Venues I want to host World Championships in the future - Part I

This is the beginning of a 6-part series where I list 30 potential venues that might have the infrastructure, the desire and the path to host Cycling Worlds in the future. You have to bear in mind that most of these venues will be located in Europe, but there are also gonna be international venues, especially towards the end of the series. In the first episode, I brought places which I either know from my heart or which has a significant relevance in terms of cycling.

I. Eger (Hungary)

Hungary has started to develop a cycling culture with some great riders at World Tour and in Pro-Conti level, and after a hopefully successful Giro Grande Partenza in 2022, the next step should be to host a World Championship. Now the venue might be unconventional, but I think Budapest has too many tramlines, and it is kind of too crowded to host such a huge event and to be fair, local residents would not be too happy about it. So I searched for a venue which is big enough but has a challenging terrain, and Eger would be a perfect choice for this occasion as it is not too small, yet it offers everything in a touristic and infrastructural way as well.

ITT plan: Mátrafüred - Eger 45 km

The time trial would start from the foot of Hungary's highest mountain range called Mátra, from where a small downhill section begins. After arriving to the plateau, the route will takes us through Hungary's finest wine area, where the best red wines are grown. The route itself is more of a rolling terrain, with some 1,3k 4-5% hills along the road, it is nothing very serious but in the end, it really poses a challenge to the riders. The end of the TT (and the road race as well) would be next to the wall of the famous Eger Castle, which has a great historic value to Hungary - it also has some 3-4% gradient, which is not a very high one but it can pose a kind of threat to the riders as well.

Road Race: Eger - Eger 247,7 km

The road race has 2250m vertical ascent, so it is not a particularly hard course, but it has some interesting features. The first lap is pretty hard (on the left), it contains several little kickers, where a good breakaway group is very much able to form quickly. Then comes 4 laps on the right, which would introduce Hungary's finest thermal spa and unique national identity, including the ever-so-popular Noszvaj, Bogács, and Mezokovesd, all having significant roles in tourism. The first part of the lap takes us to a hard-looking yet easy hill, where although an attack can form, it can easily be bridged on the flat. The finish is the same as it was in the time-trial. However, we have to keep that in mind that the real problem is that this route is more of a hypothetical one as it is not wide enough to hold a World Championship final.

II. Kranj - Slovenia

Slovenia is one of the greatest cycling nations currently and needless to say, they are more than ready to host a World Championships. My choice is Kranj and the region around the city as it has a significant cycling culture, hosting 1.2 race GP Kranj every year, and I think they are ready to step up a level to host a World Champs as well.

ITT: Ljubljana - Kranj 27,2 km

The ITT would start from the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, at the famous Triple Bridge in the center. The first 400 metres is around 6-7% as they go up at Copova ulica, which is one of the main shopping streets in the capital. From this point, the road is pretty straightforward and flat, this is a route for the real powerhouses. The second half of the route goes just next to Sava River, providing an exceptional setting or the final showdown. The last kilometre is the real spectacle. After crossing the river, riders will go left to climb a 750m 8% hill to the city centre, which contains part up to 13%. This is a very hard wall, I know that place well, it also serves as the finish of the GP Kranj and it always provides fireworks. The last 100m straightens out and the finish is at the town hall at Slovenski trg. A bit short TT, but it is spectacular.

Road Race: Kranj - Kranj 250,4 km

The road race is a relatively flat one, which give a fewer chance for home riders to attack or to win the Worlds. 1375m ascent is not much but at least they travel through amazing places in the region including Skofja Loka's old town and Vodice, they really get a great essence of the real Slovenia. The finish is the easiest one you can ever imagine, in the last 4 kilometres there are only two roundabouts, in which you can decide who is (probably) the best sprinter in the world.

III. Dalmatia - Croatia

Croatia didn't have a legit WT rider since Robert Kiserlovski, but with supertalent Fran Miholjevic, things can change in the future. Dalmatia is a beautiful venue for any competition, and if it would host a World Championships in the future, it would be one of the dopest editions off all time, I'll tell you, why.

ITT: Trogir - Split 32,9 km

The Individual Time Trial starts at Trogir and takes a small detour to the island of Ciovo, where riders have to tackle with a 2k 7% hill in the beginning of the TT. Than, the route leads along the coastline in a straightforward manner, and ends in the city of Split in a pretty technical finish. The 366m ascent is not much, but tactics can play a huge role in this route.

RR: Split - Zadar 233,9 km

The road race starts with a demanding 5k 8% hill from Split to Solin and the first quarter of the race technical with lots of ups and downs. Than, along the coastline basically until the finish line in Zadar, it is almost pancake flat. The real issue in this area is wind though, if coastal winds will be strong enough, it will rip the peloton into smaller pieces, which would absolutely cause an exciting race with an unpredictable winner.

4. Braga - Portugal

Joao Almeida's recent surge and OVERperforming (sorry, had to go with the joke) should materialize soon in a World Championships - and Braga has a challenging terrain which should suit him to grab something huge on home court.

TT: Braga - Braga 37,2 km

The TT and the road course are on the same lap, so we could take the two in once. The idea behind the course was the funicular that goes above the city. The road to the funicular is very steep, 10% gradient in 3km, and the downhill from that is incredibly technical. Overall, the course itself is absolutely technical, this course screams from a Primoz Roglic victory, as it has kinda grand hills during the second part of the course as well.

RR: Braga - Braga 257,9 km

4000 level in 258 kilometres, tough road course for climbers. This would give us a spectacular race and one for the climbers surely.

V. Dublin - Ireland

Last, but not the least, we have Dublin, which after Sam Bennett's green jersey at Tour, would really opt for hosting cycling's biggest spectacle. Dublin's route would be very much a sprinter route with no hard climbs, they would definitely design a lap which would prioritize Bennett's strengths.

TT: Dublin - Dublin 25,9 km

Short. First part is pretty straightforward, second part is technical, it goes through most of the important landmarks and places in Dublin.

RR: Dublin - Dublin 245,6 km

245 kilometres, 9 laps around this circuit, which is almost identical to what we have seen in time trial. The end o the race is at Dublin Docklands, the last 1300m is a straight, so it should not pose any danger to the riders, clearly a race for the sprinters.

This was part one, hope it was the start of something good, next episode coming in a few weeks I think depending on how much time I will have.