The International Cycling Union (UCI) has announced that the 2021 Track World Championships will be held October 20-24 in Roubaix, France. The championships were originally scheduled for October 13-17 in Turkmenistan, but were changed due to public concerns over the authoritarian rule of President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.

The UEC European Track Championships were also changed from Minsk, Belarus to Grenchen, Switzerland.

The UCI announced the cancellation of the World Track Championships in Turkmenistan in early June. At the request of the organizers, "due to health constraints and restrictions related to the Covid 19 epidemic, it is no longer possible to host the event in Turkmenistan."

The UCI has been in contact with several potential alternative organizers and stated that Glasgow, Scotland was erroneously announced on UCI social media. The UCI has now confirmed that Roubaix will host the World Championships at the indoor Velodrome Couvert Regional Jean Stablinski, next to the famous outdoor velodrome where the Paris-Roubaix finish will take place.

In 2022, France will host the BMX World Championships, Mountain Bike World Championships, and Track World Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, near Paris. The French capital will also host the 2024 Olympics.

"France is a cycling country like never before," said FFC President Michel Carrot.

This year's cobblestone classic is scheduled for Sunday, October 3, with the inaugural women's race on Saturday, October 2. The track world championships will take place three weeks later and will be sponsored by the French Cycling Federation (FFC), the city of Roubaix, the Lille-European Metropole, the department of Nord, and the Hauts-de-France regional area.

Paris-Roubaix was changed from spring to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the current fourth wave of the pandemic may still affect end-of-season races, France, like other European countries, has recently announced that it will restrict entry to events, restaurants, and other public places to those who are vaccinated, recovering from COVID-19, or have recently been tested for COVID-19 A sanitary pass system was introduced to reduce the risk of transmission by restricting access to those who have been vaccinated, recovered from COVID-19, or recently tested for COVID-19.

The UCI said the flagship event "boasts a quality field with most of the recent Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalists."

This year's Track World Championships will also serve to determine the field for the first UCI Track Champions League, which will be held the following month.

"I would like to congratulate the FFC, the Roubaix Organizing Committee led by its president Michel Carrot, and all the relevant authorities for the quality of the candidacy file," said UCI President David Lapartiento.

"Thanks to the famous Paris-Roubaix Classic, Roubaix has long been a legendary place on the international cycling scene. The name of Roubaix goes along with the history of the UCI Track World Championships. The spectacular Jean Stavlinski Stadium is sure to showcase a special event.