Trudy Lindblade has not gone full-blown Weegie yet but she is getting there.
“The biggest thing now is if it rains I don’t move!” says the Australian with a laugh. “I don’t really notice it any more. And I love the architecture around Glasgow. You have to always look up as there’s so much to see. Our office is in the city centre so we’re right in the heart of things.”
Swapping the sunshine of Melbourne for Scotland’s near-permanent state of dreich drizzle would not be most people’s idea of a dream relocation but it was the chance to tackle something unprecedented that persuaded Lindblade to up sticks and move with her family halfway across the world.
Appointed chief executive of the first UCI combined world championships in October 2020, the challenge of bringing all the different cycling disciplines together at the same place at the same time has been magnified by needing to do so out of the constraints of a global pandemic into the midst of an economic slowdown.
Lindblade is a hugely-experienced event planner and director – her CV includes senior roles with Visit Victoria, Cricket Australia and at previous cycling world championships – but she has had to be resourceful like never before to pull together an event that will take place at various locations across Scotland for 10 days in August.
“This one has to be up there as one of the most complicated events I’ve ever done,” she admits. “But one of the reasons I took on the role was for that challenge of doing something for the first time. For the first nine months we were all working from home so that brought its own challenges. We were operating in unprecedented times.
“With any major event you’re always working right up to the wire and with one like this, that hasn’t been delivered before, we’re also writing the blueprint for the next one in 2027. We started out during the pandemic and we’ve got the current economic challenges so that’s had an impact on our planning, as with most organisations. But when you’ve got a fixed deadline like ours, it really focuses the mind.
“I’ve come over here with my family so it’s a bit different doing this with them here. It’s the first time I’ve gone away to work on a major event when I’ve got others to think about who I care about dearly. It’s not always easy.
“But from the moment that I started the role I knew the people I would be working with were really good people and genuinely invested in this and passionate about this event. For me that’s really important. I’ve been able to build a team and Scotland has some terrifically talented people, many of whom have worked at previous major events. When you’re working long hours most days of the week, it makes it all worthwhile to be doing so with some great people. Scotland is a very welcoming place. They say people make Glasgow and I do think that’s true!”
Like a cyclist powering downhill, the pace is only going to pick up from here. Glaswegians still reflect fondly on hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games and this will be an event that outstrips that one in terms of participation numbers and global appeal.
Scotland could never be described as a cycling country per se but, with so many visitors expected to descend for this pioneering event, Lindblade expects local interest to grow the closer it gets to the start line.
“In terms of numbers of athletes and officials involved it’s actually bigger than the Commonwealth Games,” she adds. “We’ll have 8,000 athletes and officials, amateur and elite, so it’s a good point of reference for people to understand just how big this event is.
“That’s a challenge as we don’t have a picture we can put out as there’s no precedent. But it’s also an opportunity to talk about the amazing different parts of this event and what we want people to experience.
“I feel really privileged to be doing what I do in delivering major events. I get to do something I love, get to meet lots of wonderful people and help create memories for people, many of whom will be coming to Glasgow or Scotland for the first time.
“We want the local people to feel that sense of pride too, to get behind this event and show the world what a great place this is to come and visit. Major events do that. It’s not just about the economic and social impacts, it’s actually that feeling of pride.”
As well as preparing to welcome elite riders from all across the world, Lindblade’s role also involves promoting the ancillary benefits associated with cycling.
“I’ve delivered lots of wonderful major events all around the world but there was a genuine and authentic policy ambition behind this one,” she says. “We kept it really simple. We talked about participation – getting more people to ride bikes – equality and diversity inclusion and being a fully integrated event. And then there’s the sustainability angle of getting people to cycle rather than drive on short trips. That could make a big difference in helping the climate which is a hugely important topic these days.
“I definitely think there’s a good cycling community and culture here in Scotland. As with any country or city you need to build upon that and we believe hosting an event like this will only help in that regard. I’m excited about what we’re going to deliver.”
