Glasgow hosts the biggest cycling event in history

Swiss Cycling veröffentlicht Selektionen für Europa- und Weltmeisterschaften 2021

At the beginning of August, over 200 sets of medals will be awarded at the first Combined Cycling World Championships in Glasgow. Competitions will be held in almost all cycling disciplines and the Swiss team will comprise over 130 athletes, including 57 mountain bikers in the cross-country, short track, downhill, e-MTB and marathon disciplines.

From August 3 to 13, the Scottish metropolis will host the biggest event in the history of cycling to date. The group of participants is as diverse as cycling itself, ranging from world-class athletes to ambitious amateur athletes. While selections were made in most sports, there are also disciplines in which interested parties could register with a certain number of ranking points. While medal sets are also awarded in the U23 and U19 junior categories in most Olympic sports, only the elite selections compete on the track. Instead, the numerous para-cycling track events will be fully integrated.

For Switzerland, over 130 athletes will be competing in Glasgow. It is therefore not surprising that Swiss Cycling's Head of Performance Sport Patrick Müller speaks of an extraordinary challenge in connection with the organization. This applies to the recruitment of support staff, the logistics of transporting people and equipment and the coordination of accommodation: "We are moving into a new dimension."With the exception of the BMX freestyle discipline Flatland, athletes from Switzerland will be competing in all disciplines. The majority of the participants have already been confirmed, the remaining starting places will be allocated at short notice. The Swiss prospects for top places and medals are good, with the standard at the top of the world getting higher every year and more and more nations able to compete at the very top.

In several competitions, athletes with the Swiss cross on their backs will compete as defending champions. To name the most prominent example, this applies to 37-year-old Nino Schurter, who secured his tenth gold medal in cross-country in Les Gets (FRA) in 2022. The Swiss Cycling teams will also be the hunted in the team competitions on the road and mountain bike.

The route to the World Championships varies from athlete to athlete and depends, among other things, on the competition program in the individual sports. A significant number of the endurance athletes are preparing for the title fights either at an altitude training camp in the Engadine or at a heat camp in Tuscany; both camps are organized by Swiss Cycling.

The Swiss mountain bike squad