The Management Committee of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) met from 2 to 4 June in Desenzano del Garda, in northern Italy.
During this meeting, a high-level Indian delegation, led by Mr Jitendra Dudi, District Collector of Pune, presented an overview of the first edition of the Bajaj Pune Grand Tour, which was held successfully from 19 to 23January 2026, attracting 1.5 million spectators during the final stage and 2.5 million in total. As the first men's stage race (Class 2.2) ever organised in India, the event represents not only a significant sporting initiative but also a unique opportunity to promote the Pune district as an international tourist destination by showcasing its landscapes, historical heritage and cultural legacy.
The delegation also included Abhinav Bindra, the country's first individual Olympic medallist, recipient of the Padma Bhushan, and a leading figure in Indian sports policy. He serves as an Independent Director on the Board of Directors of Bajaj Auto, the title sponsor of the Pune Grand Tour. His involvement in the event reflects the growing commitment of the private sector to the development of sport in India. The delegation was further composed of Peter Griffiths, Strategic Adviser to the Pune District Administration, as well as two representatives of the Cycling Federation of India (CFI): Mr Onkar Singh, Chairman of the CFI Commissions and former Secretary General of the Asian Cycling Confederation, and Mr Maninder Pal Singh, Secretary General of the CFI. Together, they shared their vision of a rapidly developing Indian cycling sector, with the aim of making cycling a vehicle for sporting development accessible to everyone, from elite competition to everyday participation, while positioning major cycling events as strategic tools for promoting tourism and enhancing India's international profile.
Following recent communications from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) modifying its recommendations regarding the participation of Belarusian and Russian athletes in international competitions, the UCI Management Committee has decided to amend the ad hoc Regulation and its Annex 1 that it adopted on 28 February 2022 in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with the support of the Belarusian government.
Firstly, and in accordance with the recommendation issued by the IOC Executive Board on 7 May 2026, Belarus is removed from the scope of the ad hoc Regulation. The participation of Belarusian national teams and athletes in events on the UCI International Calendar, including UCI World Cups and UCI World Championships, is therefore authorised, and all restrictions relating to protocol matters, symbols and emblems are lifted.
Secondly, Junior riders holding Russian sporting nationality and their support staff are now exempt from the requirement to apply for Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) status in order to participate in events on the UCI International Calendar. They remain, however, subject to the neutrality requirements set out in the ad hoc Regulation and its Annex 1. Any reference to Russia therefore remains prohibited, including on start lists, results sheets and television graphics, while national emblems and symbols continue to be prohibited, notably on riders' jerseys and equipment.
Finally, riders holding AIN status are now authorised to compete together in team events whose format requires collective participation.
The members of the UCI Management Committee reviewed a report prepared by the professional services firm EY on the economic impact of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships for Kigali, Rwanda, the host city of the event.
Held from 21 to 28 September last year, the 2025 UCI Road World Championships brought together 734 riders representing 113 countries and marked a historic milestone for world cycling, as they were the first UCI Road World Championships ever organised on the African continent.
According to EY’s report, total spectator attendance in Kigali was around 2 million, including 1 million unique spectators. The event received extensive international media coverage from 308 media representatives from the five continents. Its cumulative television audience reached nearly 300 million viewers worldwide, while digital content related to the UCI World Championships generated 132 million impressions and 58 million video views.
The study also highlights significant economic benefits for Kigali. The 2025 UCI Road World Championships contributed an estimated €19.6 million to the city’s economy and supported the equivalent of 8,100 full-time jobs. Participants, their accompanying persons, and media representatives spent approximately €2.5 million, while spectators travelling to Kigali contributed nearly €1 million in local tourism expenditure.
The event also generated exceptionally strong support from both local residents and visitors. According to the study, 95% of Kigali residents said they were proud to host the UCI World Championships in their city. Among surveyed spectators, 86% reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their experience, while 89% of international visitors said they were “likely” or “very likely” to recommend the region as a holiday destination.
These results confirm the sporting, public, media, and economic success of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships. They also demonstrate the African continent’s ability to successfully host major international sporting events.
When it comes to the development of cycling on the American continent, the UCI Management Committee welcomed the organisation, from 5 to 19 September, of a training camp for athletes from South and Central America in preparation for the 2026 UCI Road World Championships, which will take place in Montreal (Canada) from 20 to 27 September. The camp, co-financed by Olympic Solidarity, the UCI Solidarity Programme, the Pan American Cycling Confederation (COPACI) and Panam Sport, will be held at the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) Continental Development Satellite in Bromont, Canada. It will bring together 24 athletes (men and women) from 19 National Federations.
Regarding competitions, the members approved the calendars of the 2027 UCI Women’s WorldTour and UCI WorldTour following their validation by the Professional Cycling Council at its meeting on 21 May.
In 2027, the UCI Women’s WorldTour, the leading series of women’s professional road cycling, will comprise 26 events organised in 11 countries across three continents, totalling 69 race days. The season will begin on 22 January in Australia with the Santos Tour Down Under – which will be held for the first time simultaneously and on the same routes as the men’s event – and will continue until 14 October, the date of the conclusion of the Tour of Chongming Island, in China.
It should also be noted that the Vuelta España Femenina by Carrefour.es will take place at the end of the season, immediately following the men’s event. Meanwhile, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will begin one day earlier than its usual start date. Finally, the Lloyd’s Tour of Britain Women and the Classic Lorient Agglomération have also been moved forward from their usual dates because of the 2027 UCI Cycling World Championships Haute-Savoie Mont-Blanc (France), which will take place from 24 August to 5 September.
2027 UCI Women’s WorldTour Calendar
22-24 January: Santos Tour Down Under (Australia)
30 January: Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race – Women (Australia)
3-6 February: UAE Tour Women (United Arab Emirates)
27 February: Omloop Nieuwsblad (Belgium)
6 March: Strade Bianche Donne (Italy)
14 March: Trofeo Alfredo Binda – Comune di Cittiglio (Italy)
20 March: Milano-Sanremo Women (Italy)
25 March: Ronde van Brugge – Tour of Bruges (Belgium)
28 March: In Flanders Fields – In Wevelgem (Belgium)
31 March: Dwars door Vlaanderen – À Travers la Flandre (Belgium)
4 April: Ronde van Vlaanderen (Belgium)
11 April: Paris-Roubaix Femmes Hauts-de-France (France)
18 April: Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition (Netherlands)
21 April: La Flèche Wallonne Femmes (Belgium)
25 April: Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes (Belgium)
14-16 May: Itzulia Women (Spain)
20-23 May: Vuelta a Burgos Feminas (Spain)
29 May-6 June: Giro d’Italia Women (Italy)
12 June: Copenhagen Sprint (Denmark)
16-20 June: Tour de Suisse Women (Switzerland)
30 July-7 August: Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (France)
11-15 August: Lloyds Tour of Britain Women (Great Britain)
21 August: Classic Lorient Agglomération (France)
10-12 September: Tour de Romandie Féminin (Switzerland)
Dates to be confirmed: Vuelta España Femenina by Carrefour.es (Spain)
12-14 October: Tour of Chongming Island (China).
Next year, the UCI WorldTour, the most prestigious series in professional men’s road cycling, will consist of 36 events organised in 13 countries across four continents, totalling 169 race days. Competition will begin on 19 January in Australia with the Santos Tour Down Under and conclude on 17 October with the Tour of Guangxi in China.
It is worth noting that Eschborn-Frankfurt is abandoning its traditional 1 May date and moving to the Sunday following Liège-Bastogne-Liège, while La Vuelta Ciclista a España will be held entirely during the month of September because of the 2027 UCI Cycling World Championships Haute-Savoie Mont-Blanc, taking place from 24 August to 5 September.
2027 UCI WorldTour Calendar
19-24 January: Santos Tour Down Under (Australia)
31 January: Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race – Men (Australia)
15-21 February: UAE Tour (United Arab Emirates)
27 February: Omloop Nieuwsblad (Belgium)
6 March: Strade Bianche (Italy)
7-14 March: Paris-Nice (France)
8-14 March: Tirreno-Adriatico (Italy)
20 March: Milano-Sanremo (Italy)
22-28 March: Volta Ciclista a Catalunya (Spain)
24 March: Ronde van Brugge – Tour of Bruges (Belgium)
26 March: E3 Saxo Classic (Belgium)
28 March: In Flanders Fields – From Middelkerke to Wevelgem (Belgium)
31 March: Dwars door Vlaanderen – À Travers la Flandre (Belgium)
4 April: Ronde van Vlaanderen (Belgium)
5-10 April: Itzulia Basque Country (Spain)
11 April: Paris-Roubaix Hauts-de-France (France)
18 April: Amstel Gold Race (Netherlands)
21 April: La Flèche Wallonne (Belgium)
25 April: Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Belgium)
27 April-2 May: Tour de Romandie (Switzerland)
2 May: Eschborn-Frankfurt (Germany)
8-30 May: Giro d’Italia (Italy)
6-13 June: Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes (France)
13 June: Copenhagen Sprint (Denmark)
16-20 June: Tour de Suisse (Switzerland)
2-25 July: Tour de France (France)
31 July: DSSK – Donostia San Sebastián Klasikoa (Spain)
2-8 August: Tour de Pologne (Poland)
15 August: ADAC Cyclassics (Germany)
18-22 August: Renewi Tour (Belgium)
22 August: Bretagne Classic – CIC (France)
4-26 September: La Vuelta Ciclista a España (Spain)
10 September: Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec (Canada)
12 September: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal (Canada)
9 October: Il Lombardia (Italy)
12-17 October: Tour of Guangxi (China).
The UCI Management Committee also approved a change to the dates of the 2028 UCI Road World Championships in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), following discussions between the UCI and the event organiser. Originally scheduled for 15 to 22 October 2028, the event will now take place from 22 to 29 October, a week during which weather conditions – particularly temperatures – are expected to be more favourable. The dates of the 2028 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, also to be held in Abu Dhabi, have likewise been changed. The event will now take place from 1 to 5 November 2028 instead of 25 to 29 October. The dates of the 2028 UCI BMX Racing World Championships in Houston (United States) have been revised as follows: the event will now be held from 18 to 26 May 2028 instead of 21 to 27 May.
The calendar for the 2027 UCI Para Cycling Road World Cup was also approved:
Round 1: 28-31 January 2027, Chiang Mai (Thailand)
Round 2: 20-23 May 2027, Maniago (Italy)
Round 3: 10-13 June 2027, Brasília (Brazil)
A total of 25 UCI World Championships for the 2027–2032 period will be announced at the UCI Congress in September 2026 in Montreal (Canada), following their award by the institution's Management Committee.
Concerning the safety of riders, following a recommendation from SafeR — the entity dedicated to safety in professional road cycling that brings together the UCI as well as the organisations representing riders, organisers and teams — and in light of the positive feedback on its implementation, the UCI has decided to extend the yellow card system from the start of the 2027 season to Elite men's and women's Class 1 events. The system is already in force at UCI WorldTour, UCI Women's WorldTour, and men's and women's UCI ProSeries events, as well as at the Olympic Games, the UCI World Championships and Continental Championships (Elite and Under-23 categories). Introduced on 1 January 2025, this system aims to improve safety by increasing the accountability of the various individuals present in races. Although the accumulation of yellow cards can result in short-term suspensions, the objective of the system is above all to prevent potentially dangerous behaviour.
In addition to yellow cards, SafeR’s recommendations to harmonise safety signalisation were also approved. These new safety pictograms signalling dangerous points (e.g. road narrowings, sharp turns, speed bumps, level crossings etc.) will start to be adopted by race organisers for next season and will provide riders with uniform safety signage at events across the international calendar.
The UCI has taken several decisions concerning equipment used by riders in competition that are important for both rider safety and the fairness of competition.
The table of sanctions relating to infringements involving the use of non-compliant equipment has been revised (with effect from 1 July 2026, before the start of the Tour de France). In road cycling, track cycling, mountain bike and cyclo-cross, the use of non-compliant equipment can currently result in denial of the right to start, disqualification or relegation, as well as a fine.
To ensure that sanctions are proportionate, new penalties have been introduced into the respective tables of sanctions, specifically targeting bike accessories and other accessories worn by riders. These new provisions include fines and sporting penalties. The primary objective of this modification is to strengthen its deterrent effect and ensure a more systematic application of consistent sanctions.
At the beginning of 2026, the UCI observed that several riders were wearing jerseys featuring front internal pockets containing nutritional products that were generally not consumed because they were extremely difficult - or even impossible in race conditions - to access. These pockets result in significant alterations to the riders’ body shape. This trend follows the recent publication of studies demonstrating the aerodynamic advantage provided by this practice. Given the established link between aerodynamic gains, increased speed and the severity of accidents, and considering that the practice also raises issues of sporting fairness, the UCI has decided that jersey pockets must be located exclusively on the rear of the garment. Consequently, from 1 July 2026, any pocket positioned on the front of a jersey will be prohibited, with the exception of a possible pocket intended solely to hold a radio communication device.
The UCI has also decided to update the article concerning on-board technologies. The maximum dimensions permitted for bike computers will be limited to 126 × 71mm, corresponding to the largest products currently available on the market. This limitation will enter into force on 1 January 2028. This decision was taken in light of the impact of on-board technologies on the cognitive load experienced by riders. Several studies have shown that the increasing volume of data available to riders during competition can contribute to an increased cognitive workload, a key factor in the occurrence of accidents. Limiting the size of bike computers is intended to prevent an excessive increase in the amount of data available during races, which could significantly compromise rider safety. Members of the UCI Management Committee also emphasised the importance of engaging with the relevant stakeholders to gain a better understanding of how riders interact with the various data streams available to them during competition.
The members of the UCI Management Committee took note of the Brussels Court of Appeal's dismissal of the UCI's appeal against the decision issued by the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) on 9 October 2025, and of the fact that the UCI's Maximum Gear Ratio Test Protocol therefore remains suspended.
Recommended by SafeR, the maximum gear ratio test was intended to gather riders' views on the relevance of introducing gear ratio limitations in professional road cycling as a means of improving safety.
In light of the Brussels Court of Appeal's decision, and concerned by both the very low threshold applied by the BCA for imposing interim measures and the limited scope of the Court of Appeal's review in the appeal proceedings, the Management Committee confirmed the UCI's intention to lodge an appeal before the Belgian Court of Cassation.
When it comes to Junior road competitions, the UCI Management Committee approved the new structure of the UCI Junior Road Nations Cup.
The series will consist of events held across the five continents and will conclude with a Grand Final. Each event will as a priority bring together national teams made up of riders from the Men Junior and Women Junior categories. These teams, each comprising five riders, should primarily be teams from the continent on which the event is held in order to encourage their participation in the series.
Four separate rankings will be introduced: men’s and women’s continental rankings, which will determine qualification for the Grand Final, as well as men’s and women’s nations rankings, which will be used to allocate quotas for the UCI Road World Championships.
The Grand Final will take the form of a stage race featuring a varied course profile and lasting a minimum of five days. It will determine the winners of the UCI Junior Road Nations Cup.
The UCI Junior Road Nations Cup will also include an educational component aimed at supporting the development of young riders.
An update on the reform of men’s and women’s professional road cycling was also presented. Last February, the UCI launched a consultation on the future organisational model of the sector with the main stakeholders. Participants included associations representing organisers, teams and riders, as well as all individual stakeholders concerned (riders, organisers, representatives and owners of UCI Teams, and representatives of National Federations). The objective was to gather their views and proposals on key issues, including the economic model, the calendar and participation rules, fan engagement, safety, and the credibility of sporting results. By the consultation deadline of 30 April, the UCI had received 54 responses.
The results of the consultation will be presented to stakeholders at the UCI Women’s WorldTour and UCI WorldTour Seminar next December, and further communication on the matter will follow.
From a regulatory standpoint, and in view of the continued development of women’s professional road cycling, the UCI has decided to extend to the women’s peloton the rules governing Riders’ Agents that already apply in the men’s peloton. From now on, female riders and women’s professional teams will only be permitted to work with Riders’ Agents holding a UCI licence. This measure is intended to further strengthen the professionalisation of women’s cycling.
The UCI Management Committee also approved the institution’s 2025 Financial Report which confirms the strength of its financial model. The results are significantly better than expected thanks to rigorous cost management and the performance of the investment portfolio, which contributed to a substantial improvement in the financial result for the year.
The UCI's financial position is assessed over a four-year cycle, as Olympic revenues are recognised only in the year in which the Olympic Games take place. These revenues are allocated in their entirety to funding the UCI's education and development activities over the following four years (2025–2028 for the current cycle). This explains why non-Olympic years naturally generate operating losses, as is the case for the 2025 financial year, for which a net loss of CHF 1.5 million was forecast.
The UCI's operational activities remained in surplus in 2025, demonstrating the effectiveness of the organisation's operational management and its ability to control expenditure while continuing to invest in the development of cycling.
The UCI's reserves remain at a very high level, well above the minimum target of CHF 20 million established from 2020. This financial position enables the organisation to implement its Agenda 2030 with confidence and to seize new strategic opportunities that are essential to the growth of our sport.
Speaking at the conclusion of the three-day meeting, UCI President David Lappartient said: “The report on the Bajaj Pune Grand Tour presented to the UCI Management Committee by the delegation led by Pune District Collector Mr Jitendra Dudi is extremely encouraging: cycling continues to develop in new territories where it has the potential to become a leading sport. India is undoubtedly, alongside China, a country where our sport has a bright future, thanks to the commitment and enthusiasm of key stakeholders.
“Until the 2025 UCI Road World Championships were held in Kigali, Rwanda, the African continent had never hosted our flagship annual event. We already knew that the Championships had been a great success, and I am pleased that the report on their economic impact presented to our Management Committee further confirms this. I would once again like to congratulate the organisers of these historic UCI World Championships for their excellent work, which lays the foundations for a significant strengthening of Africa’s position on the global cycling stage.”
The next meeting of the UCI Management Committee will take place on 20, 21 and 22 September in Montreal, Canada, during the 2026 UCI Road World Championships.