Leeds ready to stage UCI Road World Championships cycling action

The biggest names in world cycling will be competing on roads in Leeds later this week as they take part in the prestigious UCI Road World Championships.

Races come through parts of the city on Friday and Saturday before the finale of the event and biggest race of the week, the elite men’s road race, starts in Millennium Square on Sunday morning (September 29).

Following on from the success of Saturday’s Yorkshire 2019 Para-Cycling International which attracted big crowds to Wetherby in perfect weather conditions, racing returns to the town on Friday September 27 September. This time it will be cycling’s future stars showcasing their skills on the world stage, with the women’s junior road race coming through Wetherby in the morning (approximately 10:30-11am) followed in the afternoon by the men’s under-23 road race (approximately 3:40-4:20pm).

In the morning the route travels along Wighill Lane, Wetherby Road, Walton Road, A168 Privas Way, A661 Boston Road, High Street, Market Place, Westgate and Spofforth Hill. The afternoon’s race only sees action on Wighill Lane and Rudgate.

The next day, Saturday 28 September, Leeds will welcome one of its leading sports stars as Lizzie Deignan races through her hometown of Otley when the race which starts in Bradford comes through Guiseley and Otley before heading north on the way to Harrogate, where every race in the 2019 UCI Road World Championships ends.

Arriving in Guiseley just before 12 noon, the route travels along the A6038 Hollins Hill, A6038 Bradford Road and the A65 Bradford Road. The route through Otley takes in the A6038 Bradford Road, A659 Bradford Road, A659 Piper Lane, A659 Westgate, Manor Square, Clapgate, Bridge Street, Billams Hill and Farnley Lane before heading on to north Yorkshire.

Lizzie is bidding to win a second world road race title, but will face strong competition on her home roads from the world’s best, especially the formidable Dutch quartet of Marianne Vos, Anna van der Breggen, Chantal Blaak and Annemiek van Vleuten.

The finale of the championships on Sunday 29 September sees the leading men’s stars come to Leeds, as their bid to win the coveted world champion’s rainbow jersey starts in Millennium Square at 8:40am.

Heading to the Headrow and past Leeds Town Hall, the riders will then follow a route from Westgate up to the A660 and out to Otley, along Otley Old Road, Cookridge Lane, Otley Old Road, East Chevin Road, Gay Lane, Bondgate, Kirkgate, A659 Westgate, Piper Lane, Bradford Road and the A660 Ilkley Road. It will then follow the same route used for the first stage of the 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ through the Yorkshire Dales and on to Harrogate.

The startlist is sure to feature the current leading names in the sport, with the line-up expected to include Britain’s Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas, current world champion Alejandro Valverde of Spain, three-time world champion Peter Sagan of Slovakia, former Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali, winner of the recent Tour of Spain Primoz Roglic, together with his Slovenia compatriot and rising star Tadej Pogacar. One of the stars of this year’s Tour de France Julian Alaphilippe of France, Colombian duo Nairo Quintana and Miguel Angel Lopez and Belgium’s Philippe Gilbert, Greg Van Avermaet and Remco Evenepoel will also all be strong contenders in a truly world-class field.

The big screen in Millennium Square will be following all the action on Sunday, while there will be a second screen at Leeds Dock as part of the Leeds Festival of Cycling Fan Zone featuring the race action and a range of free activities running from 8:30am-5pm. These include: British Cycling cycle activities, LS-Ten and Leeds Urban Bike Park cycling activities, mountain trikes, Breeze games, tennis4kids, ping pong, garden games and a pop-up running track. Water taxis will operating throughout the day offering travel from Leeds Station to Leeds Dock.

Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake said:

“Following on from the great success of the 2019 Para-Cycling International on Saturday we are very much looking forward to these UCI Road World Championships races coming to Leeds this week.

“Seeing Lizzie Deignan come through her hometown of Otley is going to be special and hosting the start of the men’s road race with the best riders from all over the world coming to Leeds is going to be fantastic.

“These UCI Road World Championships will provide the perfect end to an incredible year of sporting events in Leeds watched by hundreds of millions of people across the globe, showcasing Leeds even more as a leading international city.”

Yorkshire 2019 CEO Andy Hindley said:

“We are delighted to be showcasing the Leeds area for the finale of the UCI Road World Championships this weekend. I have no doubt that Otley will put on another fantastic cycling party on Saturday before we head to Leeds on Sunday to recreate the unforgettable scenes of the Grand Départ in 2014.”

All of the races are being screened live on the BBC, either online or on BBC television.

Live traffic and travel plus road closure information for the UCI Road World Championships can be found via https://worlds.yorkshire.com/ and on the Yorkshire 2019 App.

Notes to editors:

UCI World Road Championships 2019 in Leeds:

Friday 27 September - women’s junior road race (race expected in area 10:30-11am approx.)

Rolling road closures in operation

Location	Road	Length
Walton	Wighill Lane	Boundary with NYCC to Wetherby Road
	Wetherby Road	Wighill Lane to Walton Road
Wetherby	Walton Road	Wood Lane to A168 Privas Way
	A168 Privas Way	Walton Road to Boston Road
	A661 Boston Road	Privas Way to High Street
	A661 High Street	Boston Road to Market Place
	A661 Market Place	The whole
	A661 Westgate	The whole
	A661 Spofforth Hill	To boundary with NYCC

Friday 27 September – men’s under-23 road race (race expected through area 3:40pm-4:20pm approx)

Rolling road closures

Location	Road	Length
Walton	Wighill Lane	Boundary with NYCC to Rudgate
	Rudgate	Wighill Lane to Boundary with NYCC

Saturday 28 September – women’s elite road race

(race expected through area just before 12noon)

Rolling road closures

Location	Road	Length
Guiseley	A6038 Hollins Hill	Boundary with Bradford MDC to Bradford Road
	A6038 Bradford Road	The whole
	A65 Bradford Road	To boundary with Bradford MDC
Otley	A6038 Bradford Road	Boundary with Bradford MDC to A660
	A659 Bradford Road	A660 to Piper Lane
	A659 Piper Lane	The whole
	A659 Westgate	The whole
	Manor Square	Westgate to Clapgate
	Clapgate	The whole
	Bridge Street	The whole
	Billams Hill	Bridge Street to Farnley Lane
	Farnley Lane	Billams Hill to boundary with NYCC

Sunday 29 September – men’s elite road race

(Start in Leeds 08:40hrs, reach Ilkley approx 9:20am)

Fixed road closures in city centre. Rolling road closures on remainder of Leeds route

Location	Road	Length
Leeds city centre	Cookridge Street	Millennium Square to The Headrow
	The Headrow	Cookridge Street to Westgate
	Westgate	The whole
	Park Lane	Westgate to Hanover Way
	Hanover Way	The whole
	Woodhouse Square	Hanover Way to Clarendon Road
	Clarendon Road	Woodhouse Square to A660 Woodhouse Lane
	A660 Woodhouse Lane	Clarendon Road to Headingley Lane
Headingley	A660 Headingley Lane	The whole
	A660 Otley Road	Headingley Lane to Otley Old Road
Adel/Cookridge	Otley Old Road	Otley Road to Cookridge lane
	Cookridge Lane	The whole
	Otley Old Road	Cookridge Lane to East Chevin Road
	East Chevin Road	The whole
Otley	Gay Lane	The whole
	Bondgate	The whole
	Kirkgate	The whole
	A659 Westgate	The whole
	A659 Piper Lane	The Whole
	A659 Bradford Road	Piper Lane to A660 Ilkley Road
	A660 Ilkley Road	Ilkley Road to boundary with Bradford MDC

About the 2019 UCI Road World Championships:

The UCI Road World Championships have only been held in Great Britain on three previous occasions, the most recent of which was at Goodwood in 1982. The 2019 championships are taking place in Yorkshire until Sunday 29 September.

The celebrations got going on Saturday 21 September when - for the very first time - a UCI-sanctioned, one-day international para-cycling event was held ahead of the Championships. The Yorkshire 2019 Para-Cycling International acted as a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and welcomed entries from every Paralympic road racing classification.

The championships commenced with the maiden Mixed Team Time Trial Relay and the programme is continuing with Individual Time Trials and Road Races for Junior (17/18 years), Under 23 and Elite male and female riders.

Approximately 1,400 riders are set to compete from 90 countries and the action will be beamed to a global TV audience of over 250 million.

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact:

Leeds City Council communications and marketing,

Email: roger.boyde@leeds.gov.uk

Tel: 0113 378 9164

For further information on Yorkshire 2019 please contact:

Yorkshire 2019:

Nick Howes – Communications Manager

Email: nhowes@yorkshire.com

Mobile: 07590 964 828