British Cycling’s Head of Para-cycling, Jon Pett, has described the inclusion of a para-cycling race in the 2019 UCI Road World Championships for the first time as a potentially ‘seminal’ moment for the sport.

Today’s announcement that next year’s championships, to be held in Yorkshire, will include a para-cycling race adds to the addition of para-cycling events to the schedule at the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup in London in December – another global first.

Although the road event won’t see the winner awarded with a world title – the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships take place in Emmen the week before Yorkshire hosts its championships – both this and the track events in London will see riders compete for qualifying points for Tokyo 2020.

Jon Pett, British Cycling’s Head of Para-cycling, said:

“We at British Cycling have worked closely with Yorkshire 2019 on the development of a para-cycling event for next year, and it’s extremely exciting to see it announced. While – as in other disciplines – the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships run very successfully separately to the UCI Road World Championships, the benefits to para-cycling of being placed in the global spotlight are substantial, and this could potentially be a seminal moment for para-cycling.

“This follows quickly after the announcement that, for the first time, para-cycling events will take place at the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup in London, and I’m delighted that, with these two events, British Cycling is playing such a pivotal role in ensuring that para-cycling continues to flourish.”

The full details of the Yorkshire 2019 schedule and race routes were announced today in Innsbruck, which is playing host to this year’s road world championships.

December’s TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup will take place at Lee Valley Velopark – site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games’ track cycling events – and will see the world’s best riders compete for their nations.

The three-day event gets underway on December 14, when para-cycling’s tandem sprint, C1-5 time trials and C1-5 team sprint will share the stage with the men’s and women’s team pursuit and team sprint events, in which the likes of Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald are expected to compete for Great Britain.

Dame Sarah Storey, Great Britain’s most decorated female Paralympian, who has won multiple world and Paralympic titles on both the road and the track, added:

“Throughout my time as a UCI para-cycling commission member I strongly advocated for and made numerous logistical proposals for how integration of para-cycling could be achieved, and it is great to see British organisers leading the way once again. 

“Having integrated events on the track and road for the first time in the UK in the next 12 months speaks volumes for the importance of para-sport within the wider sporting landscape. Having held the most successful and biggest Paralympic Games in London 2012, it’s not surprising to me that the UK has again set the benchmark for other nations and organisers to follow.”

Tickets for the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup are available to buy here.