Florence moves closer to hosting the 2013 World Championships with the conclusion today of two days of inspections by the International Cycling Union (UCI).
Two inspectors from the UCI accompanied the Florence organisers in a helicopter fly-over of the proposed locations. All races will finish in Florence's Artemio Franchi football stadium, near the finish of last year's Giro d'Italia stage, but neighbouring cities Lucca, Montecatini Terme and Pistoia will host some of the starts.
"The cities Lucca, Montecatini Terme, Pistoia and Florence have teamed together as a strong unit, which will be important for success," said Italian cycling federation (FCI) president, Renato Di Rocco.
The men's race will start in Lucca and include the San Baronto climb on the way to the finish. The finish will be 11 circuits around Fiesole and Florence.
"We needed a demanding worlds circuit after a few years of simple circuits," said one of the UCI inspectors. "This circuit responds to our expectations."
The World Championships, starting with the 2012 edition, will run Sunday to Sunday and include 12 events. It will start with team time trials open to the best 15 to 20 amateur clubs and it will welcome back the junior level races.
The juniors raced for their track and road titles in August in Moscow, while the main championships were in Mendrisio, Switzerland. The last time they raced at the same location was at the 2004 World Championships in Verona, Italy.
The UCI will announce the 2013 location in September at the World Championships in Geelong, Australia. Ponferrada, Spain, Genova, Italy, and Hooglede-Gits, Belgium, are competing for the 2013 edition with Florence.
The next two World Championships suit sprinters, Geelong this year and Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2011. The 2012 World Championships in The Netherlands' Limburg Region should suit climbers.
Bergamo, Italy, and Québec, Canada, are bidding for the 2015 edition.