The Management Committee of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) met for its third ordinary session of the year from 22 to 24 September in Kigali, Rwanda, on the occasion of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships.
With regards to men’s professional road cycling, the UCI Management Committee approved, on the recommendation of a dedicated working group and the Professional Cycling Council (PCC), a new system granting participation rights in all men’s UCI ProSeries events for the best-ranked UCI ProTeams and UCI ProTeams of the host country. From 2026, organisers of men’s UCI ProSeries events must invite the top five UCI ProTeams from the previous season’s UCI Ranking for teams, as well as UCI ProTeams from the country where the event is taking place. This latest decision comes after the approval in June 2025 of guaranteed invitations to UCI WorldTour stage races for the three best UCI ProTeams, effectively enabling them to compete in all events on the UCI WorldTour calendar.
At its meeting in June, the UCI Management Committee approved the principle of the introduction from 2027 of a system allowing UCI Road Teams to benefit from a limited number of points based on the results obtained by their riders in other disciplines. The concerned disciplines and events have now been confirmed: results earned by a team’s rider at the UCI World Championships for track, mountain bike cross-country Olympic (XCO), cyclo-cross and gravel, as well as that rider’s results in the overall standings of UCI World Cups for track, XCO and cyclo-cross, will be added to the UCI Road Team Ranking according to a specific points scale. Approved on the recommendation of the PCC, this measure will be applicable for male riders who are in the top 20 of his team’s road ranking and for female riders in the top eight of their team’s road ranking. No points from these other disciplines will be added to the UCI Individual Ranking or the UCI Ranking by Nation for road. Simulations over the coming months will confirm the scale of points coming from results in these other disciplines.
Members of the UCI Management Committee also approved measures aimed at strengthening the development of Junior riders. From 2026, the UCI Nations’ Cup for Under 23 riders will be discontinued, and more emphasis given to the Men Junior UCI Nations’ Cup and Women Junior UCI Nations’ Cup. A new format for the two series will see the development of events on all continents and the establishment of a season final. An individual UCI Nations’ Cup ranking will be published in addition to the existing nations ranking. Meanwhile, the establishment of Junior development teams will enable riders in this category to progress within teams that have a clear framework regarding their composition and participation rights. This will enable the structured development of Junior riders, overseen by National Federations, before they potentially join a development or professional team. Updates to the UCI Regulations regarding mixed teams were also approved.
With a view to the 2026 season, the UCI Management Committee approved the following UCI International Calendars and UCI series:
2026 UCI Road International Calendar
This calendar includes all event categories, but it should be noted that the UCI WorldTour and UCI Women's WorldTour calendars had already been approved last June by the UCI Management Committee, following their validation by the PCC. However, the UCI has now approved several modifications. Firstly, following a request from the organisers, the Tour de Suisse (previously scheduled for 14-21 June)and Tour de Suisse Women (11-14 June) will be held in parallel in the same five-day format, from 17 to 21 June. To accommodate this change, the Copenhagen Sprint in Denmark, previously scheduled for 20 June (women) and 21 June (men) will be held one week earlier, on 13 and 14 June respectively. Meanwhile, the Simac Ladies Tour of Holland (9-13 September) will no longer feature on the 2026 UCI Women’s WorldTour calendar following a request from its organisers to move the event to the UCI ProSeries so it can be staged in parallel with the men’s Tour of Holland, on dates still to be confirmed.
2026 UCI Mountain Bike International Calendar (including the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup powered by citymountainbike.com)
2026 UCI BMX Racing International Calendar
2026 UCI BMX Freestyle International Calendar (including the UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup)
2026 UCI Trials International Calendar (including the UCI Trials World Cup)
2026 UCI Track International Calendar
2026 UCI Para-cycling International Calendar
It should be noted that new dates were set for the 2026 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Apeldoorn (Netherlands). The event will take place from October 26 to November 1 (instead of October 19 to 25).
2026 UCI Indoor Cycling International Calendar
2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Series
2026 UCI Gravel World Series
These calendars will be published in the dedicated section of the UCI website on 6 October.
It should be noted that the third round of the 2025-2026 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup scheduled to take place in Cabras, Sardegna (Italy) on 7 December will now take place in Terralba in the same province (Oristano) and on the same date.
The UCI World Championships awarded for the coming years will be announced at the end of the UCI Congress, being held today, 25 September.
The UCI Management Committee made several important decisions when it comes to equipment used in cycling events. It approved the establishment of price caps for track cycling equipment to be used at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The price caps, recommended by the UCI Equipment and New Technologies Commission and the UCI Track Commission, complement the rules that have been in place since the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. These require equipment to be registered with the UCI and used in events several months in advance of the Olympics to ensure that all nations have access to bicycles and their components. The addition of price caps further reinforces the integrity of competitions by preventing excessive cost barriers so participants from all nations have fair access to equipment. These new rules will come into force from 1 January 2027. From that date, maximum prices will apply for framesets, forks, wheels, handlebars and their extensions, helmets and skinsuits.
A new decision was also taken concerning handlebar width for mass start road and cyclo-cross events. At its last meeting in June, the UCI Management Committee had agreed to the introduction, as of 1 January 2026, of a minimum overall width of handlebars, a maximum flare (defined as a lateral range from the drop to the top of the bar) on each side of the handlebar and a maximum inner width between brake hoods. Following further consultation with cycling’s stakeholders including representatives of the cycling industry, findings from extensive verifications of current dimensions used for bikes at UCI Women’s WorldTour and UCI WorldTour events, and work carried out by the UCI Equipment and New Technologies Commission, the measurements were reviewed. The UCI Management Committee confirmed the measurement of 400mm for the overall width of the handlebars (outside to outside), a maximum flare of 65mm and an inner measurement limit between the brake hoods of 280mm. Whilst these shall be applicable from 1 January 2026, the UCI Management Committee has requested the UCI Equipment and New Technologies Commission to review the latter measurement, which will be subject to consultation with stakeholders and the industry during the course of 2026, with a view to potentially increasing it for future seasons. The UCI issues a reminder that the objectives of setting these limits is to contain speeds by ensuring a certain air drag from the width of the handlebars.
Concerning track, the UCI Management Committee confirmed the measurement of 350mm for the overall width of the handlebars (outside to outside), a maximum flare of 80mm and a maximum cross-section of 65mm. These regulations will be applicable from 1 January 2027.
The UCI Management Committee also approved clarifications to the UCI Regulations regarding forearm support on handlebars. These clarifications will ensure riders do not use handlebars as a point of support for forearms except during time trials, when they are placed on fixed extensions. The objective is to avoid unsafe rider positions and provide clarity for Commissaires in their decision-making.
Finally regarding equipment, following approval by the UCI Management Committee in June 2025 to introduce a simplified distinction between time trial and mass start event helmets, members agreed the specifications that will concern helmets for mass start or bunch events from 1 January 2026 for road and cyclo-cross, and from 1 January 2027 for track. These specifications will include minimum ventilation requirements, a ban on helmet shells or accessories covering or obstructing the riders’ ears, and a ban on integrated or detachable visors. These new specifications also aim to contain aerodynamics, and in addition will serve as a basis for distinctions between helmets used in different disciplines.
When it comes to safety, the UCI Management Committee was given an update on the activities of SafeR, the structure dedicated to safety which brings together representatives of all the stakeholders in road cycling, with the aim of improving the safety of riders at road races.
The latest details concerning the study of barriers for sprint finishes were presented during the meeting. The resulting specifications will set requirements for the dimensions, weight and centre of gravity of the barriers, as well as the critical strength of the attachment system to be able to withstand the force of a crash. The technical specifications and a test protocol to ensure the barriers can withstand an impact will be provided to race organisers and barrier manufacturers. The exact details and the test protocol will be finalised in the first half of 2026. The final phase of the study will then define the certification process that finish barriers will need to meet.
Still on the subject of safety, organisers of UCI WorldTour, UCI Women’s WorldTour and UCI ProSeries (men’s and women’s) events will be required to meet updated specifications covering signalisation, feed zones, waste zones, the “way out/way in” system for vehicles leaving and re-entering the race, bike check procedures, technological fraud tests and Moto Regulator requirements.
The Protocol for discussions regarding extreme weather and the riders’ safety during events was also updated. It now includes a chronological decision-making process from the pre-race meeting to how decisions are made, as well as clarification of in-race procedures.
The UCI Management Committee commended the collaborative work of all members of the cycling family to improve safety, as demonstrated by the establishment of a Riders and Commissaires Working Group which comprises riders from women’s and men’s professional road cycling as well as International Commissaires to discuss topics such as sprint safety, rider behaviour, course design, and Commissaires’ enforcement of UCI Regulations.
In the area of rider health, the UCI Management Committee heard about the UCI Medical Commission’s stance regarding REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport), which can affect both male and female athletes. The UCI’s role is to raise awareness of the health risks associated with uncontrolled weight loss, and to support doctors with resources to facilitate their work in clinical practice. For this, the UCI is in the process of finalising documentation and tools that can be used by team doctors to enable the diagnosis of REDs. The strategy is to rely on a screening and risk-assessment tool validated and published by an International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus group (IOC REDs CAT2). The adapted tool provided by the UCI includes questionnaires tailored to competitive cycling and a risk assessment that is easy for team doctors to use.
Also concerning rider health, a new weigh-in protocol for athletes competing in cycling esports events was approved. The objective of the UCI Cycling Esports Weigh-In Protocol, to be introduced at UCI-sanctioned events where riders compete in person, is to eliminate dangerous weight-cutting using voluntary dehydration, as well as to promote fair competition. It is part of a longer-term vision to safeguard athlete wellbeing in this relatively new and fast-growing cycling discipline.
After the three days of meeting, UCI President David Lappartient said: “The UCI Management Committee had three extremely productive days of discussions which will help ensure that our sport continues to flourish. Rider safety and health continues to be a major priority for the UCI, and our Management Committee members took important decisions to further protect athletes. I am also delighted by the strengthening of our UCI Nations’ Cups for Juniors, which will provide a solid international racing structure for the next generation of our sport’s Elite athletes.”
The next meeting of the UCI Management Committee will take place on 29 and 30 January 2026 in Hulst, the Netherlands, during the 2026 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.