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2002 Road World Championships - CM
Hasselt-Zolder, Belgium, October 8-13, 2002
Preview
The 2002 World Road Championships will be held in the Limburg region in the eastern part of Belgium, near the Dutch and German borders. The motor racing circuit of Zolder has been chosen as the finishing place for each of the 10 events on the program, beginning with the Junior Women's Time Trial on Tuesday, October 8 and ending with the Elite Men's Time Trial on October 13.
Zolder has hosted the World Road Championships once before in 1969, when Dutchman Harm Ottenbros won. It has also hosted the World Cyclo-Cross Championships in 1970 and 2002, a round of the Cyclo-Cross World Cup in 2000, and the Belgian Road Championships in 1963, the year of the circuit's inauguration. The closest city to the circuit is Hasselt, about 10 km away, and it is accessible via car, public transport, and bicycle.
The time trials will be held between October 8-10, with the Junior Women starting proceedings on the first day, followed by the U23 Men. The juniors will ride 11.2 km starting in Hasselt's Kolonel Dusartplein, riding around Hasselt's 'Kleine Ring', cutting across to the 'Grote Ring' before heading out to Zolder. The U23 Men ride 33.2 km, starting the with the same course but doing an extra loop around the surrounds of Zolder.
On Wednesday, October 9 the Junior Men will have their turn on the TT course. They will ride 23.3 km, the same as the Elite Women who follow them a few hours later. Finally on October 10 it's the turn of the Elite Men, who have to do 43.5 km, again starting in Hasselt and doing extra loops once they reach Zolder. The TT course is fairly flat with a small hill near the finish. It's very fast, and the winds are expected to be light crosswinds.
The road races will all be held on the same 13.1 km circuit. This incorporates most of the motor racing track, with the additional distance made up in the surrounds. There is a hill on the circuit approximately 3 km from the finish, and this could prove interesting, especially in a smaller bunch. The circuit contains several corners, but the road surface is so good that these shouldn't present any problems to a large peloton.
On October 11, the Junior Women will ride 6 laps of the circuit (78.6 km), followed by the U23 Men who ride 13 laps (170.3 km). On October 12 the Junior Men will ride 10 laps (131 km) followed by the Elite Women, who ride a similar distance. The Elite Men will do double the laps for a total of 262 km on Sunday, October 13.
Be sure to check Cyclingnews regularly for live coverage of each event of the World Championships, beginning at 12:00 CEST on October 8 and finishing at around 16:30 CEST on October 13. In addition we'll have full results, reports, photos and news from the World's in Zolder.
