Remco Evenepoel is the current UCI Road World Champion
The biggest outdoor event of the UCI Cycling World Championships takes place on Sunday when the Men’s Elite Road Race travels from Edinburgh to Glasgow.
The world’s top road racers will be competing on the 271km (168 mile) route that takes in Fife and much of central Scotland.
It ends with 10 laps of a Glasgow city centre circuit.
Roads in Glasgow will be closed as well as along the route from Edinburgh on a rolling basis.
Road cycling commentator Phil Liggett told the BBC’s Drivetime programme it was the “pinnacle of the world of cycling”.
“The Tour De France is for the multi-day cyclist and the world championship is for the one-day expert,” he said. “They are the two highest rewards in the world of cycling.”
The race is scheduled to start at 09.30 near the Scottish Parliament before heading through Edinburgh city centre towards the Queensferry Crossing.
Image source, Getty Images
Last year’s championship was held in Australia
It goes through south Fife and across the Clackmannan Bridge into the Falkirk area.
The cyclists then heads west through the Carron Valley and over Crow Road into East Dunbartonshire before descending through Glasgow’s west end into the city centre.
Riders will complete 10 laps of a 14.3km (8.9 mile) Glasgow City Circuit before finishing in George Square.
- Edinburgh 9:30 – 10:02
- Fife 10:02 – 10:36
- Clackmannanshire 10:36 – 10:40
- Falkirk 10:40 – 11:20
- Stirling 11:20 – 11:45
- East Dunbartonshire 11:45 – 12:12
- Glasgow 12:12 – 16:00
Road closures will be in place as the race passes along the route.
The M90 will close at the M9 J1A slip at about 08:45 with the M90 J1A at Queensferry expected to close about an hour later to protect riders and allow the race to pass safely across the bridge.
The A90 Northbound from the Barnton Junction will be closed from about 09:30 until cyclists are over the Queensferry Crossing.
Other closures include the M876/A876 access to Clackmannanshire and Kincardine Bridges from about 09:45 to 11:00.
For the remainder of the race, a rolling road closure will be in operation across the event route, with roads closed for about 30-45 minutes.
Roads around the Glasgow City Circuit are closed completely.
Reigning UCI world champion Remco Evenepoel will be among the top riders taking part in the race, along with fellow Belgian Wout van Aert.
Two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar will also compete.
Image source, Getty Images
Fred Wright is the British national champion
British national champion Fred Wright will also have to contend with the two-time French winner Julian Alaphilippe and the Dutch Classics specialist Mathieu van der Poel.
The race is part of the UCI Cycling World Championships which sees the world’s best cyclists compete across a range of disciplines being brought together for the first time in one “mega event”.
It will see action across the country – from mountain biking in the Tweed Valley to elite track cycling in Glasgow’s Sir Chris Hoy velodrome.
There will also be time trials around Stirling and para-cycling road races in Dumfries.
The Women’s Elite Road Race on Sunday 13 August follows a 154km (96 mile) route from Loch Lomond to Glasgow via the Stirling countryside. It ends with six laps of Glasgow city centre.
