The Belgian region of Flanders is bidding to host the 2021 edition of the UCI Road World Championships, which will mark the centenary of the event.
The news was announced on Friday by Flemish Sports Minister Philippe Muyters, who has set aside a budget of €)3.5 million to finance
the bid, due to be submitted in June, and the hosting fee.
The Belgian cycling federation and the Flemish government are supporting the bid, as has Event Flanders, which has carried out a feasibility study into the logistical aspects.
Flemish prime minister Geert Bourgeois said: "Organising the world championship would be a great opportunity for Flanders, not only for the fans who get the chance to see the absolute best in the world at work for several days in a row, but also for the image of Flanders globally.
"The road cycling world championships is one of those sporting events that really get screened everywhere, even in the farthest corners of the world - a fantastic promotion for Flanders cycling country ."
According to the sports minister Muyters, the economic impact of hosting the world championships "is cautiously estimated at 30 million euros,"although we may be even more ambitious as a real cycling region."
First held in Copenhagen. Denmark in 1021. the UCI Road World Championships have been held in Flanders on six occasions, most recently when Zolder hosted the event in 2002.
The UCI will decide where the 2021 edition will be staged in September, during this year's world championships in Innsbruck, Austria.
Yorkshire will stage the event next year, while the 2020 host is yet to be announced.
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12 comments
They'll never learn.
Just spotted a typo in my previous post - makes me worse than a racist!
As long as it’s televised and we can lose the feed from the front of the race in the closing moments, and instead just stare down the finishing straight to have some additional excitement I don’t care where it is.
Any race in Flanders is dull and unispiring.
Put the Worlds in the mountains for once, or at least some proper hills.
Well you're entitled to your opinion but I suspect a lot of road race fans might consider that a right load of bollocks tbh. De Ronde still seems quite popular too.
Personally I don't like flat courses for the Worlds, often just end up with Sprinter of the Year, but the mountains would just give you Climber OTY. Flanders had some proper lumps in it, and plenty of them - lots of scope for a cracking general riders route, IMO of course....
Our forum racist is clearly thinking about this from a logistical viewpoint as it's so easy to get thousands of people up & off a range of mountains, easy enough to arrange a circuit around said range, easy to set up marshalling points, feed points and so on...
There's nothing racist in the post, fair play to valbrona if they have decided to leave the racism where it belongs. I will, however, jump on any racists posts from anyone. Let's hope that valbrona has learnt that there is no place for racism here, or in the big wide world. Let's hope that valbrona has learnt that racists are thick twats, that bigots in any shape or form are low on the intellectual scale as they don't have the ability to process information and are cunts.
I think it's spelt Cnuts...
You'll have to point out where I implied there's racism here? You, and I, both know what Valbrona is so let's call a spade a spade. The rest of oyur post is valid
It was an attempt to accept that valbrona hadn't said anything negative, just something stupid. That if they'd cleaned up their act, we shouldn't still be labelling them a racist. Reformed charcter and all that, but the dull prick then goes all misogynistic in another thread and loses any respect for having the capacity of learning.
Maybe one for after Froome's retirement, not sure he could ride in a race he'd sponsored
I rather like the idea of a Viking Road World Championships, sponsored by Cnut
According to Vikingpedia this 1021 race was the first time wooden aero spokes were used.