About the event
The UCI Road World Championships were held in Wollongong in 2022.
Over 240,000 spectators attended the international cycling event which brought together 65 countries and 670 elite riders for 8 days of world-class cycling. It is the first time the annual event has been held in the southern hemisphere.
The event is the largest international annual road cycling event held by the UCI, the governing body of cycling worldwide. It is one of the ‘Triple Crown of Cycling’ events, along with the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.
The UCI Road World Championships 2022 were split into time trials and road races in 3 categories:
- women and men elite
- women and men under 23 (U23)
- junior women and men.
Did you know?
- 65 nations were represented at the UCI Road World Championships 2022.
- 2.94 million Australians over 15 are estimated to participate in cycling (Ausplay 2022).
- 1,230 people volunteered at the UCI Road World Championships 2022.
Key event moments
In a historic moment for gender equality in cycling, both U23 men and women were recognised with the rainbow jersey, medals and World Champion status for the first time at a UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong 2022.
Australia also watched its local heroes produce amazing results, with 4 medals won on home soil, including:
- Grace Brown achieving the best result by an Australian in the Elite Women’s Time Trial since 1999, winning silver
- Hamish McKenzie winning silver in the Junior Men's Time Trial
- Michael Matthews winning bronze in the Elite Men's Road Race
- Australia winning bronze in Team Time Trial mixed relay – it was only the third time the relay was held.
Event impact
The UCI Road World Championships 2022 put a spotlight on cycling in Australia. It also created broader conversations around:
- women in cycling
- gender equality
- the benefits of cycling
- being active and participating in sport.
The event:
- delivered a historic gender equality event, inspiring more women and girls to cycle
- delivered legacy initiatives to drive youth and women’s cycling participation
- promoted cycling as an active transport option for all
- implemented a cycling leadership program for Indigenous women
- delivered a global cumulative television audience of over 132 million
- implemented an event sustainability strategy, enhancing Australia’s reputation in delivering sustainable major sporting events.
Legacy
The UCI Road World Championships 2022 delivered legacy initiatives that will have a lasting impact on the community. This was recognised when Wollongong was awarded the status of UCI Bike City.
This label supports and rewards cities and regions who not only host major UCI cycling events but also invest in developing community cycling programs and related infrastructure.
Legacy initiatives included the following.
Community Ride
The Wollongong 2022 Community Ride offered locals and visitors of all ages and abilities a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ride a section of the UCI Road World Championship circuit during the event. Over 2,800 participants took part in the event, which encouraged the community to get involved, get on a bike, get active and have fun.
AusBike
AusBike is Australia’s national bike education program designed for children aged 5 to 12 years. The program develops the essential skills for beginners through to experts so all can experience the freedom, fun and adventure of riding a bike.