Cycling enthusiasts from around the world are looking forward to the thrill of the Road Race World Championship in Copenhagen in September. And the citizens of Copenhagen are preparing to take advantage of three car free days in the center of the Danish capital, where a big street festival is organized by the crew behind the famous Roskilde Festival.
In May, it was the pink jersey that was chased in the Giro d’Italia. In July, millions around the world followed the pursuit of the yellow jersey on the French roads. Right now, the best riders are competing for the red jersey of la Vuelta. The Spanish race is the last great classic stage race before the rainbow colored jersey is at stake at the World Championships in Copenhagen.
In September 19th-25th Denmark will host the Road Race World Championships 2011 in the heart of Copenhagen. Here, the world’s best cyclists will compete for the title of the world champion on the route through the old streets of Copenhagen and the scenic roads of Rudersdal, just north of Copenhagen.
Car free Copenhagen City festival
H.C. Andersens Boulevard is the busiest street in Copenhagen with more than 60,000 cars passing per day. This street and other important parts of central Copenhagen will be closed down for three days, from Monday till Wednesday, while the time trials are running in the World Road Race Championship.
Of course, when the Road Race is over for the day, the bike loving Copenhageners will take advantage of the city closure to put on a big public party in the streets of their capital. For the citizens and the many expected tourists who come to Copenhagen to be part of the World Championship, there will be music, arts, food and parties in the streets, including several big free concerts in the city arranged by the team behind the famous Roskilde Festival.
Around the city, as well as in Rudersdal where the road races are taking place Thursday till Sunday, bike related activities such as ‘Pimp your own bike’, bike theatre, water biking, Donate your bike to Africa, urban biking, BMX and the official Bike Parade etc. will be part of the street life.
Born to bike
In Denmark the children learn to bike about the same time as they learn to walk, and Copenhagen kindergartens are planning to let the children ride Around The World on their bikes – in a relay race – inside a secure park in Copenhagen, of course.
Copenhagen is commonly known to be a biking city where young girls in stilettos take their bike on the way to a party and businessmen in suits are going go to work by bike – no matter the weather and the time of the year.
That made Copenhagen the natural choice when the International Cycling Union (UCI) nominated the Bike City for the first time ever: In Copenhagen 50% of all citizens commute by bike every day, and there are more bikes than inhabitants on almost 400 kilometres of biking lanes.
The UCI Bike City Copenhagen
The UCI Road World Championships 2011 event is part of the Bike City Copenhagen project (BCC), which HRH Crown Prince Frederik is protector for. Copenhagen is the only city in the world, which has been appointed Bike City by the UCI by now and between 2008 and 2011, Copenhagen is hosting 6 major international cycling events.
Beyond the above event, the package includes among others the World BMX Championships 2011. Behind BCC (Bike City Copenhagen) stand as strong partners as the Danish Cycling Federation, Sport Event Denmark, The City of Copenhagen, the Municipality of Rudersdal, the Municipality of Ballerup, the Capital Region of Copenhagen and Wonderful Copenhagen.
The UCI Road World Championships will take place 19 – 25 September 2011 in Copenhagen/Rudersdal
More info about The World Road Race Championship
- Event website: www.copenhagen2011.dk
- Facebook: facebook.com/copenhagen2011
- Video illustrating the route in Copenhagen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBEj5kWZO-k
- Check out the Guided tour to UCI Road World Championships 2011 in Copenhagen:http://www.copenhagen2011.dk/index.php?p=menu/side.php&menu=9&side=68
More info about the people’s party in Copenhagen
More info about Copenhagen and the biking copenhageners
- Watch the 3 x prize-winning film WE LOVE BIKES: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiLFHKTz6yA
- Copenhageners love their bikes: http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/media/whats-on/cycling-in-copenhagen
- Free TV material on ftp – ftp://woco@ftp.woco.dk/public/2011UCIRoadWorldChampionships/
please contact press officer Le Lyby to get the login information
The official tourist website for Copenhagen
