The first and last World Cycling Championships in Australia took place in 2010 with Thor Hushovd powering to the rainbow stripes, while Michael Matthews claimed the gold medal in the under-23 road race ahead of John Degenkolb. Those races were played out on a predominantly flat course in Geelong, close to Melbourne.
This year’s race is much hillier. The biggest climb of the day comes on the Mount Keira circuit. The loop is named after the 8.7 kilometres ascent at 5.7% with its summit 42 kilometres into the race. That’s a good way to get warmed up for the city circuit that’s tackled 10 kilometres after the riders come down Mount Keira.
The riders take on twelve laps in Wollongong, and each lap includes Mount Pleasant. In fact, this summit is situated on the lower slopes of Mount Keira. It’s a 1.1 kilometres climb with an average gradient of 7.7%. Not very hard at first, but it’s going to hurt in the end. The last time over Mount Pleasant is with 7 kilometres remaining.
Another interesting read: results road race 2022 World Cycling Championships.
World Cycling Championships 2022 Wollongong, Australia: routes & profiles
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