On Monday and Tuesday, the International Cycling Union (UCI) is visiting the start and finish points on the proposed Groningen-Drenthe route for the potential 2020 cycling world championships.
Translation by Traci White
The Groninger Internet Courant reports that two provinces are in the race to host the cycling event. Experts from UCI will evaluate the safety and variety of the proposed courses and the quality of local hotels that would need to accommodate 2,000 people associated with the event.
Back-up plan
After Venice announced that the city would not be able to host the championships, Groningen and Drenthe were approached by UCI to come up with a back-up plan.
That plan includes mapping out the possible routes that participants would cycle. The Grote Markt is set to be the starting line for the men’s and women’s time trials. The junior road cycling event would begin in Veendam, and Appingedam would be the starting point for the under-23 race.
Emmen and Gieten would also host a number of racing events. The TT Circuit in Assen would serve as the finish line for all events due to UCI’s preference for a central location for the two provinces.
UCI Congress
The northern provinces are also in the running to host the annual UCI Congress, a meeting of UCI members and the International Federation’s supreme body. The congress is set to be held in September, but the organisation is still looking for a location.
The provinces will need to pay more than 10 million euros to host the world championships, and Drenthe has already earmarked a portion of the needed funds. Several members of the Groningen provincial council still have some reservations about making that financial commitment: the province should make a definitive decision in the coming days. When and if the financing is secured, then it will be up to UCI to give the green light to go ahead.
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