled riders (blind and visually impaired, athletes with cerebral palsy, locomotor disabilities and handcyclists) and a total of 13 classifications for men and women. The riders will start from four different locations along the same route and all finish in Harrogate:

– Beverley to Harrogate 93km (57.8 miles)

– Tadcaster to Harrogate 70km (43.5 miles) route plus 3 circuits

– Wetherby to Harrogate 56km (34.8 miles) route plus 2 circuits

– Harrogate circuit 30km (18.6 miles) route plus 1 circuit

Click for a bigger version of this map

— Day 2: Sunday 22 September: Harrogate Circuit – Team Time Trial Mixed Relay – 28km (two circuits)
Team Time Trial Mixed Relay: Yorkshire will be making history by hosting the first ever mixed team time trial. This brand new event will precede the individual time trial and road races and replace the separate men’s and women’s team time trials which ran between 2012-2018. National teams will consist of three male riders and three female riders. The male riders will set off first and the women will replace them on the road as soon as the second male rider has crossed the finish line. Final timings will then be taken when the second female rider crosses the finish line and the fastest team will be declared the winner.

Click for a bigger version of this map

— Day 3: Monday 23 September: Harrogate Circuit – Women Junior Individual Time Trial – 14km (one circuit) and Men Junior Individual Time Trial – 28km (two circuits)

Like the Mixed Team Time Trial which takes place 24 hours before, this picturesque circuit works equally well for these Individual Time Trial events as its undulating and technical nature will provide exhilarating and exciting racing. The loop heads out to the west of Harrogate towards the RHS Garden Harlow Carr and into the neighbouring countryside. A series of short, sharp ascents and descents must be overcome before the riders head back into the town, skirting the Valley Gardens and through the beautiful Duchy estate. Once back in the centre, large crowds will cheer them around a succession of testing corners before the final rise to the finish line along Parliament Street.

— Day 4: Tuesday 24 September: Ripon to Harrogate – Men Under 23 Individual Time Trial – 32.5km (route plus one circuit) and Women Elite Individual Time Trial – 32.5km (route plus one circuit)

The proposed routes for both events are identical and perfectly suited to time trial specialists who can manage their efforts over this fast and open course. A flat opening 12km will get the riders up to speed before the road undulates gradually on the approach to Harrogate. The concluding Harrogate circuit will favour those who are able to push big power through their pedals before emptying the tank on the uphill drag to the finish.

Click for a bigger version of this map

— Day 5: Wednesday 25 September: Northallerton to Harrogate – Men Elite Individual Time Trial – 54km (route only)
Crosswinds could prove a factor right from the start as the route heads in a south-westerly direction out of Northallerton, and a short, sharp ascent on the outskirts of Masham should see early time gaps emerge. A fast section follows as the riders pass into Risplith, but from then on there is barely a flat metre of road. Despite being gradually sapped of their energy, the riders will have to keep something in reserve before one last blast into Harrogate and up to the finish line on Parliament Street.

Click for a bigger version of this map

— Day 6: Thursday 26 September: Richmond to Harrogate – Men Junior Road Race – 144.5km (route plus three circuits)
The first 37km of this rolling parcours sees the peloton head into the Dales where the first key climb of the day is awaiting them at Kidstones. This early ramp should provide an ideal opportunity for a breakaway to move clear, but the peloton will have ample time to plug that gap on the relatively flat section which follows before Burnsall. The historic landmarks of Barden Tower and Bolton Abbey will then be passed before the second main climb of the day comes between Beamsley and Blubberhouses.

This drag onto the exposed moorland could catch some riders unaware before they sweep into Harrogate and take on three laps of the circuit before one final sprint for victory along Parliament Street.

Click for a bigger version of this map

— Day 7: Friday 27 September: Doncaster to Harrogate – Women Junior Road Race – 91.5km (route only) and Men Under 23 Road Race – 192.5km (route plus three circuits)

Junior Women: This route heads in a north-easterly direction out of Doncaster and follows a flat but rather exposed opening 60km where winds could play their part. It’s the gradual drag into Harrogate however that is likely to prove most decisive, especially given cumulative fatigue, and it could provide the springboard for a late attack. Expect to see the peloton thin out if the pace is kept high before a hard-fought finale in the centre of Harrogate.

Under 23 Men: This race is a tale of two halves with a flat opening 90km being followed by a tough and testing finale. The parcours might look easy between Doncaster and Ripon, but the riders will have to be alert to potential crosswinds before the climbing begins in earnest. The Blazefield Bank ascent comes just after Ripon, and a sharp descent into Pateley Bridge follows before the main climb of the day up Greenhow Hill.

Averaging an 8.6% gradient  over 2.8km, this rise has proven selective during the Tour de Yorkshire and will no-doubt do so again here. Any riders that drifted back on the climb will have time to battle their way back into contention as the route drops gradually into Harrogate. The peloton must then take on three laps of the tough and technical Harrogate circuit (see page 26 for more details) before they muster one last push on the punchy drag to the finish line.

Click for a bigger version of this map

— Day 8: Saturday 28 September: Bradford to Harrogate – Women Elite Road Race – 149.5km (route plus three circuits)
The peloton will roll out to the north of Bradford and sample the delights of Shipley and Otley before the first categorised ascent comes on Norwood Edge. This winding ramp might distance some of the weaker climbers who will look to restore parity as the race continues to Pateley Bridge and up the Nidderdale valley. The climb of Lofthouse is awaiting them there and we may well see the frontrunners coming to the fore before they crest the summit and descend into Masham. A flat section before Ripon precedes the undulating approach into Harrogate and two laps of the circuit (see page 26 for more details) will prove a real war of attrition before the new world champion is crowned on Parliament Street.

Click for a bigger version of this map

— Day 9: Sunday 29 September: Leeds to Harrogate – Men Elite Road Race – 284.5km (route plus seven circuits)
Riders will wind their way into the Yorkshire Dales before a trio of significant climbs come one after another. Splits could well emerge if the pace is pushed at the head of the peloton. A battle to regain contact should then develop on the fast approach to Harrogate. Seven laps of the tough and technical Harrogate circuit will ensure only the strongest survive for a chance to claim the iconic rainbow jersey.

Click for a bigger version of this map

Full details on the Yorkshire 2019 UCI Road World Championships can be found at http://Yorkshire2019.co.uk

… continued after advert

2016_ShuttVeloRapideAdvert

Yorkshire History Makers

BRIAN ROBINSON: A true pioneer if ever there was one. In 1955 Robinson and Tony Hoar became the first British riders to complete the Tour de France, and after sealing a podium position at Milan-San Remo two years later, Robinson then became the first British rider to win a stage at the 1958 Tour. A further stage success would follow in 1959, and Robinson took the overall crown at the 1961 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré before he retired.

BERYL BURTON OBE: Few riders, if any, have dominated the sport like Beryl Burton did in the 60s and 70s. During that period she earned two UCI Road World Championships titles (in 1960 and 1967) and five rainbow jerseys on the track. On the UK scene, she won more than 90 domestic championships and set numerous national records, and it is highly unlikely her palmarès will ever be matched.

BARRY HOBAN: Hoban established himself as one of the world’s best sprinters when he scooped two stage wins at the 1964 Vuelta a España. Eight stage successes would follow at the Tour de France before he retired having racked up 11 Tour finishes – a record for a British rider that stands to this day. Add the 1974 Ghent-Wevelgem title and podium places at Paris-Roubaix and Liège–Bastogne–Liège and you have a true trailblazing talent.

MALCOLM ELLIOTT: Elliott has the distinction of being the first British rider to win a Grand Tour points jersey after topping the classification at the 1988 Vuelta a España. Before that landmark feat he had marked himself out as a prodigious talent by winning two gold medals at the 1982 Commonwealth Games, and he would sprint to three stage triumphs at the Vuelta before switching to the American circuit in 1993.

ED CLANCY MBE: Although Clancy is a familiar face on the British road scene, it is the track where he has enjoyed most success, and is one of the true standout riders from Britain’s golden generation of cyclists. With three Olympic gold medals, six world titles and five European Championships wins to his name, Clancy remains one of the finest endurance riders in the sport.

BEN SWIFT: An alumnus of British Cycling’s world-renowned Academy, Swift is equally at home on the road or track. A founding member of Team Sky in 2010 he achieved their first stage race win at the Tour de Picardie title that same year. His successes include a gold medal in the 2012 UCI World Track Championships and finishing fifth at the 2018 UCI Road World Championships in Bergen. He remains at the peak of his powers.

LIZZIE DEIGNAN: A former rainbow jersey winner on the track, Deignan wowed the crowd in 2015 when she powered to a stunning UCI Road World Championships victory in Richmond. That result earned her a clean sweep of National, Commonwealth and World road titles and cemented her place in the history books. Deignan will receive a hero’s welcome if she returns from pregnancy to compete in her home UCI Road World Championships in 2019.

TOM PIDCOCK: Pidcock is currently one of the hottest prospects in world cycling and has an extremely bright future ahead of him. The 19 year old held National, European and World Junior Cyclo-cross titles before winning the Men Junior Individual Time Trial at the 2017 UCI Road World Championships. Success at last year’s Junior Paris-Roubaix confirmed his allround credentials before he turned professional on the road at the start of 2018.

AlpsCyclesMidstory

Cycle Division’s Shop

Send your results as well as club, team & event news here

Other Results on VeloUK (including reports containing results)

Other News on VeloUK

Tags: ,