The UCI Management Committee has confirmed a series of decisions aimed squarely at strengthening the structure and support systems within women’s professional road racing. Meeting in Arzon, France, the UCI signed off on the 2026 UCI Women’s WorldTour calendar and adopted several key regulatory reforms focused on participation rules, team support, and calendar development.
Dwars door Vlaanderen joins the top tier
One of the most prominent changes to the calendar is the promotion of Dwars door Vlaanderen to WorldTour status. Scheduled for 1st April 2026, the race has moved up from the ProSeries and will now sit alongside the men’s version on the same day, giving riders a new high-profile spring option and bolstering the build-up to the Tour of Flanders. This shift aligns with the UCI’s continued push to strengthen visibility and parity across the spring classics.
With Dwars door Vlaanderen’s inclusion, the 2026 Women’s WorldTour now spans 28 races, offering teams and riders a more robust and globally distributed race programme.
Financial support to WorldTeams increases
To address long-standing cost issues faced by women’s teams, the UCI has approved a 20% increase in the participation allowance paid by race organisers to WorldTour-level women’s teams. The allowance is intended to help cover travel and logistics costs, which are often proportionally higher in women’s cycling due to tighter budgets.
Organisers of stage races will also be required to pay for more hotel rooms per team, reducing the operational burden and making it easier for teams to commit to long-format races without compromising on staffing or rider support.
Revised entry rules for ProTeams
The UCI confirmed a revision to its team participation rules for Women’s WorldTour and ProSeries events, acknowledging the continued growth of the Women’s ProTeam tier. These rules now allow greater clarity and access for top-ranked ProTeams aiming to compete at the sport’s highest level.
With a growing number of competitive ProTeams in the second division, this is a key step in improving sporting pathways and increasing the depth of the peloton across all calendar levels.
Equal points, broader recognition
Starting in 2026, the Women’s WorldTour points scale will be harmonised with the men’s system, offering parity in rankings across all events. It brings long-requested consistency and fairness to season-long rankings and ensures that female riders earn the same level of points for comparable results.
From 2027, teams will also benefit from a new rule allowing them to gain UCI points for their riders’ results in other disciplines, such as MTB, cyclocross or gravel. This cross-disciplinary points recognition supports teams investing in more versatile talent and strengthens the link between road racing and other parts of the UCI calendar. This should benefit the likes of Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, who races a limited road calendar but is a major name in the CX part of the season.
Calendar stability until 2028
The UCI confirmed that the current race line-up, including the newly added Dwars door Vlaanderen, is now locked in for the 2026, 2027 and 2028 seasons, provided organisers meet UCI standards. No new races will be considered for WorldTour status until 2029, ensuring stability for planning and development.
This certainty allows teams to focus on long-term development and helps races establish themselves across multiple editions.
Full 2026-2028 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 Het 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)
- 11 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 (Netherlands)
- 13-15 October: Tour of Chongming Island (China)
- 18 October: Tour of Guangxi (China)
