2022 Wollongong World Championships course details announced

Wollongong will welcome more than 1000 top athletes from more than 70 nations to participate at the UCI’s pinnacle road cycling event, the UCI Road World Championships. The championships are scheduled between 18 and 25 September 2022 when the world’s best cyclists will compete for the coveted rainbow jersey.  The city of Wollongong is located less than 100km south of Sydney, and the course will provide stunning scenery including the South Pacific to the east and Mont Keira to the west.

The courses cover a wide selection of the topography from the greater Wollongong area from the coast to the city to the escarpment that encircles the area. It promises a mix of beautiful scenery, technical city stretches and steep climbs, making it among the most challenging courses the championships has seen.

The Road World Championships are the largest annual road cycling Championships conducted by the UCI and will include road races, time trials, team time trials as well as cultural events.

Time trials

The women’s time trial will be held on Sunday 18 September which will take place on the same day, on the same course and over the same distance as the men’s event. This is a first in the history of the UCI Road World Championships and is in line with the UCI’s priority of promoting gender equality.

The time trial will be raced on an urban circuit that promises a fast and furious race stretching north to Towradgi Beach and back to the heart of Wollongong.
and taking in many of the local landmarks.

The rolling and rapid time trial course will enable specialists of the race against the clock to draw on their specific qualities. The riders will pass through some of the city’s symbolic sites such as Squire’s Way, public hub Thomas Dalton Park, the University of Wollongong Innovation Campus and the beachside Stuart Park. The circuit culminates along Cliff Road, past the Wollongong lighthouse at Flagstaff Hill through to the finish line on Marine Drive adjacent to the beautiful City Beach.

Road races

The Women’s Elite Road race will take place on 24 September. The peloton will take to the start in the hamlet of Helensburgh, bordering the Royal National Park situated north of Wollongong. The peloton will then travel south to Stanwell Tops before passing by the region’s famous Bald Hill lookout and descending toward the city via Coalcliff and along the inimitable Sea Cliff Bridge.

The Mount Keira loop climbs up to 473m and is known for its tough ascent in stunning sub-tropical surrounds and the spectacular descent through Kembla Heights, Cordeaux Heights and out to Port Kembla steelworks.

The Wollongong City Circuit – which is also the course for the Junior and Under 23 riders – is a technical route through the suburbs of Gwynneville, Mount Ousley, Mount Pleasant, Fairy Meadow and North Wollongong. The steady ascent along Mount Ousley Road to Mount Pleasant is short but deceptively tough, reaching a maximum elevation of 119m.

UCI President David Lappartient commented: “After five years in Europe, the UCI dearly wanted to see its UCI Road World Championships organised on another continent. After Richmond (USA) in 2015 and Doha (Qatar) in 2016, I am delighted that Wollongong was chosen to host for our leading annual event in 2022. This marks a return to Oceania, indeed to Australia, 12 years after the UCI Road World Championships in Melbourne and Geelong in 2010.

“All conditions must be met to ensure athletes can compete to their best and offer the public a fantastic show. I know Wollongong will meet our expectations. This UCI Bike City has proven many times its commitment to providing cyclists of all levels the best infrastructures possible.

“Although the Covid-19 pandemic has limited our ability to visit Wollongong to date, the UCI looks forward to visiting in the first quarter of 2022 to meet the people implicated in the organisation of this event, to finalise the planning with the organising committee and confirm all the details of the competition, which will then be communicated to the whole international cycling community.”

Wollongong 2022 Race Director, Scott Sunderland said: “There’s nowhere in the world like Australia, and I think the elevation of the region will surprise some people.”

“The 2022 UCI Road World Championships courses have all the makings to produce sensational races that will unearth worthy medallists and create memories for fans and athletes alike.”

2022 UCI Road World Championships Program