“Cutting it a bit fine on Buchanan Street”: Riders narrowly avoid crowds crossing the road during Glasgow world championships

The road races at this year’s inaugural multi-discipline UCI Cycling World Championships have started with a bang, with two thoroughly entertaining junior races on a tough and technical city centre circuit in Glasgow – but they haven’t been without their teething problems. One of those lingering issues has been an apparent delay in ushering spectators and pedestrians across the road at some congested spots, leading to one or two near misses with oncoming racers.

During today’s men’s junior race, won by the frighteningly multi-talented 16-year-old Dane Albert Philipsen, a large crowd was filmed crossing Buchanan Street after the groups contesting the rainbow jersey had already passed.

But as the throng of people slowly crossed the road, making their way through the narrow gaps in the barriers on either side, whistles can be heard from marshals, sounding the arrival of another small group.

As you can see in the clip below, as the group turns the corner onto Buchanan Street, the crowds are covering the width of the road, with only the frantic attempts of the marshals – and some short sprints from local shoppers – securing just about enough room for the group to squeeze through.

Cutting it a bit fine on Buchanan Street pic.twitter.com/Yo61HKm6jD

— Andrew Learmonth (@andrewlearmonth) August 5, 2023

That close organisational call came just hours after France’s Julie Bego, the surprise winner of the women’s junior race after a brave solo ride, made her way around the final left hander, only to see – not the finishing straight or the roar of an appreciate crowd – but a line of pedestrians crossing the road, a chaotic cycling version of the Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover:

What is this? This is the final km with our race winner.....#GlasgowScotland2023 pic.twitter.com/K678ejfu3J

— José Been (@JoseBeenTV) August 5, 2023

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Nevertheless, despite the marshalling mishaps, one of the riders involved in the near miss with the crossing crowd during the junior men’s race, Ireland’s Seth Dunwoody, had nothing but praise for the people on the side of the road today in Glasgow.

“The crowd definitely made the course,” the 17-year-old Irish junior road race champion told road.cc at the finish.

“The atmosphere is class. It’s my first ever world championships, first ever major championships. And the first lap down the finishing straight I got goosebumps. It’s crazy.

“The crowd would deafen at you at some points, and the Irish were in full voice, which is great to see. It was amazing, and something I won’t forget anytime soon.”

Ireland’s Dunwoody with a bit more room to manoeuvre on the Glasgow circuit (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Dunwoody’s praise for the Glasgow crowd was also echoed in the post-race press conference by Norway’s Felix Ørn-Kristoff, the brother of Uno-X pro Alexander, who finished third in the junior race behind Philipsen and German Paul Fietzke.

“The noise with the fans was amazing, they were screaming like mad,” he said. “The atmosphere was incredible, like Paris-Roubaix.”