The World Cycling Championships will be held in Zurich, Switzerland, from 21 to 29 September 2024. After the mega world championships in Glasgow 2023, where all cycling disciplines were awarded their titles under one roof, the road cyclists will be among themselves again in Zurich in 2024. The Para-Cycling Road World Championships will also be part of this event for the first time.
Main venue
The name of the venue also stands for the programme. Sechseläutenplatz in Zurich is not only the largest open space in Switzerland's largest city. Its name also stands for a ceremony steeped in tradition: every year in April, the people of Zurich ring in the summer with the "Säächse Lüüte", chasing away the winter and combining it with a folk festival - including the burning of a straw snowman.
However, the six o'clock chime also symbolises a kind of Swiss summer time that fits in perfectly with the image of the Swiss. Modern daylight saving time may be good for offering people more time in the beer garden and more sunshine for their work-life balance - the Swiss introduced it several centuries ago to utilise the longer days to extend working hours. Instead of finishing work at five o'clock in the afternoon as in the winter months, it was only six o'clock from the spring equinox onwards. And so it is very fitting that all routes at the upcoming Road Cycling World Championships lead to the finish line on Sechseläutenplatz. After all, these title fights symbolise hard work and, to a certain extent, overtime in the world of cycling.
World Cycling Championships in Zurich
Home victory in 1946
The venue has a long tradition: Zurich is a city of cycling - without a doubt. In 1923, the third world championship under the responsibility of the UCI took place there. For many years there was a six-day race in the Hallenstadion, and until 2006 there was also a high-calibre one-day race for professionals, the Zurich Championships. Now Switzerland's largest city is hosting a road cycling world championship for the third time.
The Swiss probably have fond memories of the last time the event was held. In 1946, at the first edition after the Second World War, when Switzerland was chosen as a neutral venue and therefore not affected by the fighting, Hans Knecht from Zurich won. It was the beautiful story of a boy from a Zurich slum to the world's top cyclists.
Zurich wanted full inclusion, city and canton alike. - Oliver Senn, Head of World Cup Sport
However, Zurich is not just something special for disabled cyclists, who otherwise only get a big stage at the Paralympics. "It's a unique opportunity to have a World Championships at home," says Swiss champion Mauro Schmid. The 25-year-old professional cyclist from Team Jayco-AlUla grew up in Steinmaur on the outskirts of Zurich, now he lives in Wollerau on Lake Zurich and can see the Pfannenstiel mountain range and the World Championship course in the distance. The last time a road world championship was held on Swiss soil, in 2009 in Mendrisio in Ticino, Schmid was nine years old and not yet very interested in cycling races. Things will be very different in 2024. "The World Championships in Zurich mean a lot to me and are my main goal this season," says the specialist for challenging one-day races. At the World Championships in Australia two years ago, he already had a medal in sight before the chasing pack surprised his breakaway group just a few pedal strokes before the finish line in Wollongong.
Home advantage?
Olympic silver medallist Marlen Reusser has also long considered the 29.9 kilometres from Gossau to Zurich as a suitable route to finally win the long-awaited gold medal in the battle against the clock - two days after her 33rd birthday. However, due to the consequences of a fall and a long-term illness, a question mark hovers over her start at the home World Championships - the doctor from Emmental recently had to cancel her Olympic start in Paris as a result. However, her male team-mates, 2022 World Championship runner-up Stefan Küng and former European champion Stefan Bissegger, can also hope for precious metal. The 46.1-kilometre time trial course from Oerlikon to the shores of Lake Zurich is not a terrain for pure speed bikers. "It's a complete, interesting course, certainly more varied than the one in Scotland," says Küng from Thurgau. Tailor-made for home victories? "We've spoken to the Swiss about what would be good for them," emphasises Senn mischievously.
" ... it's a course for puncheurs" - local hero Mauro Schmid
The course of the road race should also suit the best Swiss cyclists. The basic features of the course design were clear early on, says World Championships sporting director Olivier Senn: "We wanted to have a finishing straight by the lake. And it shouldn't be a sprinter's race - and not just for climbers. It should be an open, tough race." The climb right at the start of the World Championship circuit on the Zürichberg, up to 15 per cent, is likely to tire the athletes out during the race; the route continues uphill to Wittikon - a total of around 300 metres in altitude, largely in one go, with little respite. "The course suits me quite well, it could hardly have been better for me - it's a course for puncheurs," says local hero Schmid. Explosive and strong climbing classics specialists have the best chance of winning the rainbow jersey. "World Championships are always special races that you can hardly compare with others," Schmid explains to TOUR and points out: "You ride without a radio, there is more chaos and you ride in national teams."
Opportunities
Compatriot Marc Hirschi, a rival as a professional cyclist for UAE Team Emirates during the season, is a team-mate in the national jersey with the Swiss cross for race day - and perhaps also a rival in the battle for a medal. The top favourite is likely to be a colleague of Hirschi's: "Pogačar said that the World Championships are a big goal for him," recalls Schmid. And the 25-year-old Slovenian Tadej Pogačar currently seems to be winning everything he wants to win. Schmid also sees defending champion van der Poel, his predecessor Remco Evenepoel and all-rounder Wout van Aert as having good cards in the battle for gold. In the women's race, which covers 154 kilometres with around 2,400 metres of climbing, Demi Vollering from the Netherlands, currently the world's best all-rounder, is likely to be the favourite to win her first World Championship title and rub shoulders with defending champion Lotte Kopecky from Belgium - both are team-mates at the SD Worx racing team for the rest of the year. While the top pros compete for the titles on the big stage every year, it could be that Zurich will be a very rare opportunity for cyclists with disabilities. Does the project of inclusion at road world championships have a promising future? According to reports from Zurich, the UCI has sold inclusion at the Road World Championships as a permanent project. When asked whether the upcoming title fights in Rwanda in 2025 and Montreal in 2026 are also planning paracycling competitions, the press office was so evasive in its response that one has to assume that Teuber & Co. will once again be fighting for medals on the sidelines. Senn also suspects with regard to inclusion: "It could be that Zurich is a flash in the pan." Or to put it another way: Zurich offers a special opportunity for a World Championships with a common goal in the truest sense of the word, which more cyclists want to take advantage of than ever before.
It's a unique opportunity to have a World Championships at home. - Mauro Schmid, Swiss professional cyclist
World Cycling Championships 2024 Zurich: The schedule at a glance
The place name Zurich stands for Sechseläutenplatz in Zurich; Oerlikon is a district of Zurich.
Saturday, 21.9.24
- 17:15, Team relay Para-Cycling: Mixed Handbike Zurich-Zurich, 14.7 km (41 m elevation gain)
Sunday, 22.9.24
- 10:00 a.m. Individual time trial para-cycling: women B, women C4-C5 Gossau-Zurich, 29.9 km (327 m elevation gain)
- 12:00 pm Individual time trial women Gossau-Zurich, 29.9 km (327 m elevation gain)
- 2:45 pm Individual time trial men Oerlikon-Zurich, 46.1 km (413 m elevation gain)
Monday, 23.9.2024
- 09:15 am Individual time trial juniors Zurich-Zurich, 24.9 km (40 m elevation gain)
- 12:15 pm Individual time trial Para-Cycling: Men B Gossau-Zurich, 29.9 km (327 m elevation gain)
- 2:45 pm Para-Cycling Individual Time Trial: Men C4-5 Gossau-Zurich, 29.9 km (327 m elevation gain)
- 2:45 pm Individual time trial men U23 Gossau-Zurich, 29.9 km (327 m elevation gain)
Tuesday, 24.9.
- 08:30 a.m. Individual time trial juniors Zurich-Zurich, 18.8 km (36 m elevation gain)
- 11:00 a.m. Individual time trial para-cycling: women C1-3 Zurich-Zurich, 18.8 km (36 m elevation gain)
- 11:00 a.m. Individual time trial para-cycling: women H3-5 Zurich-Zurich, 18.8 km (36 m elevation gain)
- 11:00 a.m. Individual time trial Para-Cycling: Men C1-3 Zurich-Zurich, 18.8 km (36 m elevation gain)
- 11:00 a.m. Para-Cycling Individual Time Trial: Men H1-5 Zurich-Zurich, 18.8 km (36 m elevation gain)
- 16:00 Individual time trial para-cycling: Women H1-2 Zurich-Zurich, 11.3 km (13 m elevation gain)
- 16:00 Individual time trial Para-Cycling: Women T1-2 Zurich-Zurich, 11.3 km (13 m elevation gain)
- 16:00 Individual time trial Para-Cycling: Men T1-2 Zurich-Zurich, 11.3 km (13 m elevation gain)
Wednesday, 25.9.24
- 10:45 a.m. Para-Cycling Road Race: Men B Zurich-Zurich, 103.2 km (1,350 m elevation gain)
- 10:45 a.m. Para-Cycling Road Race: Women B Zurich-Zurich, 84.7 km (1,197 m elevation gain)
- 2:00 pm Team time trial Mixed relay Zurich-Zurich, 53.7 km (948 m elevation gain)
Thursday, 26 September
- 09:00 a.m. Para-Cycling Road Race: Men H1-2 Zurich, Münsterhof - Zurich, 38 km (308 m elevation gain)
- 09:00 a.m. Para-Cycling Road Race: Women H1-5 Zurich, Münsterhof-Zurich, 38 km (308 m elevation gain)
- 10:00 a.m. Road race juniors Uster - Zurich, 73.6 km (972 m elevation gain)
- 12:15 pm Para-Cycling Road Race: Men C4-5 Zurich, Münsterhof-Zurich, 90.2 km (1,248 m elevation gain)
- 12:15 pm Para-Cycling Road Race: Men C3 Zurich, Münsterhof-Zurich, 71.6 km (1,052 m elevation gain)
- 2:15 pm Road race juniors Uster-Zurich, 127.2 km (1,913 metres in altitude)
Friday, 27 September
- 08:30 a.m. Para-Cycling Road Race: Men C1 Zurich-Zurich, 62.7 km (513 m elevation gain)
- 08:30 a.m. Para-Cycling Road Race: Men C2 Zurich-Zurich, 62.7 km (513 m elevation gain)
- 11:00 a.m. Para-Cycling Road Race: Men T1-2 Zurich-Zurich, 31.8 km (257 m elevation gain)
- 11:00 a.m. Para-Cycling Road Race: Women T1-2 Zurich-Zurich, 31.8 km (257 m elevation gain)
- 12:45 pm Road race men U23 Uster-Zurich, 173.6 km (2483 m elevation gain)
Saturday, 28.9.24
- 08:15 am Para-Cycling Road Race: Men H3 Zurich-Zurich, 57.8 km (726 metres in altitude)
- 10:45 a.m. Para-Cycling Road Race: Women C1-3 Zurich-Zurich, 56.5 km (462 m elevation gain)
- 10:45 a.m. Para-Cycling Road Race: Women C4-5 Zurich-Zurich, 70.2 km (829 m elevation gain)
- 12.45 pm Road race women Uster-Zurich, 154.1 km (2,384 metres in altitude)
Sunday, 29.9.24
- 09:45 a.m. Para-Cycling Road Race: Men H4 Zurich-Zurich, 57.8 km (726 m elevation gain)
- 09:45 a.m. Para-Cycling Road Race: Men H5 Zurich-Zurich, 57.8 km (726 m elevation gain)
- 10.30 a.m. Road race men Winterthur-Zurich, 273.9 km (4,470 metres in altitude)
World Cycling Championships 2024 Zurich Switzerland: The routes of the road races
As already mentioned, what unites all the races is that they will finish on Sechseläutenplatz in the heart of Zurich, on the banks of the lake of the same name. The start is in Zurich (Sechseläutenplatz or Oerlikon open-air velodrome), Gossau, Uster or Winterthur.
The route of the men's elite race
4470 metres of climbing over 273.9 kilometres - it will be a very difficult world championship, probably too difficult for Mathieu van der Poel, who won the title in Glasgow in 2023. Riders of the calibre of Tadej Pogacar or Remco Evenepoel are much more likely to get a twinkle in their eyes when they look at the elevation profile. The start is in Winterthur. But things only get really tough when the race reaches the circuit in and around Zurich. A total of seven laps are completed there. The main obstacles are Zürichbergstrasse - 1.1 kilometres with an average gradient of 8 per cent (15 per cent at the top) - and the Witikon climb - 2.3 kilometres with an average gradient of 5.7 per cent (9 per cent at the top). This is where the opportunity for a decisive attack presents itself.
The route of the women's elite race
The women's race will be no less difficult than the men's elite. The 2024 World Cycling Championships will cover 154.1 kilometres and 2488 metres in altitude, but the run-up to the circuit in Zurich will be shorter and only four laps will be ridden on the same circuit as the men's elite race. On the way from Uster to Zurich, the course planners have also added another climb to the programme with the Binz ascent: 4.6 kilometres with an average gradient of 4.5 per cent (maximum 9 per cent) must be conquered by the women. Riders like Demi Vollering should have a very good chance on this difficult course.
The time trial routes of the 2024 World Cycling Championships in Zurich
The mixed relay team time trial will take place over two laps of the circuit described above. The elite men will start on the track in the Oerlikon Velodrom. They have to cover 413 metres in altitude over 46.1 kilometres - which should be no problem for the strong rouleurs. The women's elite individual time trial looks similar: a rolling course with an undulating section just before the halfway point. The junior time trial, on the other hand, is almost flat as a plate with only 40 metres of elevation gain over 24.9 kilometres, while the U23 men have to complete just over 300 metres of elevation gain over around 30 kilometres.
Course U23 men road race
The U23 men's course at the 2024 World Cycling Championships in Zurich is basically a copy of the women's elite race, with the difference that the men will complete an additional lap around Lake Greifensee after the start. This results in a total of around 20 kilometres more than the women's course. The number of metres in altitude is roughly the same.
Junior track
The juniors will also start in Uster on Lake Greifensee. In contrast to the U23 riders, however, no additional lap is planned there before they set off on the circuit in and around Zurich. This will only be ridden three times, which means that around 130 kilometres have been planned for the young riders.
Junior course
No detailed profiles have yet been published for the junior women's individual time trial and their road race at the 2024 World Cycling Championships.
Para-cycling
As with the 2023 Mega Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, the para-cycling competitions in Switzerland in 2024 will also take place on the big stage of cycling, but for the first time as part of a road cycling world championship.
All road competitions start in Zurich (Sechseläutenplatz or Münsterhof) and finish at Sechseläutenplatz. The individual time trials start either in Zurich (Sechseläutenplatz) or in Gossau.
The para-cycling road races differ depending on the class. One or more of the following sections are included: final lap in Zurich, circuits around Lake Zurich. The Para individual time trials also differ depending on the class and starting location. Some para-cycling individual time trials are held on the routes already presented, for example the men's and women's B and C4-5 individual time trials take place on the women's elite time trial route. In addition, several races will take place on the final course of the road races in Zurich.
Para-Cycling World Championships 2024* schedule
- 21 September (Saturday): Mixed H team time trial
- 22 September (Sunday): Women B and C4-5 individual time trial
- 23 September (Monday): Men B and C4-5 individual time trial
- 24 September (Tuesday): Individual time trial women C1-3 and H3-5 and men C1-3 and H1-5
- 24 September (Tuesday): Individual time trial women H1-2 and T1-2 and men T1-2
- 25 September (Wednesday): Road race men B and women B
- 26 September (Thursday): Road race men H1-2 and women H1-5
- 26 September (Thursday): Road race men C3 and C4-5
- 27 September (Friday): Road race men C1 and C2
- 27 September (Friday): Road race men T1-2 and women T1-2
- 28 September (Saturday): Men's H3 road race
- 28 September (Saturday): Women's road race C1-3 and C4-5
- 29 September (Sunday): Road race men H4 and H5
*Classes in para-cycling
- C=Cycle (conventional bike, with adaptations if necessary)
- T=Tricycle (three-wheeled bicycles)
- B=Tandem (visually impaired athletes with pilot)
- H=Handbike
The ranges C (1-5), T (1-2) and H (1-5) are divided into different classes, with the lower number indicating greater impairment.
