2013 UCI Road World Championships Awarded To Florence

The International Cycling Union (UCI) met in Melbourne today, during the UCI Road World Championships.

During this meeting, the Management Committee allocated the following UCI World Championships:

• 2013 Road: Florence (Italy);
• 2012 Mountain Bike and Trials: Leogang-Saalfelden (Austria);
• 2010 Para-cycling (Track): Montichiari (Italy) ;
• 2011 and 2012 Para-cycling (Track): Los Angeles (United States).

"It's a victory for Italian cycling," said FCI President Renato di Rocco after the UCI meeting. Di Rocco said that Florence will organize the championships together with the Tuscan towns of Lucca, Montecatini Terme and Pistoia.

Florence (Firenze) began organizing its bid in April, 2009, and fulfils a dream of Alfredo Martini who has a life long association with cycling in Italy. As the C.T. (commissario tecnico) for the national team from 1975 to 1997 Italy won the road road world championships with Francesco Moser in 1977, Giuseppe Saronni in 1982, Moreno Argentin in 1986, Maurizio Fondriest in 1988, and Gianni Bugno in 1991 and 1992. Martini also won a stage of the Giro d'Italia in 1950.

Di Rocco added that the achievement of being awarded the event was dedicated to Franco Ballerini, the late Italian national coach who was killed in a car rally accident in February.



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