The World Road Cycling Championships will be held in Hamilton, Ontario from October 6 to 12, 2003. The Championships were awarded to Hamilton by the International Cycling Union on October 3, 1999. It is estimated that the week-long event, consisting of 10 races, will attract more than 250,000 spectators, 125,000 of whom will come from outside the province and 50,000 of whom will come from outside Canada.

The World Championships were first held in Nurburgring, Germany, in 1927 and there have been 67 Championships held since that time. The event has only been held outside of Europe four times; the last time was in Colombia, in 1995. Canada has hosted the event once before: in Montreal, in 1974.

An economic assessment of the championships indicates that the impact will be significant both to the province of Ontario and the city of Hamilton. The analysis estimates that these Championships will produce a total expenditure of almost $57 million or the equivalent of 1,350 person years of employment.

The City of Hamilton has a strong tradition in hosting international sport events, having successfully staged the World Judo Championships, Skate Canada, the Hockey Canada Cup and the Canadian Football Grey Cup among others. Hamilton also hosted the 1995 Canadian Cycling Championships. The legacy from these events combined with the expertise and desire of the cycling community makes Hamilton a natural choice to stage the World Championships.

There are currently eighteen million active cyclists in Canada, the third most popular recreational activity among Canadians. The number of cyclists who race in Canada is growing every year. Many Canadians belong to one of the 450 organized cycling clubs in Canada and participate in the more than 800 organized cycling events held annually, including road, track, mountain bike, and touring events. Canada has more than 7,000 licensed racers in Canada, some of whom have earned international honours, including four silver Olympic medals, four bronze Olympic medals, and four World Championship titles.