Haute-Savoie will host the second edition of the "Super World Championships" of cycling in two years. Twenty disciplines will be represented, from road to track, including mountain biking, gravel, BMX, trials, and eSports. A total of 281 rainbow jerseys will be up for grabs over thirteen days, from August 24 to September 5, 2027. With 200 nations and 10.000 athletes expected, the event promises to be one of the biggest events of the Olympiad. The French Cycling Federation, at the forefront, obviously intends to rise to the challenge by making a lasting impression.
Sallanches 1980 as a compass
The road races will follow the route of the 1980 edition, which saw Bernard Hinault crowned champion. A nod reinforced by the presence of the five-time Tour de France winner during the circuit reconnaissance two weeks ago. "From the outset, we decided to make the road race in Sallanches, a replica of 1980, the backbone of these Super World Championships. For everything else, it was open.", confirms Michel Callot to Francs Jeux. An unprecedented initiative: the entire race will take place on a closed 13-kilometer circuit. "We could have crossed the entire Haute-Savoie region, but that would mean managing the flow of people, law enforcement, and adding an economic and ecological cost. We're in an area that's already very busy, and our event must take that into account and integrate it in the most responsible way possible.", justifies the president of the FFC.
"It's easier for us, as organizers, to have a closed circuit, adds Florian Vuillaume, director of the organizing committee. We will be able to create stadium-like conditions for eight days. What's interesting about this model, which concentrates spectators in the same place, is that you will really spend six hours watching cycling, whereas normally you only see the riders for a few seconds. We have to think about this so that people can see a spectacle. We will work to welcome the public in very good conditions, so that the celebration is as beautiful as possible." The organization has budgeted €43 million, with the goal of securing just over a third of the funding from private sources through marketing, partners, ticketing, merchandising, and more. The organizing committee will refine its marketing pyramid by June. Ticketing will launch in September 2026, one year before the event, at the same time as the announcement of the event calendar.
A mass event inspired by Paris 2024?
Two permanent facility construction projects are planned. The Annecy BMX track is scheduled for completion in early 2027 and will allow the department to continue hosting international events. "This is a great opportunity to make cycling a little more prominent in the region. ", underlines Florian Vuillaume, who also welcomes the future pump track site in Saint-Pierre-en-Faucigny, right next to a college and a skatepark. "It's a great place for the children of the residents, and there's a land reserve next door. There's a real logic to coming and adding a quality facility here to organize competitions afterwards." These World Championships will also be part of the legacy of the last Olympic and Paralympic Games, as the BMX freestyle modules used at Place de La Concorde will be reinstalled in Cluses.
Paris 2024 will also certainly be felt in the organization of a major popular event, like the marathon for all. "It is the will of the department and the organizing committee to have a mass event, confirms Michel CallotWe say one, but there could be three: one in road cycling—it's pretty obvious, it's in the culture of our sport—and we could imagine one in mountain biking and one in gravel. The goal is for these mass events to exist by 2026 at the latest, at least a year before. And above all, for them to continue afterward in terms of the event's legacy. »
« If we want to bring partners on board with us, the idea is to offer them something over two years, opportunities to communicate from September 2025, not just over the two weeks of the event., explains Florian Vuillaume. There are discussions, partners would be interested in making mountain biking accessible to all, cycling accessible to all. These are among the topics on the table. » The roadmap is drawn!
