One of the biggest names in professional cycling has joined some of his fellow riders in criticising the urban circuit of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow ahead of the showpiece Men's Elite Road Race on Sunday.
The race, which begins in Edinburgh, covers a 271km route, and sees competitors ride a 14.3km loop through Glasgow city centre and the west end a total of 10 times before finishing in the city's George Square.
Riders will have to navigate at least 48 right angle corners as well as steep gradient of Montrose Street - dubbed the 'Mur de Montrose'.
As the race draws near, Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel - the 2022 road cycling world champion - shared his disapproval over the urban circuit.
READ MORE: Watch as top cyclist makes tough Glasgow climb look effortless ahead of UCI Worlds
He told AFP: “For a Formula 1 Grand Prix it is fantastic. But for a cycle race, it's not what I prefer. The guy who drew it may have been hanging out in the pub too much."
French rider Benoît Cosnefroy was also critical of the circuit, saying that it is "not worthy of a World Championship".
As well as calling the Glasgow circuit "s****", fellow French rider Florian Sénéchal said: "You need a minimum of respect for the runners who didn't come to put on a show and break their collarbones... if it rains, it will be a death race."
Joining them in sharing their frustrations was two-time UCI World Road Champion Julian Alaphilippe, who admits he became "disoriented" while riding the route on Friday. “I had never seen such a course”, he said.
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