Switzerland will host the Road World Championships for cycling twice in the next decade and only four years apart, in 2020 and 2024, Swiss Cycling has said.
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The decision was made by International Cycling Union, the sport’s world governing body, which is known as UCIExternal link. The locations will be Aigle/Martigny in 2020, which is in the French-speaking part of Switzerland and also the site of UCI’s headquarters. Bern or Zurich, in the German-speaking part, will get their turn in 2024.
The UCI on Thursday thanked the Swiss for taking on the 2020 event, which had been rejected by the Netherlands and the Italians.
It’s the first time two competitions have been given to the same country by UCI officials.
The budget for Aigle/Martigny is already set at around CHF20 million ($20.5 million).
Switzerland last held the Road World Championships in 2009 in Mendrisio in the southern, Italian-speaking part of the country in 2009, It was won by the Australian Cadel Evans.
Bikes on the agenda
Swiss Cycling head Markus Pfisterer welcomed the double hosting duties, saying it was a great opportunity. “The world championships will give a strong boost to Swiss cycling and cycling will become even deeply anchored in the population,” he said in a statementExternal link.
On September 23, almost three-quarters of Swiss voters approved a proposal giving federal authorities more responsibility in coordinating and developing cycle paths nationwide.
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