Varese awarded 2018 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships

The Italian city of Varese in Lombardia has been awarded the organisation of the 2018 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships

It will be the second time, after Trento in 2013, that this leading event for amateur riders is held in Italy.

Varese is very well-known for cycling, having organised the UCI Road World Championships in 1939, 1951 and most recently in 2008, when Alessandro Ballan took the Elite Men’s road race title. The region also hosts the annual 1.HC event Tre Valli Varesine.

Ganna, Chiappucci, Motta, Garzelli, Basso... the region of Varese has also produced some of cycling’s great champions. One of them, triple UCI World Champion Alfredo Binda (1927, 1930, 1932) has given his name to the organising committee of the 2018 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships.

Athletes will have the chance to ride the course at the The Granfondo Tre Valli Varesine, on October 1st 2017 with the time trial the day before. The event will serve as a qualifier and test event for the World Championships a year later. Riders can look forward to a beautiful course between the lakes of Lugano and Lago Maggiore, with some tough climbing in between.

The exact date and race routes, including an additional time trial and some small changes to the Granfondo course, will be defined in the upcoming months. However, organisers have announced that it will be a more challenging UCI Gran Fondo World Championships than those of the past three years, and those coming up in August this year in Albi (France).