The Management Committee of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) met from 10 to 12 June in Arzon, France. During the meeting, it approved several calendars and took decisions relating to road cycling and the development of cycling in general.
The 2026 UCI Women’s WorldTour and UCI WorldTour calendars were approved by the UCI Management Committee following their validation by the Professional Cycling Council (PCC) at its meeting on 4 June.
The events that already featured on the 2025 calendars of the UCI Women’s WorldTour and UCI WorldTour will remain at this level, subject to compliance with UCI Regulations, for the duration of the upcoming cycle, which includes the 2026, 2027 and 2028 seasons.
Of note is the addition of a new race to the UCI Women's WorldTour calendar: the women's version of Dwars door Vlaanderen - À travers la Flandre (1 April), which until now was registered on the women’s UCI ProSeries calendar and is held on the same day as the existing men's UCI WorldTour event.
The next applications submitted according to the regular procedure for inclusion in the UCI Women's WorldTour and UCI WorldTour calendars will be evaluated during the 2028 season for possible inclusion from the 2029 season.
While welcoming the fact that road cycling is attracting new investors, the UCI Management Committee nevertheless unanimously decided, following the PCC's vote in this direction, not to respond to the request, as it stands, to include the OneCycling project in the UCI Women's WorldTour and UCI WorldTour calendars. The project, which had been developed by certain teams and organisers, in collaboration with a sports investment fund, was deemed incompatible with the governance and regulatory framework of the UCI as well as lacking sporting coherence. However, the UCI wishes, as do all cycling’s stakeholders, to continue discussions with the representatives of this project in order to collaborate on the internationalisation of the UCI Women's WorldTour and UCI WorldTour calendars and the economic development of our sport.
In 2026, the UCI Women's WorldTour, the flagship series of women's professional road cycling, will comprise 28 events in 11 countries and on three continents, with a total of 77 days of racing. The competitions will get underway in Australia in January (dates to be confirmed) with the Santos Tour Down Under and will continue until 18 October, with the Tour of Guangxi in China.
2026 UCI Women’s WorldTour calendar:
TBC: Santos Tour Down Under (Australia)
TBC: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race – Women (Australia)
5-8 February: UAE Tour Women (United Arab Emirates)
28 February: Omloop Nieuwsblad (Belgium)
7 March: Strade Bianche Donne (Italy)
15 March: Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Comune di Cittiglio (Italy)
21 March: Milano-Sanremo Donne (Italy)
26 March: The Great Sprint Classic (Belgium)
29 March: Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields (Belgium)
1 April: Dwars door Vlaanderen - Across Flanders (Belgium)
5 April: Ronde van Vlaanderen (Belgium)
12 April: Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift (France)
19 April: Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition (Netherlands)
22 April: La Flèche Wallonne Féminine (Belgium)
26 April: Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes (Belgium)
3-10 May: Vuelta España Femenina by Carrefour.es (Spain)
15-17 May: Itzulia Women (Spain)
21-24 May: Vuelta a Burgos Feminas (Spain)
30 May-7 June: Giro d'Italia Women (Italy)
11-14 June: Tour de Suisse Women (Switzerland)
20 June: Copenhagen Sprint (Denmark)
1-9 August: Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (France)
20-23 August: Lloyds Tour of Britain Women (Great Britain)
29 August: Classic Lorient Agglomération - CERATIZIT (France)
4-6 September: Tour de Romandie Féminin (Switzerland)
9-13 September: Simac Ladies Tour of Holland (Netherlands)
13-15 October: Tour of Chongming Island (China)
18 October: Tour of Guangxi (China).
Meanwhile, the UCI WorldTour, the most prestigious series in men's professional road cycling, will feature 36 races in 13 countries and on four continents next year, for a total of 171 days of racing. The competitions will begin in Australia in January with the Santos Tour Down Under (dates to be confirmed) and will continue until 18 October, with the conclusion of the Tour of Guangxi in China.
2026 UCI WorldTour calendar:
TBC: Santos Tour Down Under (Australia)
TBC: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (Australia)
16-22 February: UAE Tour (United Arab Emirates)
28 February: Omloop Nieuwsblad (Belgium)
7 March: Strade Bianche (Italy)
8-15 March: Paris-Nice (France)
9-15 March: Tirreno-Adriatico (Italy)
21 March: Milano-Sanremo (Italy)
23-29 March: Volta Ciclista a Catalunya (Spain)
25 March: The Great Sprint Classic (Belgium)
27 March: E3 Saxo Classic (Belgium)
29 March: Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields (Belgium)
1 April: Dwars door Vlaanderen – À travers la Flandre (Belgium)
5 April: Ronde van Vlaanderen (Belgium)
6-11 April: Itzulia Basque Country (Spain)
12 April: Paris-Roubaix (France)
19 April: Amstel Gold Race (Netherlands)
22 April: La Flèche Wallonne (Belgium)
26 April: Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Belgium)
28 April-3 May: Tour de Romandie (Switzerland)
1 May: Eschborn-Frankfurt (Germany)
9-31 May: Giro d'Italia (Italy)
7-14 June: Critérium du Dauphiné (France)
14-21 June: Tour de Suisse (Switzerland)
21 June: Copenhagen Sprint (Denmark)
4-26 July: Tour de France (France)
1 August: DSSK - Donostia San Sebastián Klasikoa (Spain)
3-9 August: Tour de Pologne (Poland)
16 August: ADAC Cyclassics (Germany)
19-23 August: Renewi Tour (Belgium)
22 August-13 September: La Vuelta Ciclista a España (Spain)
30 August: Bretagne Classic - Ouest-France (France)
11 September: Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec (Canada)
13 September: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal (Canada)
10 October: Il Lombardia (Italy)
13-18 October: Tour of Guangxi (China).
With regard to measures to promote the continued development of women's cycling, the UCI Management Committee approved a significant increase (+20%) in the participation allowance paid by organisers of UCI Women's WorldTour events to participating UCI Women's WorldTeams. In addition, the number of rooms paid for by the organisers of UCI Women's WorldTour stage races has also been increased. Finally, the rules for participation in UCI Women's WorldTour and women’s UCI ProSeries events have been revised to take into account the emergence of the second professional division of women's teams, UCI Women's ProTeams.
With regard to team participation in UCI WorldTour events and following the decision taken last March to add a 23rd team to the Grand Tours, the UCI Management Committee has decided, on the recommendation of the PCC, that from 2026 onwards, Grand Tour organisers must invite the three top UCI ProTeams in addition to the 18 UCI WorldTeams and the two teams to which they award a wild card. The invitation of the three best UCI ProTeams will also apply to all UCI WorldTour stage races. The three best UCI ProTeams from the previous year will thus have access to all events on the UCI WorldTour calendar.
With a view to the next three-year cycle, a number of technical adjustments have been decided upon in order to continue developing both the UCI Women's WorldTour and the UCI WorldTour, as well as the UCI ProSeries events. These changes mainly concern the UCI points systems, particularly for the UCI Women's WorldTour events, which are now harmonised with the existing points scales for men. Moreover, a new points system allowing road teams to benefit from a certain number of points based on the results obtained by their riders when they participate in events in other disciplines will be introduced from the 2027 season onwards.
All of these regulatory changes will be detailed in a special newsletter to be published by the UCI on its website next week.
The events in the other categories of the UCI International Calendar will be announced following the usual procedure, after the UCI Management Committee meeting in September.
The UCI Management Committee also took important decisions on safety, based on recommendations from SafeR. A dedicated press release will be published by SafeR on the UCI website before the end of June.
Finally, with regard to the development of cycling, the UCI Management Committee has decided, on the recommendation of the UCI Road Commission, to no longer allow riders under the age of 23 who are members of UCI professional teams (UCI WorldTeams and UCI ProTeams) – already ineligible to participate in UCI World Championships or Continental Championships in the Men Under-23 category – to participate in UCI Nations Cup events. These riders will no longer appear in the Men Under-23 rankings but only in the Men Elite rankings.
For Juniors, an Individual Ranking will also be published from 2026 in addition to the existing Nations Ranking in order to highlight their performances.
A review of the performance of the different cycling disciplines on the programme of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was presented to the members of the UCI Management Committee following the publication of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) final reports on the event. This review enables the UCI to refine the measures to be implemented in preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and subsequent editions of the world's largest sporting event.
The Management Committee approved the dates for the 2029 UCI Gravel World Championships, which it had awarded to Villars-sur-Ollon (Switzerland) at its meeting in September 2024: the event will take place on 6 and 7 October 2029.
New dates have also been set for the 2026 UCI Masters Mountain Bike World Championships in Nevados de Chillán (Chile): the event, which was due to take place from 18 to 22 March, will now be held a week later, from 25 to 29 March 2026.
Still with regard to the UCI World Championships, the UCI has decided to add the Masters categories to the programme of the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships, which will take place in Primiero San Martino di Castrozza (Italy) from 11 to 13 September 2026. From 2029 onwards, the Masters categories will be systematically included in the programme of the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships.
Finally, the UCI Management Committee approved the calendars for the 2026, 2027 and 2028 editions of the BMX Racing World Cup and of the UCI Track World Cup. These calendars will be published shortly on the UCI website.
To further strengthen the fight against technological fraud, the UCI Management Committee approved the modification of several provisions in the UCI Regulations. The objective is to encompass all actions that have the purpose of contributing to technological fraud, including any form of assistance or attempt to deceive or avoid technological fraud testing, wherever such actions may take place (not only at a competition venue). Modifications were also made to the procedural rules of the UCI Disciplinary Commission to ensure that it is provided with adequate investigation powers to address cases of technological fraud, which cannot be conducted in the same manner as other disciplinary matters due to their fraudulent nature.
The UCI Management Committee also approved several propositions from the Equipment and New Technologies Commission for modification to the UCI Regulations linked to equipment design. Some of these propositions follow recommendations made by SafeR, the organisation dedicated to safety in professional road cycling. The increasing speed of races and the safety implications of developments in equipment are one of SafeR's main areas of focus. This has been the subject of detailed consultations with teams, organisers and riders, including the distribution of questionnaires to all professional riders and teams.
It has therefore been decided to set the maximum height of bicycle rims for mass start road events at 65mm as of 1 January 2026.
As of the same date, the minimum overall width of handlebars (outside to outside) for mass start road and cyclo-cross events will be set at 400mm, with an inner width of 320mm between brake levers. Meanwhile, the minimum overall width of handlebars (outside to outside) for mass start track events will be set at 350mm as of 1 January 2027.
For bicycles used in the road (as of 1 January 2026) and track (as of 1 January 2027) disciplines, only a maximum internal fork width of 115 mm at the front and 145 mm at the rear (measured along the entire length of the front fork and rear triangle) will be permitted.
The UCI Management Committee approved the introduction of a distinction between road and track time trials on the one hand, and road races on the other, with regard to the helmets that may be used. The specifications for helmets that may be used in the various events will therefore be clarified with effect from 1 January 2026. The UCI Equipment Unit, in consultation with the Equipment and New Technologies Commission, will continue to work in detail on the subject of helmets, both in terms of approval procedures and specifications for the coming seasons. Members also granted the UCI Sports Department a mandate to introduce a helmet approval protocol which will be effective from 1 January 2027 at the earliest.
The UCI Management Committee has approved the institution's 2024 Financial Report.
The 2024 result stood at 25.9 million Swiss francs, mainly due to the receipt of the Olympic revenue allocated to the UCI for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the good performance of the UCI's investment portfolio and the implementation of cost-control measures aimed at achieving savings.
2024 was the last year of the 2021-2024 Olympic cycle. Once again, the cumulative operating results for the cycle showed a significant surplus (9.1 million Swiss francs), confirming the UCI's ability to achieve its annual objectives while managing its financial resources prudently and dealing with unforeseen events.
Over the cycle, all Olympic revenues from the Tokyo 2020 Games were allocated to funding the UCI's training and development activities. The UCI was even able to allocate additional finances from its own funds, bringing these expenses to 24.6 million Swiss francs over the cycle.
Since 2017, the UCI has significantly strengthened its reserves, which now far exceed the target minimum reserve threshold of 20 million Swiss francs from 2020, enabling the organisation to sustainably strengthen its financial position. This will enable the next Olympic cycles to be planned as effectively as possible with the establishment of a financial plan for the next eight years, which will define the financial resources for the implementation of the UCI's Agenda 2030, the Federation's roadmap for the coming years.
The UCI's 2024 Financial Report will be published on 30 June on the Federation's website, together with its entire 2024 Annual Report.
In the area of the development of cycling, the UCI Management Committee approved the creation of a new UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) Regional Development Satellite in Asia. It will be located in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. This will be the third UCI WCC satellite on a regional level, alongside those in Rwanda – spread across the sites of Bugesera, Musanze and Rwamagana – and Japan, in Shuzenji. The UCI WCC satellite network also includes eight UCI WCC Continental Development Satellites, located in Anadia (Portugal), Bromont (Canada), Cambridge (New Zealand), Couva (Trinidad and Tobago), Lima (Peru), Paarl (South Africa), Shanghai (China) and Yeongju (Korea).
The UCI WCC Continental Development Satellites and Regional Development Satellites work closely with the UCI WCC in Aigle, Switzerland. They play an important role, each at their own level, in the universal development of cycling and sporting excellence by creating opportunities for National Federations in emerging cycling nations that wish to become more autonomous in implementing their own projects and missions, while promoting the progress of their athletes to the highest level.
In the field of cycling for all, the UCI Management Committee decided to award the UCI Bike City label to the city of Brisbane (Australia) and the province of Zeeland (Netherlands). The UCI Bike City label rewards cities and regions that not only host major UCI events, but are also committed to the development and promotion of cycling for all, particularly through their infrastructure and programmes. The two new label-holders join the network of 28 cities and regions that have already been awarded the UCI Bike City/Region label.
The city of Brisbane hosted a round of the 2019 UCI Track World Cup, events in the UCI Gran Fondo World Series from 2019 to 2024, and a double round of the 2024 UCI BMX Racing World Cup. It will also host several upcoming international events: as part of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series in 2025-2026, the 2026 UCI BMX Racing World Championships, the 2030 UCI Track World Championships, and the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Brisbane's commitment to cycling and active transport is reflected in several strategic plans, including the Brisbane Vision 2031, targeting more cycling trips and expanding the bikeway network, the Transport Plan for Brisbane and the Brisbane Active Transport Strategy 2012-2026, which includes a $100 million investment to complete missing links, improve signage and lighting, and integrate cycling requirements into the 2014 City Plan, and the Brisbane Off-Road Cycling Strategy, focusing on sustainable off-road cycling infrastructure. The Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Transport Legacy aims for 90% of attendees to arrive by public and active transport, with initiatives to expand and improve the safety of the network. Brisbane has more than 5,000km of bikeways and pathways connecting schools, local facilities, parks and public transport hubs. Since 2004, 179 schools and 148,300 students have participated in the Active School programme, which aims to reduce private car travel to participating primary schools by encouraging active travel.
The province of Zeeland has hosted rounds of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup from 2021 to 2025 and will be the venue for the discipline’s 2026 UCI World Championships, in Hulst. The province's cycling strategy aims to increase cycling while maintaining and improving safety. Defined in 2022, it includes expanding infrastructure, improving bicycle parking, promoting cycling for commuting and tourism, and improving safety through education programmes. Supported by 22 stakeholders, including the Provincial Government of Zeeland, the strategy is integrated into the provincial executive's coalition agreements, demonstrating strong political commitment. The province of Zeeland has 13,820km of segregated bike lanes and aims to increase cycling by 20% by 2030 and 40% by 2040, making it the default choice for trips up to 20km. Zeeland has implemented several cycling education programmes in schools, including teaching safe cycling habits and raising awareness of traffic risks, as well as a compulsory bicycle test and the Safe Routes to School initiative in collaboration with municipalities.
UCI President David Lappartient said: “I am delighted by the quality of the discussions that took place during the three days that the UCI Management Committee members spent together in Arzon. We were able to work together and make decisions on major topics that are important for the future of cycling, such as the evolution of the calendar, the development of cycling - particularly for women -, safety, solidarity and sustainable development through our cycling for all programmes.”
The next meeting of the UCI Management Committee will be held from 22 to 24 September in Kigali, Rwanda, alongside the 2025 UCI Road World Championships, the first UCI World Championships in this discipline to be held on the African continent.