The President of the UCI, Brian Cookson , explained the reasons for this decision: In order to promote cycling in developing countries, athletes from such countries would be invited to train in Aigle four weeks before the start of the World Cup. The UCI will also provide mechanics and racing bikes as well as offer cheap local accommodation.
Over 300 athletes from 43 countries took part. 19 national teams were able to win medals.
For the first time, a two-man team event for women was held at these world championships, albeit initially only as a demonstration competition. This discipline, one of the oldest in track cycling, was previously reserved for male athletes internationally. National championships for women in this discipline have only been held in a few countries such as the Netherlands and Australia in recent years. The Australian Jade Haines and Ruby Roseman-Gannon won the demo race at the Junior World Championships .
The most successful team was that from New Zealand with four gold and a total of nine medals. In second place in the medal table, the Italian team ranked with three gold medals. The top performers among the Italians were the two endurance riders Letizia Paternoster and Elisa Balsamo , who a few days earlier had won a total of five gold medals at the Junior European Championships (two of which count as one in the team pursuit ). The two gold medals for the team of the Association of German Cyclists went to the short-term specialist Pauline Grabosch in the sprint and 500-meter time trial , and she also set a new world record in the latter discipline with 34.023 seconds.
The Swiss Stefan Bissegger set a second world record at these championships with 3: 12.416 seconds in the single pursuit over 3000 meters. The most successful male athlete was the New Zealander Campbell Stewart , who won a gold medal in the team pursuit and in the Omnium as well as a silver medal in the two-man team driving together with Thomas Sexton .
The Mongolian Batsaikhan Teshbayar , who has been training at the World Cycling Center since April 2016 , caused a surprise . He won the gold medal in scratch and thus the first world championship medal in cycling for Mongolia. It was the first time that the country took part in the World Railroad Championships with a team.
The cycling track in Aigle is only 200 meters long instead of the usual 250. The team sprinters drove two (juniors) and three laps (juniors). The times are therefore not comparable with those of other Junior World Championships in which the laps are over 500 (juniors) or 750 meters (juniors).
