The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and its education and training arm, the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC), today unveil the global UCI World Cycling Talent (UCI WCT) programme.
This landmark new programme is designed to identify, develop and support promising young cyclists from emerging cycling nations across Asia, Africa, Oceania and America. This ambitious athlete development initiative is already underway: phase 1 was launched on 20 April 2026, with twelve athletes from eleven countries currently training and racing in Brittany, France.
From one continent to the entire world
UCI WCT marks a decisive step forward in the UCI’s long-standing commitment to global cycling development. Building on the success of the UCI Africa 2025 programme – which demonstrated the transformative impact of targeted athlete support on a continental scale by preparing African athletes for the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda – the UCI is now taking that model up to a global scale.
The identified and selected athletes for the first phase come from Afghanistan, Belize, Bolivia, Ecuador, Eritrea, India, Namibia, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, and the United Arab Emirates, and now train and compete together. They are united under the UCI WCC colours, with shared access to coaching expertise, structured race programmes and professional support systems otherwise unavailable to them.
A programme built for the next generations
The premise of UCI WCT is straightforward: talent exists everywhere, but the conditions to develop it are not always in place. By providing young riders from smaller cycling nations with the infrastructure, competition exposure and mentorship typically reserved for those from established cycling nations, the UCI WCC aims to create structured pathways to the sport’s highest levels. The first year of the programme comprises two phases, providing athletes with an intensive road racing season in France along with individual development support from UCI coaches and staff.
Racing experience
Based in Josselin, France, the six women and six men currently participating in phase 1 (20 April - 14 June) compete regularly in regional races. These include, for example, the GP de Nantes (8 May), Rieux Open 3H (14 May) and the Tour de Loire-Atlantique (31 May) for the women and the Tour des Mauges (2-3 May), the Essor Breton (22-25 May) and the Route Vendéenne (12-14 June) for the men.
After a four-week break, some of these athletes will return, joined by new athletes to the UCI WCT programme, for the second phase (11 July to 13 September), continuing the European training and racing experience.
UCI President David Lappartient said: “Although there are incredibly talented cyclists in all regions of the world, they do not all have the same opportunities to realise their full potential. We are addressing that imbalance by providing training and racing opportunities in Europe, supported by a professional entourage, for athletes from countries with fewer resources. With the UCI World Cycling Talent programme, we want to ensure that cycling belongs to the entire world.”
UCI World Cycling Centre Director Jacques Landry said: “Following the success of the Africa 2025 programme - where Ethiopian talent Tsige Kyros achieved a top-10 place in the Women Junior road race at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships - the next step was to elevate this momentum globally. The aim is to channel more riders into the UCI WCC Development Pathway, with a view to progressing into the professional ranks via the UCI WCT programme.”
About the UCI
Founded on April 14, 1900, in Paris, France, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the worldwide governing body for cycling. It develops and oversees cycling in all its forms and for all people: as a competitive sport, a healthy recreational activity, a means of transport, and also just for fun. The UCI manages and promotes the 11 cycling disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, BMX Racing, BMX Freestyle, cyclo-cross, trials, indoor cycling, cycling esports, gravel and snowbike. Five of these are featured on the Olympic Games programme (road, track, mountain bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle), and two in the Paralympic Games (road and track). Cycling also features on the programme of the Youth Olympic Games. For more information: www.uci.org.
About the UCI WCC
The UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) – which houses the headquarters of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) – is a high-level training and education centre located in Aigle, Switzerland. It features world-class facilities, including a velodrome, a BMX Racing track, and a BMX Freestyle park. Since its inauguration in 2002, it has welcomed athletes primarily from countries that do not have all the resources needed to fully develop their potential.
The UCI WCC also trains people working in cycling’s different professions, including coaches, mechanics and Sport Directors. In addition, it coordinates the UCI’s solidarity initiatives in collaboration with the Continental Confederations, affiliated National Federations, and a network of continental and regional development satellites.
Photo credit: Margaux Meston