Innsbruck has been announced as the host of the 2018 World Road Cycling Championships ©Getty Images

Innsbruck has been awarded the International Cycling Union (UCI) Road World Championships in 2018, following a meeting of the governing body’s Management Committee in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.

The meeting followed the completion of the 2016 Cyclo-cross World Championships, with the awarding of several key events in the UCI calendar on the agenda.

A climber friendly course for the 2018 Road World Championships is now expected following the confirmation of Innsbruck as hosts, with the Austrian city located in the heart of the Alps.

Potential bids from cities in Colombia and Yorkshire in England had been mooted in recent months, but the two-time Winter Olympic Games hosts are now due to become the third location in Austria to welcome the Championships.

It follows Villach’s staging of the event in 1987 and Salzburg in 2006.

“I have no doubt that Innsbruck will provide a stunning and challenging route for riders to compete on, as well as a wonderful, unique backdrop that can only add to the spectator and viewer experience," said Brian Cookson, the UCI President.

This year's Championships are due to be staged in Qatar’s capital Doha, with sprinters expected to benefit from the courses for a second successive year as Bergen in Norway is scheduled to host the 2017 event.

The UCI Management Committee meeting took place at the 2016 Cyclo-cross World Championships in Heusden-Zolder and awarded several major championships ©Getty Images
The UCI Management Committee meeting took place at the 2016 Cyclo-cross World Championships in Heusden-Zolder and awarded several major championships ©Getty Images

Valkenburg was also announced as the host of the 2018 Cyclo-cross World Championship.

The Dutch venue is due to follow Bieles in Luxembourg which will stage the competition in 2017.

Mol in Belgium will welcome the next three editions of the Masters Cyclo-cross World Championships.

The 2016 Masters Mountain Bike World Championships will be held in Val di Sole in Italy.

It was also decided that from this year, the women’s prize money per round of the Trials World Cup will be equal to the men, while a rider will now sit on the UCI’s Equipment Commission.

The meeting saw Dutch road rider Bobby Traksel attend the Management Committee meeting for the first time, having been elected as the President of the Athletes Commission in December.

Norwegian Cycling Federation President, Harald Tiedemann Hansen, elected to the Committee at the 2015 UCI Congress, was also present.

“I’d like to formally welcome both Bobby and Harald Tiedemann to the UCI Management Committee and am looking forward to their valuable contributions to UCI strategic thinking and decision making,” Cookson said.

“In particular, ensuring that the views of the riders are more embedded in our thinking is critical as we move forwards.”