Time trials in Emmen, road races start in Hoogeveen, Coevorden, Meppel and Assen
The province of Drenthe has announced the start and finish municipalities of the European Road Cycling Championship 2023. The European title battle will be held from Tuesday 19 to Sunday 24 September 2023 in the cycling province of Drenthe. The time trials are organized in Emmen. The various road races are held throughout the province because they start from different municipalities. The provisional program includes Emmen, Hoogeveen, Coevorden, Meppel and Assen as the starting places. The finish location for the road races is the Col du VAM in the municipality of Midden-Drenthe.
This was announced today by deputy Henk Brink of the province of Drenthe, together with the mayors and aldermen and organizer Thijs Rondhuis of Courage Events.
Deputy Henk Brink: “We are proud that the province of Drenthe can host the European Road Cycling Championship next year, a major sporting event of size. Now that the start and finish municipalities are known, it is time to start organizing the cycling party. Hopefully the residents of Drenthe will also make it a beautiful folk festival. If I see the enthusiasm here today among the representatives of the municipalities, that party will certainly come.”
President of the Union European de Cyclisme Enrico Della Casa: “The idea of multiple start and finish municipalities really appeals to us. It is clear that the entire province of Drenthe is involved in this event. We are happy with that.”
Time Trials in Emmen
Emmen will play an important role in the European title fight as the location for the individual time trials on Tuesday 19 September. These start from Wildlands and finish on the Hondsrugweg in Emmen. A day later, the same city is the start and finish location for the Mixed Team Relay for juniors and professionals.
Starting places in Hoogeveen, Coevorden, Meppel and Assen
The road races all finish on the Col du VAM, previously executioner of various Dutch Championships on the road and of the European Championships Cyclo-cross in 2021. On Thursday the U23 men and women will leave Hoogeveen for their races. A day later, the starting gun sounds for the junior men and women in Coevorden. The women will have the old city center of Meppel on Saturday September 23 as the starting point for their European Championship. The starting line for the male pros will be drawn on Sunday 24 September near the Drents Museum in Assen. By choosing different starting locations, the province can show the beauty and variety of Drenthe to a large audience and many residents can experience the cycling races up close.
Route through the entire province of Drenthe
The exact routes of the road races will be announced at a later stage, but it is certain that the residents of many Drenthe municipalities can watch the European Championship pass by with the aim of involving the entire province in the event. The finals of all races will be held on circuits around the most famous Drenthe cycling hillside Col du VAM. In January, the European Cycling Federation (UEC) will come to Drenthe to approve routes. Then the program is finalized.
