STIRLING will be an unrivalled setting for the upcoming 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships’ Individual Time Trials, according to a cycling legend.
The area will host the mega cycling event from August 9 to 11 and former Olympic Champion Chris Boardman, who will be following the proceedings from the commentary box, reckons there is not a better place for the race.
Indeed, he has personal experience of competitive racing in the city after claiming victory in the 1998 Pru Tour of Britain Individual Time Trial, which also finished within the grounds of Stirling Castle.
The 54-year-old individual time trial specialist, who will be commentating for the BBC, said: “I remember the final kilometre of the time trial in the 1998 Pru-Tour, bouncing up the cobbles to the gates of Stirling Castle.
“The road was lined with thousands of people enjoying the spectacle and watching the seconds of the big clock tick over to see who’d covered the distance in the fastest time.
“It was a dramatic opener for that race, and the ancient setting lent theatre to what was already an exciting event, showing British racing at its very best.
“I can’t think of a better place for the Individual Time Trials at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships to be held and I’m looking forward to being there to commentate on the event for the BBC.”
Covering up to 48km of roads, the Individual Time Trials will see riders set off from the King’s Knot in the shadow of Stirling Castle, before heading out west into the countryside and looping back into Stirling’s historic city centre, with a sprint through the city to the finish on the Castle esplanade.
Riders at Stirling Bike Club – one of the largest and most active cycling clubs in Scotland with more than 400 members – have been testing the Individual Time Trial routes since they were announced.
Jim Prentice, chair of Stirling Bike Club said: “The Individual Time Trials course in Stirling is fantastic.
“It’s got a bit of everything: flat, straight sections where you can build a rhythm and twisty, undulating sections that grab your attention – all in a mix of rural and urban roads.
“For spectators, the route has great vantage points, particularly in and around the four villages where the races passes through, and especially the final cobbled climb up to the historic Stirling Castle.
“It’s all taking place in some of the most beautiful countryside in Scotland.
“What’s not to like!”
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