UCI Cycling World Championships 2023: Road cycling preview, schedule, how to watch live Paris 2024 Qualifying action
Glasgow in Scotland hosts this year's huge multi-discipline combined event and provides the climax to both road races and the mixed relay, with the individual time trial starting and finishing in nearby Stirling.
Cycling Road
The UCI Cycling World Championships 2023 in Glasgow sees all the main disciplines of the sport come together at this level for the first time.
Road cycling will be as popular as ever with five elite world titles up for grabs from 5-13 August.
Those events are the men's and women's individual road races, men's and women's individual time trials, and the team time trial mixed relay.
In the first four listed - which will feature at the Paris 2024 - riders have the opportunity to earn quota spots for their nations at next year's Games in France.
Glasgow will witness the finishes of the road races, and host the time trial mixed relay, but the individual time trials will be centred some 40km north-east in Stirling.
Scroll down for all you need to know as the quest for the rainbow jerseys hits the road, with Paris 2024 Qualifying berths on offer
Riders to watch at UCI Cycling World Championships 2023: men's road events
The first elite event is the men's road race with Remco Evenepoel defending his title from Wollongong last October.
The Belgian star was in scintillating form this year, retaining his Liège-Bastogne-Liège monument classic title and leading the Giro d'Italia stage race before a positive COVID test ended his bid for the 'maglia rosa'.
After that, he won a stage of the Tour de Suisse on his way to third place overall, and secured his first Belgian national road race title.
Still only 23, Evenepoel has a silver and two bronze time trial medals at previous World Championships and looks sure to add to his medal tally in Scotland with compatriot Wout van Aert also holding strong chances in both races.
Van Aert's old cyclocross rival Mathieu van der Poel will go in the road race before setting his sights on the cross-country mountain bike race six days later.
After finishing second to Jonas Vingegaard for a second consecutive Tour de France, Olympic road race bronze medallist Tadej Pogacar could line up in Glasgow having been in the main pack behind Evenepoel's solo victory last year.
The Slovenian star will also hope to improve on his sixth in the individual time trial in Wollongong.
Vingegaard will not be in Scotland, with Denmark's hopes resting largely on the shoulders of 2019 world road race champion Mads Pedersen.
Julian Alaphilippe, road race champion in 2020 and 2021, bids to regain his title on a course which should suit the Frenchman.
Italy's Filippo Ganna will bid for glory at the velodrome - including a possible sixth world individual pursuit crown - before hitting the road to try and regain the time trial crown he won in 2020 and 2021.
It's a similar story for Ganna's INEOS Grenadiers teammate Ethan Hayter who is seeking a hat-trick of omnium world titles on the track.
The Briton was fourth in last year's time trial, despite a chain issue which cost him valuable seconds, and he also plans to try and improve on his ninth in the road race as he embarks on one of the busiest schedules in Scotland.
Hayter missed the Tour de France after sustaining a broken collarbone at the Criterium de Dauphine in June, but is expected to be fit to race in front of his home fans.
After his shock time trial victory in Wollongong, Norway's Tobias Foss is back to defend his title.
Great Britain's home hopes are led by 2018 Tour de France winner and two-time Olympic gold medallist Geraint Thomas.
Riders to watch at UCI Cycling World Championships 2023: women's road events
Dutch legend Annemiek van Vleuten ends her stellar career at these World Championships.
The 40-year-old certainly looks like going out at the top after winning La Vuelta Femenina in May before claiming a fourth Giro Donne (d'Italia) last month.
Her road race defence brings the curtain down on these World Championships, and she is seeking third titles in both that event and the time trial.
Along with van Vleuten will be another decorated veteran in Marianne Vos plus Demi Vollering and reigning European road race champion Lorena Wiebes
After defending her elimination race world title on the track, Belgian Lotte Kopecky will be among those hoping to deny van Vleuten a glorious swansong as she bids to go one better than last year's road race silver.
After racing on the track, Chloe Dygert will line up in both races having won the individual time trial title back in 2019.
Italy's two-time Olympic medallist Elisa Longo Borghini, who stepped on the podium of the women's road race in 2012 and 2020, was forced to withdraw after suffering an infection at the recent Tour de France Femmes.
Road cycling at UCI Cycling World Championships 2023: the courses
The men's road race starts in the Scottish capital Edinburgh, on the east coast, and has a distance of 271.1km.
There is just one notable climb, Crow Road lasting 6km with an average gradient of just under five per cent, coming just before the 100km mark which could see attacks thinning out the peloton.
After 120km, the riders arrive in Glasgow for the first of 10 laps of a 14.3km circuit which complete the race. Each circuit contains a short steep climb up Montrose Street - boasting an average gradient of 10 per cent - which will no doubt see attacks aplenty.
With that short climb every lap, this is a classic puncheur's course which should play to the strengths of the likes of Evenepoel, van Aert and Alaphilippe.
The women's road race begins west of Glasgow in Loch Lomond and joins up with the men's route just before Crow Road which is taken just 33km into the 154.1km total distance.
After 60km, the field enters Glasgow to take on the same 14.3km circuits of the city although the women only do it six times.
The time trials start and finish in Stirling with the climax a short steep climb up to Stirling Castle.
The courses are flat for the most part, with a handful of hills, but it will be important to conserve energy for the ascent at the end.
The women's course is 36.2km long with the men's 47.8km.
Road Cycling schedule at UCI Cycling World Championships 2023
All times below are British Summer Time (UTC / GMT +2 hours) and subject to change - elite races in bold.
Saturday 5 August
- 10:00 Women Junior Road Race
13:00 Men Junior Road Race
Sunday 6 August
- 09:30 Men Elite Road Race
Tuesday 8 August
- 13:00 Team Time Trial Mixed Relay
Wednesday 9 August
- 14:30 Men Under 23 Individual Time Trial
Thursday 10 August
- 11:15 Women Junior Individual Time Trial
14:00 Women Elite Individual Time Trial
Friday 11 August
- 10:00 Men Junior Individual Time Trial
14:35 Men Elite Individual Time Trial
Saturday 12 August
- 11:30 Men Under 23 Road Race
Sunday 13 August
- 12:00 Women Elite Road Race
How to watch road cycling at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships
In the United Kingdom, the BBC has full broadcast rights and will carry extensive coverage both on its linear channel and streamed on BBC iPlayer.
FloBikes will stream live coverage in the United States and Canada, while Eurosport will broadcast the event throughout most of Europe.
In Australia, the action will be streamed live and free on SBS On Demand.
Please check local listings for coverage in your area.