Published 26/10/2023
All eyes were on Scotland this August as it hosted the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships (3rd - 13th), uniting 13 existing competitions to create the largest cycling event to ever take place.
Glasgow and host locations across Scotland saw record crowds attend the biggest cycling event ever with around 1 million spectators lining the streets and in venues. 635 medals were awarded with Great Britain topping both the cycling and para-cycling medal table with 56 and 44 medals respectively. It also solidified Scotland's place on the world stage as a destination for elite cycling and cycle tourism, as the event was broadcast worldwide.
In the UK cycling currently generates an estimated £7.5 billion in economic value per year. The cycle industry alone provides around £1.2 billion in direct economic benefits and tax, with a further £0.6 billion in benefits from cycle tourism, events and infrastructure.
Key Scottish cycling innovation hubs, including those found in the south of Scotland in the Tweed Valley, are taking bold steps to ensure they can secure vital investment in the cycling boom, create jobs in high value cycling development, and attract visitors from across the UK to ride the trails and roads now made famous by the Cycling World Championships.
Events for change
In Scotland, we are motivated by the opportunity's events create and the transformation they can bring to local communities and destinations. Events can be catalysts for social and economic development, but this requires action and engagement, and for people to seize the opportunity.
Our country is renowned for its incredible scenery, mountains and forests; which can be found in abundance in the Tweed Valley south of Edinburgh. It is these rugged landscapes that have made the Tweed Valley one of the UK's leading destinations for mountain biking.
There is huge potential for the South of Scotland to champion mountain biking to attract new businesses, tourists and events, which will provide a huge economic boost to towns across the region. The UCI Cycling World Championships has firmly put Scotland on the global stage for the mountain biking community and it is exciting to see what opportunities arise following the event.
Cycling Technology Summit
During the UCI Cycling World Championships, the south of Scotland hosted a two-day cycling technology and innovation summit.
Capitalising on the momentum and energy of the cycling worlds, the Power of the Bike Summit showcased how important the area already is and can become to the global cycling industry with its ambitions to attract inward investment across the innovation and technology sector, including a new National Mountain Bike Innovation Centre with a Bike Park and Living Trail Lab due to open in Innerleithen in 2025.
The event, which attracted representatives from leading global bike brands and organisations, also focused on the importance of accessibility and an in-depth look at the state of the cycling industry at a UK and Europe level in 2023.
Educational sessions were hosted by the South of Scotland Cycling Partnership, the Mountain Bike Centre Scotland, Edinburgh Napier University and their partners Cycling Industries Europe and Bicycle Association of Great Britain. Several senior figures representing some of Europe's top cycling companies shared insights on the Living Trail Lab and the opportunities available as part of it. Inspirational Scottish based research, created by Edinburgh Napier University was shared and discussed by delegates, as well as the opportunities to develop partnerships in the South of Scotland to develop skills and talent.
The summit also offered businesses looking to establish a base or relocate to the south of Scotland the chance to learn more about the area which is fast becoming the home of UK mountain biking.
"The South of Scotland is universally recognised as the global home of the bike and therefore it is fitting that as we host the 2023 Cycling World Championships, we should celebrate the innovation and technology that exists within the sector.
"For the South to also host the launch of the new Mountain Bike Strategy for Scotland as well as Bike Innovation Scotland brand, alongside the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds, is further testament to our region's important role in the future of the cycling industry."
Professor Russel Griggs, Chair of South of Scotland Enterprise
"The summit provided an excellent opportunity to highlight the research and knowledge exchange generated in universities and their lasting positive impact on home grown companies and entrepreneurs working across cycling related industries.
"The UCI Cycling World Championships being hosted in Scotland greatly enhanced the significance of what was discussed at the summit, and its associated events, as it showcased our vision and leadership in Scotland across research and innovation, enterprise and community when it comes to mountain biking and the possible wider global impact. I am extremely proud that Edinburgh Napier University, alongside our project partners, are trailblazing in this important sector for Scotland and beyond."
Professor Gary R. Hutchinson, Dean of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University and University Project Lead, Mountain Bike Innovation Centre
To find out more about The Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland click here.