UCI Para-cycling Road World Championship in Huntsville: Which roads are closed?

Huntsville Real-Time NewsThis competition is a qualifier for the 2028 ParalympicsGregg Gelmis for Huntsville/Madison County ChamberBy Megan Plotka | mplotka@al.comThe 2026 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships are underway. Explorer Blvd will be closed Friday Sept. 4 – Monday, Sept. 7 for the competition to see who qualifies for the 2028 Paralympics. You can expect to see hand bikes, tricycles and other paracycling vehicles on the road and in some cases, they will be driving alongside traffic.Some hand bikes are close to the road and may be out of sight for commuters. There should be a flag on the hand bike to alert drivers of their position.“We want our drivers to be very aware that they’re going to see these cyclists coming in from all over town to get to the course, or they might be training on 431 headed to Guntersville,” said Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Marketing and Communications Claire Aiello. “They’re going to be out there testing out different road conditions, hills. They’re getting used to our heat. Some of them are coming in from other countries where it’s not so hot right now, or parts of the country where it’s not so hot. Team USA recently trained at the Lakeshore Foundation to get used to our heat, so that’s in Birmingham. “But they’re going to be out there training, and we want our drivers to be very aware and be cautious.”Aiello said people will also see the athletes out and about in the community.“We encourage you to say hi to them if you see them and take a picture with them if they’re open to that,” she said. “Many are, many are great advocates for their sport, and they’re very excited to be in Huntsville. So, show them our Southern hospitality.”Megan Plotka covers news for the Huntsville metro area. She is a multimedia journalist whose work stretches across digital articles, broadcast news and documentaries. She was raised in Huntsville and has been...