It's not that time of year yet, but it is that time of year again anyway. For the first time ever, the sport's best flock to Scotland for the world's most epic battle concerning the right to wear a piece of clothing. So put on your kilts, get out your bagpipes... actually, please don't, you'll make a fool of yourself.
Startlist
Map and profile
Interactive map
The route
119.8 kilometres separate Edinburgh from Glasgow by the (not especially direct) route that has been chosen, and hence it's not a surprise that only the men's elite race starts from the country's capital. Perhaps fittingly for a race that (at least nominally) elects the best rider in the world, the peloton rolls out from the space in between the Scottish Parliament Building and Holyrood Palace, the Scottish royal seat (originally for its own monarchs, but relegated to a secondary function since the Union of the Crowns). From there, the riders make their way up the Royal Mile, perhaps the only part of the route that will be less crowded with tourists during the race than outside of it, although stopping short of reaching Edinburgh Castle due to the road dead-ending there. The route then heads north, trading the medieval Old Town for the 18th/19th-century New Town, before entering the newer parts of the city, where the official start is located.
Upon exiting the city, the riders use the Queensferry Crossing, the westernmost and newest of the three parallel bridges across the Firth of Forth, to enter Fife.
Fife is a flat region by Scottish standards, and the chosen route stays close to the shoreline, making for an easy start to the day. The riders cross back across the Forth estuary at Kincardine, before passing by the Falkirk Wheel. This is the only rotating boat lift in the world, and it's spectacular.
Just after this, the going becomes a lot less leisurely as the riders head into the Campsie Fells. These hills contain two climbs: the first, up the Carron Valley, is a longish drag...
...the second one, Crow Road, contains some pretty decent slopes. Another Mount Keira is unlikely, but with this generation...
The descent of the latter brings the riders to the outskirts of the Glasgow conurbation, making for a short route onto the final circuit, of which 10.5 laps are done. A trade city by origin that became the epicentre of the Industrial Revolution in Scotland, Glasgow is the Rotterdam to Edinburgh's Amsterdam, the Bilbao to Edinburgh's San Sebastian. However, the lap avoids the harbours, industrial areas (both present and redeveloped) and working-class neighbourhoods that characterise much of the city. instead opting for the city centre, Kelvingrove Park, and the university campuses.
However, it would be unfair to think of the choice of route as a purely political one, because the focus on this older, hillier part of the city makes for a highly technical circuit littered with admittedly short, but often steep climbs. It truly is a route like no other. The closest comparison would of course be the European Championships circuit used in 2018 (and before that for the Commonwealth Games), but in addition to the distance, the undulation has been significantly amped up compared to that route. The most significant addition is surely Scott Street, the steepest hill in Glasgow, which joins the more familiar Montrose Street as one of the two hardest hills on the parcours.
To add to the fun, Sunday is supposed to be the rainiest day of the World Championships. Whoever will be ending the day pulling on that rainbow jersey will have truly earned it.
Startlist
Map and profile
Interactive map
The route
119.8 kilometres separate Edinburgh from Glasgow by the (not especially direct) route that has been chosen, and hence it's not a surprise that only the men's elite race starts from the country's capital. Perhaps fittingly for a race that (at least nominally) elects the best rider in the world, the peloton rolls out from the space in between the Scottish Parliament Building and Holyrood Palace, the Scottish royal seat (originally for its own monarchs, but relegated to a secondary function since the Union of the Crowns). From there, the riders make their way up the Royal Mile, perhaps the only part of the route that will be less crowded with tourists during the race than outside of it, although stopping short of reaching Edinburgh Castle due to the road dead-ending there. The route then heads north, trading the medieval Old Town for the 18th/19th-century New Town, before entering the newer parts of the city, where the official start is located.
Upon exiting the city, the riders use the Queensferry Crossing, the westernmost and newest of the three parallel bridges across the Firth of Forth, to enter Fife.
Fife is a flat region by Scottish standards, and the chosen route stays close to the shoreline, making for an easy start to the day. The riders cross back across the Forth estuary at Kincardine, before passing by the Falkirk Wheel. This is the only rotating boat lift in the world, and it's spectacular.
Just after this, the going becomes a lot less leisurely as the riders head into the Campsie Fells. These hills contain two climbs: the first, up the Carron Valley, is a longish drag...
...the second one, Crow Road, contains some pretty decent slopes. Another Mount Keira is unlikely, but with this generation...
The descent of the latter brings the riders to the outskirts of the Glasgow conurbation, making for a short route onto the final circuit, of which 10.5 laps are done. A trade city by origin that became the epicentre of the Industrial Revolution in Scotland, Glasgow is the Rotterdam to Edinburgh's Amsterdam, the Bilbao to Edinburgh's San Sebastian. However, the lap avoids the harbours, industrial areas (both present and redeveloped) and working-class neighbourhoods that characterise much of the city. instead opting for the city centre, Kelvingrove Park, and the university campuses.
However, it would be unfair to think of the choice of route as a purely political one, because the focus on this older, hillier part of the city makes for a highly technical circuit littered with admittedly short, but often steep climbs. It truly is a route like no other. The closest comparison would of course be the European Championships circuit used in 2018 (and before that for the Commonwealth Games), but in addition to the distance, the undulation has been significantly amped up compared to that route. The most significant addition is surely Scott Street, the steepest hill in Glasgow, which joins the more familiar Montrose Street as one of the two hardest hills on the parcours.
To add to the fun, Sunday is supposed to be the rainiest day of the World Championships. Whoever will be ending the day pulling on that rainbow jersey will have truly earned it.
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