Trento to host the 2022 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships

From 15 to 18 September 2022, 2,000 athletes from all over the World are expected in Trentino to compete for the amateurs’ World titles. Starts and finishes will be held at Le Albere quartier, while the Monte Bondone climb will be decisive through the long weekend

Another page of the extensive love story between Trentino and major cycling events is about to be lived. A few months after the enormous success of the UEC Road European Championships "Trentino 2021" in Trento, rewarded by outstanding technical and communication results, the association of the Trento - Monte Bondone Tourist Board and Trento Eventi Sport is already back in the saddle for a new adventure.

From September 15th to 18th, 2022, the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships will return to Trento. The World Championships dedicated to the amateur categories are therefore to be held in the Trentino capital for the second time after the 2013 edition.

First introduced in 2011, the Gran Fondo World Championships are the culminating act of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series. A calendar of 26 events, held in different parts of the World, give amateurs the opportunity to earn the right to compete for the World Champion’s jerseys: 2,000 athletes are expected to race in Trento to pursue the titles in three disciplines, each divided into different age categories.

From 15 to 18 September 2022, 2,000 athletes from all over the World are expected in Trentino to compete for the amateurs’ World titles

The Trento 2022 program will start on Thursday, September 15th with the time trials, on an entirely flat 19,6 km course that largely replicates the one on which the Time Trial European titles in Trento were contested in 2021. The course will start and finish in front of the MUSE - Science Museum, the heart of the Le Albere district.

On the evening of Friday, September 16th, the programme continues with the Team Relay: riders of the different national team will compete in a very fast relay race on a 2 km ring charted around the Le Albere district. While not assigning world championship jerseys, the Relay Team will be open to all qualified athletes for the other events.

Saturday, 17 September will be dedicated to the preliminary operations for the final tests, and to initiatives open to non-qualified athletes, which will be announced later.

2022 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships Trento 2022 Gran Fondo Course

Finally, on Sunday, 18 September the World titles will be up for grabs for the Granfondo (143,8 km, and 3,800 mt elevation gain) and Mediofondo disciplines (86,8 km, 2,300 mt elevation gain) on challenging routes, both characterized by Monte Bondone, the mountain of Trento, a real icon of this territory that staged countless memorable feats at the Giro d’Italia, starting with Charly Gauls’ in 1956.

The athletes of the Granfondo will climb the Bondone twice, first from the Aldeno side and then from the Cadine side, and finally once again in the finale, halfway up to Candriai, and then turn and face the Sardagna descent that will project them towards the finish line. The Mediofondo features the first ascent of Bondone from Cadine, up to the peak at the Viote plateau, and then the ascent to Candriai for a final that coincides the one of the longest distance. The and the party for everybody will be at the Le Albere district. Further details are available on the official website trento2022-ucigranfondoworlds.it.

2022 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships Trento 2022 Time Trial Course

"We are facing this new adventure with huge enthusiasm, giving consistency to the path inaugurated with the European Championships in Trento, but also enhancing an organizational experience that has its roots in “La Leggendaria Charly Gaul," explained Franco Aldo Bertagnolli, President of the Trento - Monte Bondone Tourist Board. "The qualification process is still in its early phase, but we expect a significant number of athletes, who are often accompanied by their families in this kind of events, and appreciate the opportunity of spending more days in the venue before or after the event.”

"It will be a different experience, but certainly one of great value for the territory we have in Trento and in Trentino, an area very focused on active tourism: It is a coincidence that this year's Master Marathon World Championships also take place in Trentino. We are convinced that this event will give great satisfaction to us, as organizers, as well as to the people involved and to the whole territory," concluded Bertagnolli.

The time trial is on an entirely flat 19,6 km course that largely replicates the one on which the Time Trial European titles in Trento from 2021