The UCI Road World Championships are coming to Groningen and Drenthe in 2034

The international cycling federation UCI has awarded the World Championships, including the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, to Groningen and Drenthe. Courage Events and TIG Sports & Events will organise the event in close cooperation with the KNWU and the regional and national partners involved.

The Netherlands and India were both candidates to host the 2032 World Championships. The UCI ultimately decided to award both bids: India will host the World Championships in 2032, followed by Groningen and Drenthe two years later. This gives the Northern Netherlands eight years to prepare for the largest sporting event ever held in the region.

For TIG Sports & Events, the award is part of a long-term vision for major international sporting events. These events do not begin on the day the starting gun goes off, but often many years earlier. They start with an initial idea, research into feasibility and social and economic impact, bringing public and private parties together, and ultimately developing a bid that must convince stakeholders at an international level.

Eight years of building in the Northern Netherlands

The 2034 World Championships will be organised by Courage Events and TIG Sports & Events, in cooperation with the KNWU, the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe, the municipalities of Groningen and Assen, and the Nij Begun Economic Agenda, among others. Professional cyclist Bauke Mollema is involved in the project as an ambassador.

The early award makes it possible to look beyond the competitions in 2034. Over the next eight years, the World Championships can be connected to the development of cycling and broader objectives for the Northern Netherlands, including cycling and active lifestyles, tourism, entrepreneurship, employment and quality of life.

For TIG, this development builds on the return of the Eneco Tour and the ambition to further develop road cycling in the Netherlands in a sustainable and structural way.

“With the return of the Eneco Tour, a multi-year development of road cycling in the Netherlands has been set in motion,” says Niels Markensteijn of TIG Sports & Events. “The 2034 World Championships provide direction and a long-term perspective. Eight years gives us the opportunity to continue building together with the region, public authorities, the KNWU, partners and the cycling community. The World Championships are not a standalone event, but a milestone that we are working towards together.”

From bid book to live event

For TIG Sports & Events, developing a major international sporting event encompasses the entire process: from market research and feasibility studies to the bid book, financing and partnerships, and ultimately the preparation and organisation of the event.

For the 2034 UCI Road World Championships, this process will span more than eight years. TIG Sports & Events and Courage Events will jointly coordinate the project together with the partners involved. Much of this work takes place behind the scenes, long before roads are closed, teams arrive and the first race gets underway.