UCI World Championships come to Falkirk this weekend

As the UCI World Cycling Championships take place in Scotland, the Men’s Elite Road race while pass through the area on Sunday, August 6.

The sporting competitions get underway on Thursday and run until August 13, following an opening ceremony in Glasgow’s George Square this evening (Wednesday).

The elite men’s race is considered a top event in the championships which includes a variety of competitions for cyclists of all disciplines including BMX, mountain biking, indoor track and para-cycling.

Sunday’s event will see around 150 competitors along with 60 support vehicles expected to arrive in the Falkirk Council area around 10.30am. The 52km route through the district will be part of the 271km event which begins in Edinburgh and ends in the championship’s host city of Glasgow. It is anticipated riders will be on local roads for around 40 minutes.

Douglas Gardiner, Falkirk Council’s head of environment and operations, said it was a “unique opportunity” for the area to showcase itself to a worldwide audience.

He said: “This event, which after the Olympic Games, is one of the biggest sporting events in the world, will be televised across the world and will put the Falkirk Council area firmly in the limelight to promote itself as a tourist destination. It’s a tremendous opportunity for us to showcase the district.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to promote cycling. It may only be a one-day event here but we are confident that it will bring further interest in the sport and we will be looking to make the most of the legacy. It’s all about not just the short-term but the long-term gain for the area. And we are keen to promote cycling as a sustainable mode of transport for our residents.”

The elite cyclists will arrive in the area after crossing the Clackmannanshire Bridge having earlier headed over the Queensferry Crossing into Fife. Motorists should be aware that roads will be closed for a period of time throughout the day to allow the competitors to travel along the route.

However, Falkirk Council has stressed it is adopting a policy of using rolling road closures which should mean roads affected will only be closed for around 20 minutes.

It has stated: “Police motorcycles will be ahead of the riders stopping any traffic from entering the route to allow the race to pass. Once through, the road will reopen.”

Cyclists will then be travelling on the A905; A88 Bellsdyke Road; Kincardine Road, Carronshore; B902 Carron Road; Grahams Road, Falkirk; A803 Falkirk town centre; A803 Camelon Road, Falkirk; A803 Main Street, Camelon; A803 Glasgow Road, Camelon; A803 Falkirk Road to Bonnybridge; High Street, Bonnybridge; By-pass onto A872; A872 Denny Road, Dennyloanhead; A872 Glasgow Road, Denny; A883 Denny Cross, Stirling Street, Denny; A872 Nethermains Road, Denny; B818 through Stoneywood, Fankerton and Carronbridge; ending at the B818 council boundary.

Full details can be found here