UCI: Call to seize opportunity after cycling championships

The women's road race took place on the final day of the championships

Organisers of the UCI Cycling World Championships hope Scotland can seize the opportunity created by the event and encourage more people onto bikes.

More than 500,000 spectators are estimated to have watched 11 days of events which unfolded in Glasgow and other parts of the country.

The contest ended with Belgium's Lotte Kopecky winning the women's road race on Sunday.

More than 50 free community and social events also took place across the city.

UCI chair Paul Bush said he was very proud of Scotland and Glasgow, and drew a comparison with 2014's Commonwealth Games, also held in the city.

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"It's the first time I've seen this city come alive since 2014," he told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme.

"We've had half a million people on the streets of this city over the last seven days smiling at free events, which is really important."

He said there had also been a "fantastic culture of our volunteers", with 4,500 people giving their time to help.

Belgium's Lotte Kopecky winning the women's road race

Mr Bush said cycling had an important part to play in improving people's health, and that continued investment in infrastructure was needed to get more people on bikes.

"Let's seize that opportunity for the next five to ten years," he added.

The 2023 event was the largest UCI championships ever held in one place. More than 8,000 cyclists from 151 nations have taken part.

There had been complaints about road closures and access during the championships, with one man telling BBC Scotland that he felt trapped in his home by the events.

Labour MSP Paul Sweeney said Glasgow needed to capitalise on hosting the event by using it to help clean up and rejuvenate the city centre.

But Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said it had been a "magnificent" 11 days for the city.

She said the championships had surpassed all the organisers' expectations.

More than 500,000 spectators came out to watch the events

"There is nowhere quite like Glasgow when it comes to creating an atmosphere and people who are ready to throw themselves into an event, heart and soul," she said.

The council says there is now a total of 258 miles (415km) of cycling infrastructure in the city, including dedicated lanes across Glasgow.

About £42m has been invested in the past five years, and there are plans to invest a further £100m to extend the city network - although this is dependent on new funding.

These plans are designed to enable people to reach any part of the city by bike within 30 minutes, with no-one in the city living more than 800 metres (about half a mile) from a safer route by 2030, and no schools more than 400 metres from the city network.

"One of the big themes of this event has been the power of the bike - and I think these Worlds [Championships] have also resonated because they have given people an opportunity to rethink their ambitions for what our city can be," said Ms Aitken.