SYDNEY, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- More than 1,000 athletes and officials from 70 countries and regions will head to Australia's coastal city Wollongong this weekend, as one of the largest annual road cycling championships will kick off in the state of New South Wales (NSW).
The 2022 UCI Road World Championships, which run from September 18 to 25, will see 11 world-class cycling races around the streets of Wollongong and surrounding suburbs, including time trial and road race events for elite men and women, junior men and women and mixed team (time trial).
The NSW government said on Friday that the UCI championships were part of the "Triple Crown" of cycling, alongside the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia as the most important fixtures of the cycling calendar. This year's race is expected to welcome 300,000 spectators on-site and generate 95 million Australian dollars (64.4 million U.S. dollars) for the local economy.
"We are delivering on our promise to make NSW the sporting events capital of the nation and giving sports lovers the opportunity to witness the best athletes from around the globe battle it out on the world stage," said NSW Minister for Sport Alister Henskens.
Wollongong was named a UCI bike city in February 2021, the only one in the southern hemisphere. The 2022 UCI Road World Championships will also be the 101st edition and only the second time the championships have been held in the southern hemisphere.
"We will see many of the world's best riders racing on our streets right here in Wollongong, over the Sea Cliff Bridge, and throughout the city, focused on the finish line which - for the first time in 101 years of the event - is just 80 meters from the beach," said Wollongong 2022 Chief Executive Officer Stu Taggart. ■
