As para-cycling attracts ever-growing interest and popularity on the global cycling stage, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) continues, in parallel, to focus on education to ensure a better understanding of its different aspects.
This month, the UCI launches two online courses for Classification, one that can be used as part of the qualification pathway for National Classifiers, the other more broadly aimed at all stakeholders to help them better understand the overall Classification process.
An overview of para-cycling sport classes
Classifiers have the important task of classifying athletes into different sport groups:
C (cycle: conventional bike with adaptations if necessary),
T (tricycle: three-wheeled bike),
B (tandem: for visually impaired athletes with sighted pilot) and
H (handcycle).
Up to that point, it is fairly clear.
But it goes further than that. The groups are divided into different sport classes - C (1-5), T (1-2), B (1-3), and H (1-5) - with a lower number indicating a higher level of impairment.
And that is where much of the misunderstanding comes in.
“It’s a complex system which can be hard for the observer to understand,” explains UCI Classification Coordinator Isabella Zens. “Classification is not a public process, so people can’t see all the work that goes into it.” IPC Classification Code compliance
The Classification system for all sports on the Paralympic programme must comply with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Classification Code. This Code was introduced in 2007, updated in 2015, and has just been reviewed again, with a new version in force from 2025. Each reform requires a review of the para-cycling Classification system to ensure compliance.
Isabella Zens underlines the progress that has been made in the process over the years to ensure the system is fair, robust and free of conflicts of interest.
It has moved from a purely medical evaluation of athletes to a system combining medical and technical assessments that enables athletes with similar activity limitations to be grouped into the same class. “To compete, you have to be classified,” says Isabella Zens. “Classification is the fundament of para-sport. It keeps the sport alive. We want to ensure that an athlete is not defined by their impairment, but that a competition will show who is the best athlete. The winner of the competition should be the best overall athlete and not the one who is the least impaired.”
Classification process for para-cycling
The UCI trains and certifies International Classifiers, who classify athletes at all UCI events: each round of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup, the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships and the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships. In February this year, International Classifiers were also present at the Asian Para Road Cycling Championships in Phitsik, Thailand. National Classifiers, on the other hand, are certified by their National Federations and work at national events.
In international para-cycling, each athlete is classified by a panel comprising both a Medical Classifier and a Technical Classifier. The former must be a trained medical health care professional – for example a doctor or physiotherapist – who can conduct medical assessments and interpret the results. A Technical Classifier is someone who has a working knowledge of cycling and can understand how an impairment could affect performance on a bike. This might be a former coach, or someone with a background in bio-mechanics or human movement science.
All athletes are required to submit their medical information – such as MRIs, neurological reports or nerve conduction studies - before the Classification procedure. The Medical Classifier then assesses their physical condition, while the Technical Classifier will look more at how the impairment affects the athlete’s skill on the bicycle. They might observe how the athlete gets onto their bike or into their handbike, watch them ride around a parking lot or simulate a standing start. Then there is often an observation period during which the athlete is assessed during competition before the Classification panel makes the final decision.
“It’s a rigorous process and everyone goes through it,” says Isabella Zens.
Continual re-evaluation of the process
The UCI is continually striving to improve consistency of Classification in para-cycling, and has undertaken research projects to be sure there is an evidence-based system that can justify why certain athletes are in the same sport class.
Isabella Zens also points to improvements when it comes to education and the continued professional development for International Classifiers, who must be recertified every four years. There is currently a pool of 20 International Classifiers which she hopes will extend to 30 by the end of next year.
“In addition, we do lot more inter-disciplinary work than before,” she says. “We work much more closely with Commissaires and the UCI Equipment Unit, especially when it comes to checking adaptations on bicycles. We also work with other International Federations to discuss best practices and understand what is being done in other sports.”
There is no doubt that Classification is complex, and Isabella Zens strongly encourages all interested people to log onto the new online courses to find out more.
The Para-cycling National Classifier Education Course is a valuable tool in the training pathway for National Classifiers, while the UCI Para-cycling and Classification Information Course provides all stakeholders, including para-cyclists themselves, with information about the ins and outs of the sport itself, and the Classification of its athletes. Both courses are free to access and can be found on the UCI ilearn platform.