Aigle, Switzerland, June 16, 2022: The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is pleased to announce that the Women's Road Championships of Afghanistan can take place in 2022. They will be held on October 23 in Aigle, Switzerland.
In a press statement, the UCI said it had become impossible to stage the event due to the consequences of events in Afghanistan in August 2021 for part of the population, in particular women.
The organisation of the 2022 Women's Road Championships of Afghanistan is part of the continuing efforts of the UCI and its partners to support and assist the Afghan Cycling Federation.
The Afghan women cyclists in the Women Elite and Women Under 23 categories will compete on a course comprising two laps of a 28.5 km circuit with a 72 m difference in altitude. The peloton will ride through the towns of Aigle, Yvorne, Rennaz and Vouvry, in the Chablais region of Vaud and Valais.
The race will start at the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) - the UCI's high-level education and training centre located in Aigle - at 10 am. The finish will be at the same place.
Two separate titles will be awarded: one for the riders in the Elite category, the other for those in the Under 23 category. However, all the participants (more than 50 riders) will start simultaneously and cover the same distance.
The 2022 Women's Road Championships of Afghanistan are jointly organised by the UCI WCC, the Afghan Cycling Federation, the organising committee of the Tour du Pays de Vaud and the Commune of Aigle.
UCI President David Lappartient said: "It is very important for the UCI to commit to helping members of the world cycling family who are deprived of the freedom to live their passion and pursue their dreams.”
Source: https://www.uci.org
