In a first of its kind event, the world’s greatest riders will come together to compete in the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships between Thursday, 3 August and Sunday, 13 August.
Around 8,000 elite and amateur cyclists, from more than 120 countries, will participate in the 11-day championships, taking place in venues and locations in Glasgow and across Scotland.
While many roads will close during the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championship, Scotland's Railway will remain open for business, so you can make the most of the rail network as a reliable and convenient way to travel.
Scotland's Railway is open for business throughout the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, providing you with reliable, convenient, and sustainable travel options.
If you're travelling on the rail network during the Championship, please plan your journey in advance.
Some services to and from the venues may experience higher demand with spectators travelling to and from the events.
Imagine parkour combined with breakdancing… on a bike. That’s BMX Flatland.
Riders have nothing but their bike and the blank canvas of a smooth surface to style and spin their way to a mesmerising medal-worthy routine that you have to see to believe.
Nearest station:
Bridgeton High Street Glasgow Central Glasgow Queen Street Argyle Street
Where ordinary cyclists see obstacles, BMX Freestylers see opportunities. They fly superhero-high off ramps, ride on walls and flip the script of what’s possible on a bike every time they ride.
Nearest station:
Bridgeton High Street Glasgow Central Glasgow Queen Street Argyle Street
The goal of BMX Racing is simple: cross the finish line first. But that’s easier said than done with eight riders and a complex course of high speed curves, big bumps and even bigger jumps between the start gate and gold medal glory.
Nearest station:
Gran Fondo (which translates as Big Race) is a long-distance mass participation event that celebrates competitive cycling for everyone, not just the professionals.
The top 25 per cent of riders from 27 qualifying events held around the world have been invited to compete in Scotland.
Yes, Gran Fondo is about inclusion and community. But make no mistake: between the start and finish line, it’s seriously competitive. The stakes will be high, the battles will be intense, and the times will be quick.
Nearest station (start / finish line):
Gran Fondo (which translates as Big Race) is a long-distance mass participation event that celebrates competitive cycling for everyone, not just the professionals.
The top 25% of riders from 27 qualifying events held around the world have been invited to compete in Scotland.
Yes, Gran Fondo is about inclusion and community. But make no mistake: between the start and finish line, it’s seriously competitive. The stakes will be high, the battles will be intense, and the times will be quick.
Nearest station:
Prepare to be seriously wowed by Artistic Cycling where riders perform handstands on handlebars and ride their saddles like surfboards in spectacular feats of bravery, balletic balance and physical strength.
The beautiful game on bikes, Cycle-Ball will be more familiar, but no less thrilling. Riders must use their wheels to control, pass and strike the ball - no feet allowed. Played at pace with tackles flying in fast and silky skills on show, the riders take bicycle kicks to a whole other level.
Whether it’s goals galore or maximum points scored, the atmosphere will be electric in Glasgow’s Emirates Arena, so make sure you’re there to cheer on your side.
On Sunday, 6 August and Sunday, 13 August, all trains running between Glasgow Central and Motherwell / Larkhall will make additional stops at Dalmarnock station.
Nearest station:
Cross-Country races look chaotic - and that’s because they are.
After a massive crowd of riders pours off the start line, rough terrain, steep slopes and mud-based mayhem is the order of the day as they jostle for position, biding their time to attack in sprint finishes that separate the wannabes from the medal winners.
Riders will be pushed to the limit of human capability as they chew through 100km of road, gravel, punishing climbs, long descents and inhuman levels of lactic acid.
Only the strongest legs, lungs and minds will make it to the finish, where cycling immortality is the reward for answering the demands of this impossible distance.
It’s all downhill in Fort William where riders take on jumps, bumps, berms and rock gardens against the clock at white-knuckle speeds of up to 80km/h.
The most fearless will bomb their runs. Others will bail. Only the fastest will win the Rainbow Jersey.
Additional services will be operational between Glasgow Queen Street and Fort William between Thursday, 3 August and Saturday, 5 August.
Nearest station:
This is where the rubber meets the road for the world’s fastest and most fearless para-cyclists.
Every mile matters in ruthless contests of speed, stamina and guts. Smart racing will win the day as riders battle for every tactical advantage that will take them to gold medal glory.
Nearest station:
Old records will fall and new heroes will rise at the The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
Only the strongest men and women survive the trials of track racing, where six events will test the power, poise, strategy and stamina of the planet’s best para-cyclists.
On Sunday, 6 August, all trains running between Glasgow Central and Motherwell / Larkhall will make additional stops at Dalmarnock station.
Nearest station:
Various locations: Glasgow (Road Races - all finishes), Edinburgh (Men Elite - start), Stirling (Individual Time Trials), Loch Lomond (Women Elite and Men u23 - start).
The rules of the road are simple: fastest wins.
But a rainbow jersey winning time comes down to more than just raw RPM. Pace setting, strategically timed attacks and gutsy breakaways will separate the race leaders from the pack on the high-speed hills, thrills and spills of Scotland’s most challenging roads.
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The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome will be a cauldron of noise, tension and kinetic energy as riders reach warp speeds as they race for a place in the record books.
Eleven events will be contested, each of them a unique challenge of power, poise, strategy and stamina.
Riders have to give everything they’ve got for every advantage because fractions of a second will determine who gets to go home a hero.
On Sunday, 6 August, all trains running between Glasgow Central and Motherwell / Larkhall will make additional stops at Dalmarnock station.
Nearest station:
Riders hop, hook and wheel jump their way up, down and over purpose-built obstacles designed to test the extremes of bicycle-based agility and technical skill.
Bike handling is everything as they compete for “clean” rounds where they conquer rocks, blocks and more without ever putting a foot on the floor.
Nearest station:
Bridgeton High Street Glasgow Central Glasgow Queen Street Argyle Street
If you're planning to travel with your bike during the Championships, please consider using one of the thousands of cycle spaces available at stations across the country.
Cycle Hubs or racks are available at most ScotRail stations, providing you with secure storage for your cycle, as well as sustainable and integrated travel options when travelling around the network.
Competitors are advised to avoid travelling to events with cycles and equipment.
Road closures around Glasgow impact the shuttle bus service between Glasgow Queen Street and Glasgow Central throughout the event.
The shuttle bus service will not operate between Friday, 4 August and Tuesday, 8 August; on Saturday, 12 August; and on Sunday, 13 August.
On Thursday, 3 August; Wednesday, 9 August; Thursday, 10 August; and Friday, 11 August, the shuttle bus will operate as normal.
Pedestrian walkways between Glasgow Queen Street and Glasgow Central will remain available throughout the event, but if you require connecting transport, please consider changing trains at Partick, where possible, for services to Glasgow Queen Street Low Level or Glasgow Central Low Level.
If you're travelling to or from the east, please consider using services between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh via Shotts, where possible.
Full details of the road closures across Scotland are available at getreadyglasgow.com/cycling-worlds.
For full details on the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, and to buy tickets, visit cyclingworldchamps.com .
Road traffic and travel updates are available on the Traffic Scotland website .
Full details of the road closures across Scotland are available at getreadyglasgow.com/cycling-worlds.
Public Transport updates are available on the Traveline Scotland website and on the Traveline Scotland app.
You can also phone the Traffic Customer Care Line on 0800 028 1414 for both road and public transport information.