Published minutes from the June Management Committee of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) include approval to move the 2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships from Victoriaville, Canada to Niseko, Japan.

The change was no surprise and expected. Organization and planning for the 2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Canada started to fall apart in 2022, shortly after the UCI announced the event with much fanfare. This is the second time Canada has tried unsuccessfully to host the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, with the first attempt in Vancouver cancelled due to the worldwide pandemic in 2020.

The UCI’s premier cycling event for amateurs will now take place 26-30 August 2026 on the mountainous northern Japanese island of Hokkaido using the Niseko Classic gran fondo, medio fondo and time trial routes, which have long been part of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series. Additional details will be released at a later date.

Upcoming UCI Gran Fondo World Championship dates and locations: 2024 Aalborg, Denmark; 2025 Melbourne, Australia; 2026 Hokkaido, Japan; 2027 Haute-Savoie, France; 2028 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Photo Credit: Niseko Classic

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