140 kids will kick off the 2021 UCI Road World Championships

140 cycling children will open the centenary edition of the 2021 UCI Road World Championships in Flanders on Saturday, 18 September. In pairs they will all get to represent a participating country. Later in the day, the UCI President David Lappartient will announce the official start of the 2021 UCI Road World Championships. The day after, before the start of the UCI Road World Championships competitions, para-cyclists will take to the roads in their own race. The start times of all 2021 UCI Road World Championship races are confirmed.

The honour of kicking off the centenary of the UCI Road World Championships is reserved for 140 children between the ages of 12 and 18. One boy and one girl from 70 clubs connected to Cycling Vlaanderen will represent a participating country in these 2021 UCI Road World Championships. A personalised cycling jersey, decoration on their bike and various actions will make clear which country the kids will be representing. They will be introduced during a real stage ceremony in Knokke-Heist and then be the first to ride over the time trial circuit, finishing in Bruges.

Cycling Vlaanderen selects the children through an online application procedure for the clubs.

Later that day, when the last participants of the Flanders 2021 Ride Knokke-Heist – Brugge have arrived, UCI President David Lappartient will officially open the 2021 UCI Road World Championships.