One year to Wollongong 2022

While cycling fans may be turning their gaze to the Flanders region of Belgium for next week’s UCI Road World Championships, Australians will be keeping a close eye on the horizon.

Today marks one year until the World Championships will arrive on home shores in Wollongong, NSW.

The annual event sees the sport’s crème de la crème competing for the prestigious rainbow jersey, which the winner will wear for the following 12 months.

Since the World Championships were founded in 1921, the Wollongong edition will be only the second time they have been held in the Southern Hemisphere, the first being in Geelong in 2010.

Marne Fechner, CEO of AusCycling, says the event will be a celebration of cycling in all its forms.

“As well as showcasing the pinnacle of elite road racing, next year’s World Championships in Wollongong will unite bike riders of all kinds across Australia,” Fechner said.

“I’m looking forward to a festival of cycling that celebrates all the wonderful aspects of bike riding, from its physical and mental health benefits to its role in an environmentally sustainable future,” she said.

“Beyond the event itself, the Championships will leave lasting benefits for the sport. We’re already beginning to see that with funding for BMX facilities, local pump tracks and cycling safety initiatives through the Legacy Partnership Program.”

Organisers are positioning Wollongong 2022 as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase the region’s natural beauty, with its diverse landscape ranging from beachfront views to the spectacular escarpment.

Stu Taggart, CEO of the Wollongong 2022 organising committee, recently arrived in Flanders on official duties.

“It’s exciting to mark this important milestone. Just one year until Wollongong, and indeed Australia, welcomes the world’s best cyclists and all of the excitement that comes with hosting such an iconic international sports event,” Taggart said.

Wollongong 2022 CEO Stu Taggart (right) unveiling the event's logo and #RideOfYourLife hashtag earlier this year.

“Arriving in Flanders, we are experiencing first-hand the energy that’s radiating throughout the Belgian community as locals and visitors rev up for this year’s World Championships. We can’t wait for Wollongong to feel that same anticipation over the next 12 months leading up to September,” he said.

“This is a great opportunity for us to showcase our vision for the event, cycling in Australia and the legacy for the city to the cycling elite. We will continue to work closely with our key event partners, UCI, NSW Government and Wollongong City Council to deliver a spectacular cycling festival next year as part of the road to recovery for NSW and Australia.”

The 2022 UCI Road World Championships will take place in Wollongong from 18–25 September 2022.

In its current eight-day format, 13 titles are contested in road races and time trials across the Elite, Under-23 and Junior categories.

Four Australians – Jack Hoobin, Cadel Evans, Rohan Dennis and Michael Rogers – have ever won an individual road world championship at the senior level. Five Australian women have taken the runner-up spot, with Amanda Spratt being our most recent silver medallist.

Twenty athletes will represent Australia at this year’s Championships in Flanders, which you can watch live on SBS starting from tomorrow night.

To find out more about Wollongong 2022, visit the event website.

Feature photo: Dee Kramer / Destination Wollongong