With the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in touching distance, it’s time for you to get on your bike thanks to our ‘Experience The Worlds’ initiative.

Part of Scottish Cycling’s Ride The Worlds programme that forms part of the official activation  for the World Championships, ‘Experience The Worlds’ provides an opportunity for absolutely everyone. With the best part of 50 grassroots events taking place from now until October 2023, there really is no excuse, as regardless of your ability or bike, there is something out there for you. Even better still, most of the events are free!

Kicking off in April and continuing for a couple of months after August’s cycling mega event, ‘Experience The Worlds’ will bring accessible, entry level events to every corner of Scotland. Primarily aimed at getting young people, and their families, on their bikes, the events are all centred around having fun!

So whether you just want to ride your bike with like-minded people, or you want to try a specific discipline like BMX, cyclocross or speedway, now is your chance! Events are being run nationwide, hosted by schools, clubs and community groups, all of whom are vital in helping cycling to thrive.

The first Experience The Worlds event took place back in March at the first round of the Scottish Cross-Country MTB Association Series (SXC) at Comrie Croft in Perthshire, where our Ride The Worlds Team delivered a fun race for Under 10 and Under 8 riders. Further Experience The Worlds events to look forward to in the coming weeks include fun skills-based session organised by the Galloway Hillbillies Bike Club in support of the UCI Gravel Series event at The Gralloch on Saturday 20th May, or if riding on tarmac is more your thing, there will be a fun session at the grand opening of the West Lothian Cycle Circuit in Linlithgow.

And if that wasn’t enough, everyone who rides an Experience The Worlds event up to the 2nd July will be entered into a prize draw to win tickets (two adult, two child in each set) to watch the World Championships in August. If you take part between July and October there are a whole host of cycling goodies to be won – full details to follow.

Interested? Then check out our calendar events below – and keep checking back as more events will be added on a weekly basis!

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Scottish Cycling’s Ride the Worlds initiative, which ‘Experience The Worlds’ is part of, will provide young people from across Scotland, and their families, with the opportunity to connect with the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, experience the thrill of a World Championship race, have a taste of racing themselves - hopefully inspiring them to start cycling, cycle more, and make cycling a sport for life.

For school children who can ride a bike, there will be a whole host of fun coach-led racing across a range of disciplines including criterium, mountain biking, BMX, cyclo-cross and cycle speedway (and many more!) both before and after the Worlds Championships.  

For more information, or to have a chat about an event you’re running, please contact ridetheworlds@scottishcycling.org.uk