RIDER DIARIES
UAE EMIRATES
Dan, Alex, George and Emilia
The 2019 World Championships in Harrogate was an event I highlighted from the moment it was announced, as I’m sure many of you readers did. Not because I held aspirations of taking home the rainbow jersey - I was realistic in that sense. But I was looking forward to an incredible atmosphere.
Instead, I found myself feeling obliged to be critical as I was left disappointed as both a rider and a fan. I feel the Worlds should be on a circuit, as it differentiates the race from every other on the calendar. But also having ridden the Worlds in each age group, there is something incredibly special about being 17 years old and racing on the same course as your idols. My criticism divided people. Many disagreed. Some blamed the weather as the reason that the atmosphere was subdued, but surely this was proven wrong by the incredible crowds who braved the rain for the elite men.
Riding for up to seven hours on a circuit is quite horrific. I remember crossing the line after one lap of the Mendrisio Worlds in 2009 and seeing ‘20 laps to go’ on the board. It’s mind-numbing, yet for the spectators there is excitement as the tension builds.
I arrived in Harrogate on the Wednesday, to our hotel which was on the course with 600m to go. The lack of international fans and atmosphere compared to other years was immediately apparent, and when the racing was not on it was just another evening in Harrogate. In fact, I talked to locals and it was quieter than normal as the usual tourists had avoided the town that week.
This was my 15th Worlds, as a rider or spectator, and clearly time can warp perception, but watching the juniors racing in front of very few spectators reminded me of just how special my days in those categories had been. I can understand the necessity to start in different towns as hosting a World Championships is a costly undertaking, and that the idea was to showcase the county of Yorkshire, but I just feel that the majority of the race should be on a circuit to attract a greater number of visitors to the area. That said, this year’s did involve whole communities across the county and if the weather had been good the TV images would have been stunning, so these things are always a give-and-take gamble.