It took place on from 13 to 14 August 1960 on the Sachsenring for the two men's races, and in Leipzig for the women's race, in East Germany. It was the only time that the Cycling World Championships were organized in the German Democratic Republic.[2]
The road race among professional cyclists (279,3 km or 32 rounds) was won by the Belgian Rik Van Looy, who defeated last year's world champion André Darrigade in a group sprint. In the 61,1 km women's race, Britain's Beryl Burton won.[3] East German Bernhard Eckstein became world amateur champion after a race of 174,6 km (20 rounds).[4]