The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) management committee recently awarded the 2020 UCI GranFondo World Championships to Vancouver / Whistler at a meeting in Norway. This is the first time the UCI World Championships will be hosted in North America.
The cycling race will take place on Sept. 12, 2020 along the established course of the RBC GranFondo from Vancouver to Whistler.
Already North America’s largest GranFondo event, the RBC GranFondo Whistler has taken place annually on the second weekend of September since 2010. This ride offers beautiful landscapes and a clear, traffic-free passage over the picturesque Lions Gate Bridge followed by a challenging climb along the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler.
“We can’t wait to showcase the beauty of the Sea to Sky corridor and the splendour of our existing world class event,” said Neil McKinnon, founder and chief enthusiast of the RBC GranFondo Whistler.
In partnership with RBC GranFondo Whistler and hosting partners in Whistler, Sport Hosting Vancouver submitted a bid to transform the highly successful annual RBC GranFondo Whistler into a World Championships in 2020.
“Building off the success of the established RBC GranFondo Whistler, this two-year window in advance of hosting the 2020 World Championships gives us an unprecedented opportunity to market and promote to international cyclists who travel to Vancouver in 2020,” explained Michelle Collens, senior manager, Sport Hosting Vancouver.
The 2017 UCI GranFondo World Championships took place in Albi, France from Aug. 24 to 27, 2017 and supported over 2,900 riders at the event. The UCI GranFondo World Championships has seen a steady increase in participants since 2011. Albi 2017 saw most of its riders travel from the U.K. (911 cyclists), and Canada was represented by 69 cyclists.
Founded in 1900, in Paris, France, the Union Cycliste Internationale is the worldwide governing body for cycling. It develops and oversees cycling in all its forms, for all people as a competitive sport, as a healthy recreational activity, as a means of transport and just for fun (www.uci.ch).
For more information, see rbcgranfondo.com
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