Fans of muddy mayhem have welcomed back cyclo-cross for the first event of the season. Waterloo, Wisconsin in the United States hosted the first round of the 2022-23 UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup series on Sunday 9 October. Points gained from good performances at each World Cup event in the season go towards qualification and ranking for the UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championship. In 2023, the World Championships will be held in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands and tickets are already on sale starting at EUR €21!
If cyclo-cross is a bit too “off-road” for your tastes, perhaps gravel cycling will be your cup of tea. The UCI held its first Gravel World Championships from 8-9 October thanks to growing interest in the discipline over the past few years. France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prévot added yet another rainbow jersey to her collection by winning the elite women’s race on Saturday while Gianni Vermeersch claimed victory in the elite men’s on Sunday, both proving that multidisciplinary strengths help in the world of gravel cycling.
The new World Championships have also caught the eye of the talented Tadej Podacar who – despite winning Il Lombardia (Tour of Lombardy) on Saturday – stated how much he’d have loved to compete on the gravel and hopes to do so next year. That did not stop him from showing due respect to Il Lombardia: the “Race of the Falling Leaves” is the last of the 5 “Monument” races in the year and its romantic setting signals the approaching end of the road cycling season. This year, it also signalled the end of several incredible careers, including Alejandro Valverde and the “Shark of Messina” Vincenzo Nibali.
As the autumn leaves fall on the road cycling season, the track cycling specialists are warmed up and ready to race. So much so that the hour world record was broken at the weekend by Filippo Ganna! Riding a 3D-printed bike, the Italian recorded 56,792 km in 60 minutes at Grenchen’s Velodrome Suisse. The famous velodrome hosts the UEC Elite Track European Championships in February 2023.
The UCI Track Cycling World Championships begins today (12 October) and runs until Sunday 16 October. France’s Vélodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines – the track cycling venue for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games – will welcome the best track cyclists in the world for the usual array of feisty competitions and races. Tickets start at just EUR €23! This is followed by the UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships from 20-23 October.
Vélodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines is also the host venue for Round 3 (26 Nov) of the 2022 UCI Track Champions League which is returning for a second year after an extremely successful and popular inaugural series in 2021. Round 1 (12 Nov) will be held at the Palma Arena, Round 2 (19 Nov) at the Velodrom in Berlin, and Round 4 (2 Dec) and Round 5 (3 Dec) will be at Lee Valley VeloPark in London. The Palma and London events are already on sale with tickets giving you fantastic value considering the competition and entertainment you’ll be able to witness in the velodrome.