How to watch the UCI Cycling World Championships 2023 for free

The Tour de France has only just finished, and we’re not too far away from the start of the Vuelta a España, so you could be forgiven for thinking that the best cyclists in the world would get a break. But no. The Cycling World Championships are here to put the very best to the test once again.

If you are interested in watching the UCI Cycling World Championships for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the UCI Cycling World Championships?

This event is the first of its kind. The world’s greatest riders in road, mountain biking, and track cycling are coming together in Glasgow and across Scotland to compete over 13 UCI World Championships:

  • Road (Edinburgh to Glasgow George Square — men’s road race, Loch Lomond to Glasgow George Square — women’s road race, and Stirling — men’s and women’s time trials)

  • Para-Cycling Road (Dumfries and Galloway)

  • Track (Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow)

  • Para-Cycling Track (Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow)

  • Mountain Bike Cross-Country (Glentress Forest, Tweed Valley)

  • Mountain Bike Downhill (Nevis Range, Fort William)

  • Mountain Bike Marathon (Glentress Forest, Tweed Valley)

  • BMX Freestyle Park (Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow)

  • BMX Freestyle Flatland (Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow)

  • BMX Racing (Glasgow BMX Centre, Glasgow)

  • Trials (Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow)

  • Indoor Cycling (Emirates Arena, Glasgow)

It’s the biggest cycling event ever staged, with so much for fans to get excited about.

When is the Cycling World Championships in 2023?

The championships will be held over 11 days, from Aug. 3 to Aug. 13. The full schedule can be found here.

Where can you watch the Cycling World Championships?

The good news for fans in the UK is that BBC Sport has secured full broadcasting rights to the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. You can watch live on the BBC or watch on-demand with BBC iPlayer.

This is also good news for fans around the world, because BBC iPlayer is free. Normally, this service is only available to streamers connecting from the UK, but with a VPN, you can bypass this geo-restriction to stream the Cycling World Championships for free from anywhere in the world.

How to watch the Cycling World Championships for free

VPNs can hide your real IP address and connect to a secure server in another country, meaning you can access sites like BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world. This process might sound complicated, but it’s actually really straightforward:

  1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

  2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

  3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

  4. Sign in to BBC iPlayer

  5. Watch the Cycling World Championships from anywhere in the world


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Credit: ExpressVPN


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Where’s the catch? The best VPNs for streaming are not free. However, most VPNs offer free trials or money-back guarantees. By using these offers, you can unblock BBC iPlayer without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you plenty of time to watch the Cycling World Championships for free.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

There are plenty of VPNs that can reliably unblock BBC iPlayer, but ExpressVPN is tough to beat. ExpressVPN is the best service for unblocking streaming services, for a number of reasons:

  • Servers in 94 countries including the UK

  • Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

  • Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

  • Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

  • Up to five simultaneous connections

  • 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The money-back guarantee means you can unblock BBC iPlayer to watch the Cycling World Championships, and then recover your investment after the last day of the event.

Watch the Cycling World Championships 2023 for free with ExpressVPN.