On 21 September 2024, six months from today, the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland, will kick off with the mixed handbike team relay. To get fans in the mood, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) Zurich 2024 is launching the new edition of the «Züri Velo Cup», one of the numerous accompanying measures for this global cycling event.
The «Züri Velo Cup» (velocup.zurich2024.com) is already a success story and eloquent proof of how popular cycling is. When it was first held between May and the end of October 2023, over 1,600 participants completed one or more iconic segments of the «Züri Metzgete» (Zurich Championship) such as the Regensberger and other challenging sections.
As of today, the «Züri Velo Cup» launches the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships season. In its second edition, this special challenge will take place on roads where non-para athletes and para-cyclists will compete for the coveted rainbow jersey in September this year.
The selected segments include key sections of several race routes of the event. For example, the «Kyburg-Stutz» (ascent close to Kyburg Castle): the first pièce de résistance in the Men Elite road race features a steep climb, albeit not a long one, and should therefore invite an early attack. Meanwhile, the «Gegen die Uhr» (against the clock) section is a segment for specialists of rolling terrain, which the para-cyclists will also tackle in their individual time trials between Gossau ZH and Zurich. All routes are on public roads. Participants are therefore required to respect the road traffic regulations.
Legacy of the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships
With their bid for the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships, the Canton and the City of Zurich promised to develop various accompanying measures. Their conception and implementation are being led by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) Zurich 2024. The accompanying measures include projects to promote the race venues as well as cycling as a sport and leisure activity. For example, the first national Cycling Forum Switzerland Suisse Svizzera will take place at Zurich’s Kongresshaus on 23 May 2024. This important Forum, including presentations, discussions and networking opportunities, aims to raise awareness of the importance of cycling as a sustainable means of transport and to shape the future of cycling in Switzerland.
The «Zurich Rides» developed together with Zurich Tourism, which will also be officially presented this spring, will leave another sustainable legacy. The curated routes appeal to a wide range of users: families, city commuters, road cyclists, gravel riders and para-cyclists. The routes connect the greater Zurich region and invite users to enjoy one-day or multi-day experiences all year round.
The current overview of the accompanying measures for the UCI Cycling and Para-Cycling Road World Championships Zurich 2024 can be found at https://zurich2024.com/en/values/.
Integration and inclusion as a milestone in cycling history
The 2024 UCI Cycling and Para-cycling Road World Championships are being planned and organised as an event that sets standards in social integration and equality, increases the popularity of the bicycle as a sustainable sport and means of transport and promotes Zurich as an attractive cycling region. For the first time in the history of cycling, the UCI Road World Championships and UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships are combined into one event dedicated solely to road, with both para-cyclists and non-para-cyclists sharing the same routes and crossing the same finish line. Zurich 2024 will therefore also make sporting history in terms of inclusion.
