The European Road Cycling Championships and BMX Freestyle will take place in North Brabant in 2028. The KNWU thus announces the first participating province for the Dutch Cycling Festival. It was previously revealed that the Cyclo-cross World Championships in 2028 will also be held on Dutch soil (Hoogerheide).
With this announcement, the KNWU states it is "setting the tone for a special anniversary year." On January 26, 1928, the Royal Dutch Cycling Union (KNWU) was founded. Exactly 100 years later, the federation will celebrate this milestone with the Dutch Cycling Festival: a year-long program that will make the Netherlands the center of international cycling in the Olympic year 2028.
The festival is not a traditional event lasting just a few days or weeks, but a series of championships spread across the entire country. The races are not only a platform for top performances but also catalysts for social and community projects aimed at getting more people active, especially more children on their bikes.
More than a championship
The KNWU collaborates with the province of North Brabant, BrabantSport, various municipalities, the Adrie van der Poel Grand Prix Cycling Committee, Golazo, and Libéma Profcycling to leverage the championships for social projects that aim to get more residents of Brabant, particularly children, moving.
"Cycling connects people, gives freedom, and contributes to a healthy society. It’s fantastic that the province of North Brabant and its partners play a prominent role in the Dutch Cycling Festival by hosting no fewer than three top-level sports events in 2028," says Maurice Leeser, CEO of the KNWU, on the cycling federation’s website. "Together with our riders, cycling clubs, volunteers, and partners, we show how elite sport, fun, and social impact can go hand in hand."
Back to the ‘beating heart’ of cycling
The choice of North Brabant as the first province is no coincidence. Brabant was for a long time the beating heart of Dutch cycling. "I’m proud that Brabant and cycling are once again inseparably connected in this way," says Deputy Bas Maes (Sports). "This is where cycling history was written, where the sport grew into a popular mass sport."
"With these three international championships, we honor that legacy while investing in the future. Above all, we want to get more children and young people on bikes and show how cycling connects communities." No exact location has been announced yet.
