Groningen and Drenthe to host 2034 world cycling championships

The world road cycling championships are set to return to the Netherlands for the first time in over two decades, with Groningen and Drenthe provinces securing the rights to host the 2034 event. The two northern provinces had bid for the championships in 2032, but the international cycling union UCI awarded the event to Pune, India, the first time it would be held there.

Bauke Mollema, a Tour de France veteran from Groningen, expressed his excitement about the decision, saying it was a "dream" for him. The Netherlands has previously hosted the road race championships eight times, most recently in Valkenburg in 2012. The exact dates and route for 2034 have yet to be determined, but the "Col du Vam" – a 63-meter-high artificial hill made of piled-up domestic waste from the Randstad – will undoubtedly feature prominently.

The time trials are expected to commence and conclude at the TT circuit in Assen, while the organizers have assured that the routes will traverse each municipality in the region. The UCI announced the decision in Montreal, where the 2022 championships are currently being held. The Dutch bid highlighted that the paralympic championships would be integrated into the main event, with Thijs Rondhuis, the organiser, stating that the inclusion of a paracycling event was ideal for Drenthe, as it had previously hosted the world paracycling championships in Emmen in 2019.

The bid was funded with €20 million from Ny Begun, a fund established to rebuild Groningen and northern Drenthe following earthquakes caused by gas drilling activities.