On Thursday 3 August 2023 the Super World Cup, the biggest cycling festival ever, kicks off in Glasgow. Over a period of 11 days, 13 Word Cups will be held simultaneously, in and around the Scottish metropolis. Big names like Lotte Kopecky, Sanne Cant and Julie Van De Velde will be competing for the world title again. Top riders such as Remco Evenepoel, Wout van Aert and Jasper Philipsen will also compete to be able to call themselves the best rider in the world.
Road cycling
A street name viewers will hear a lot in the next few days: Montrose Street. This street, 200 metres long with an average gradient of 7.7% , is one and a half kilometres away from the finish at George Square. That climb will be defied at least five times by each category.
Those different categories will start in different places, though: the elite men start in the Scottish capital Edinburgh, while the women and the Men U23 start in Loch Lomond. These races will also include Crow Road, the longest climb in this World Cup. The riders will have to ride 5.6 kilometres on an average gradient of 4.8%.
The juniors, both men and women, will only make laps through Glasgow.
Time trial
As the weekends are dominated by the road races, the time trials will be held during weekdays. The mixed team time trial starts on Tuesday, on the local circuit in Glasgow. The World Cup party then moves to Stirling, some 40 kilometres further north.
The final for each category is at Castle Wynd, located on a dormant volcano, where the riders will thus have to tackle a final climb.
The Belgian elite participants in these time trials are Julie De Wilde and Febe Jooris with the women, and Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert with the men.
Track cycling
A year before the Olympics, winning at the World Championships is an important step in the journey to Paris. Hopefully this year we will get a follow-up to last year, when Belgian athletes won a total of four medals (including two gold). With 14 Belgian cyclists, all top athletes, that is not an unfounded hope.
Big favourite here is Lotte Kopecky, who doubles in the road race. Worth noting is that Shari Bossuyt is not in the selection. Together with Kopecky, she is reigning world champion in the team race, but has tested positive on a doping test.
Mountainbike
Fort William has long been known as the place to be for mountainbikers. The Scottish Highland welcomes the world’s best downhillers, who will show their best form on 3-5 August. In this discipline, Belgium only has two participants: Loïc Goubin and Siel Van der Velden.
A day later, on August 6, Glentress Forest will host the World Marathon Championship for mountainbikers. There, the main person to look out for is European champion Wout Alleman.
The Olympic discipline cross country may sound more familiar to you. In the same Glentress Forest, names like Tom Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel will compete against established names in the mountainbike discipline. For the women, we are eagerly looking forward to Puck Pieterse. Both races will be run on the same day.
BMX
World titles are also up for grabs in BMX in three categories: racing, freestyle park and freestyle flatland (“breakdancing on a bike”). Belgium is only sending three participants in the elite category, only in the racing and men’s category. Top BMX star Elke Vanhoof is still recovering from some broken vertebrae. The races will take place on August 12 and 13.
Further on
A new feature at this World Cycling Championship is the World Gran Fondo. The best amateurs will compete for the world title in different age categories. The road races take place on August 4 in Perth, the time trials in August 7 in Dundee.
Do you know Kenny Belaey? This Belgian is a four-time world trial bike champion, a discipline where mountainbikers have to complete an obstacle course as fast as possible. This year, Belgium is sending only two participants, both women: Perrine Devahive and Maurine Sintzen. The races run from 9 to 12 August.
Indoor Cycling has 2 components: cyclocross and artistic cycling. These disciples are traditionally dominated by German-speaking countries.
G-cyclists are not forgotten in this World Cup either. Belgium has a strong selection, with 6 participants in track cycling and 14 participants for road cycling.
The real favourites
The biggest challenge in Glasgow is the weather. If it stays dry, competitors will be able to ride much better than if it rains. Especially on the Glasgow circuit, where the cornering between buildings can be much more controlled on a dry surface.
Furthermore, the names Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel and Lotte Kopecky are no strangers in Belgium. Time and time again, these athletes show why they are at the top. The Glasgow circuit is also an inviting picture for the Belgian riders, who are known to be at the front in all conditions. So we can certainly hope for a few Belgian medals.
