The new European Cycling season is just about to begin and 2020 in particular will be full of innovations in terms of Union Européenne de Cyclisme’s activities.
During the last meeting in Dübendorf (Switzerland) at the UCI Cyco-Cross World Championships, the UEC Management Board approved certain actions that will be implemented over the next few weeks.
The most important concern BMX with the creation of two European Centres for coaching and training in two very active facilities in this discipline: Verona (Italy) and Valmiera (Latvia). Having already hosted two BMX European Cup events and European Championships, this year the two centres will organise courses for riders and training sessions for technicians and marshalls. Still on the subject of BMX, at the 2020 European Championships which will be held in Dessel (Belgium), for the first time, titles in the Under 23 category and the Team Time-Trial will be awarded.
The season which is about to start will launch with the BMX European Cup on 28 and 29 March, followed by numerous UEC events amounting to over 60 days of racing.
Over the years, also thanks to extensive TV coverage, this season UEC Olympic speciality events have attracted many new beginner riders and others for example, participation in the MTB European Championships in Graz (Austria) from 14 to 17 May is particularly significant because, like the 8 BMX European Cup races, it will be the last chance to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games. On an organisational level, thanks to close co-operation between the UEC and UCI, especially with the International Relations Department managed by Vincent Jacquet, a Sharing Platform for European National Federations will be organised at the annual Congress that will be held in Tel Aviv (Israel) on 14 March.
2020 also marks the creation of the World Cycling Satellite Centre in Anadia (Portugal); another step towards developing the sport, also made possible thanks to the good relationship and close co-operation with the Portuguese Cycling Federation presided by Delmino Pereira.
Rocco Cattaneo, President of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme: «The initiatives and innovations that we are putting forward are the continuation and implementation of our 2019-2022 Development Plan, four years during which we will experience a very high level event with the organisation of the Super Cycling European Championships, an unprecedented competition, with European Championships in five Olympic disciplines and the Gran Fondo that will be held over two weeks, from 1st to 15 August 2021. Following the positive experience of Glasgow 2018, we have already agreed the details regarding cycling’s involvement in the 2022 Multisports European Championships in Munich (Germany) and 2026.
We will also be introducing the Cycle-ball European Championships in the Women’s category, another step forward on the journey that we have set for ourselves which is to promote and support the development and growth of activities in every discipline, not just Olympic and also to give the same opportunities to both men and women. With a view to subsequent development, we will also monitor the Road activities of National Federations and especially in the Youth category.
I would like to thank all organisers who support our events with passion and enthusiasm and make an important contribution to helping us achieve our programme’s projects and thanks to a growing interest in our events, we have already awarded nearly all of our events for the 2021 and 2022 calendars. Lastly, I would like to congratulate Swiss Cycling on the perfect organisation of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.»
2020 UEC Events Calendar– click here (the cities where the Elite Track and BMX Freestyle Championships will be held will be published very soon).
