BUSINESSES of all shapes and sizes are being encouraged to get involved as the Tweed Valley gears up for hosting key events as part of the 2023 UCI World Cycling Championships.

With an expected broadcast audience of one billion, the world’s finest riders will compete for 13 individual championships across seven disciplines at venues around Scotland.

Glentress will host the mountain bike cross-country, with riders competing for five championship events from August 6-12.

The events at Glentress will see around 1,000 riders representing national teams, international cycling media and an anticipated 20,000 spectators come to the Tweed Valley – with a peak of 10,000 visitors for the Olympic mountain bike cross-country on August 12.

As part of preparations, Go Tweed Valley and Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland will run a pair of free workshops in Peebles and Innerleithen on March 8, with each designed to highlight the opportunities that the event brings and how local businesses can get involved.

All are invited, from tourism businesses to local shops, with the intention of creating a calendar of ‘fringe’ events that complement the on-venue village at Glentress.

“Every event in the Tweed Valley is important, but the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships is truly off the scale in terms of the opportunity to show the world our very best face – with all the potential long-term economic benefits that brings,” said Rich Rowe, project manager at Go Tweed Valley.

“We know that many businesses, whether involved in cycling or not, would benefit from learning more about the event so that they can understand how best to get involved.

“Our workshops will help answer questions and encourage local businesses to bring all of their creativity and imagination to ensure that visitors from around the world have an unforgettable experience and return to the Tweed Valley in the future.”

The Welcoming The Championships workshops will be held on March 8 at the Eastgate Theatre, Peebles (10am-12pm) and the Vale Club, Innerleithen, (1.30pm-3.30pm).

Bookings can be made via the DMBinS events page at www.dmbins.com/events/