The Management Committee of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) met for its third ordinary session of the year from 22 to 24 September in Kigali, Rwanda, during the 2025 UCI Road World Championships. A wide range of measures were approved, from safety reforms and equipment rules to updates on international calendars across cycling’s disciplines.
When it comes to men’s professional road cycling, the UCI confirmed a new system of participation rights in UCI ProSeries events. From 2026, organisers must invite the five best-ranked UCI ProTeams from the previous season, along with UCI ProTeams from the host country. This follows the June 2025 decision guaranteeing WorldTour stage race invitations to the top three ProTeams, creating a pathway for leading second-tier squads to contest all top-level races.
In a cross-discipline move, the UCI also approved the principle of awarding road ranking points to teams via results earned by riders in other disciplines. From 2027, points scored in World Championships for track, mountain bike XCO, cyclo-cross and gravel, as well as overall World Cup standings in those disciplines, will contribute to the UCI Road Team Ranking on a defined scale. The measure applies to riders in the top 20 of a men’s road team ranking and top eight of a women’s team ranking. Points will not count towards individual or national road rankings, but the move reflects the growing importance of multi-discipline riders.
There were also important developments in the area of youth racing. From 2026, the UCI Nations’ Cup for Under-23 riders will be discontinued, with greater emphasis instead placed on the Men Junior and Women Junior Nations’ Cups. These will be expanded across continents, feature a season final, and include both individual and national rankings. Junior development teams, created in coordination with National Federations, will provide structured opportunities for riders to progress before stepping up to professional or development teams.
The UCI also approved the 2026 international calendars across road, mountain bike, BMX racing, BMX freestyle, trials, track, para-cycling, indoor cycling, gran fondo and gravel. Among the most notable adjustments, the Tour de Suisse and Tour de Suisse Women will now run in parallel in a five-day format from 17 to 21 June 2026. To accommodate this, the Copenhagen Sprint moves one week earlier. Meanwhile, the Simac Ladies Tour will step down from the Women’s WorldTour to the ProSeries to align with the men’s Tour of Holland. The Dutch race has been on the calendar since 1998 and joined the Women’s WorldTour in 2017, becoming one of the key races for sprinters and classics riders. Lorena Wiebes underlined its prestige this year with a dominant sweep, winning five of six stages and the overall. SD Worx has controlled the event since 2019 through Wiebes, Lotte Kopecky, Chantal van den Broek-Blaak and Christine Majerus, demonstrating its consistent hold on Dutch stage racing. The step down is designed to coordinate better with the men’s event, but its reputation as a historic and prestigious race remains intact.
On equipment, the UCI Management Committee approved price caps for track cycling equipment to be used at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, including framesets, forks, wheels, handlebars and skinsuits. These will come into force on 1 January 2027, ensuring that nations have fair access to competition equipment and that cost barriers are reduced.
Handlebar width rules were also confirmed despite criticism from within the peloton. From 1 January 2026, mass start road and cyclo-cross events will impose a minimum bar width of 400mm, a maximum flare of 65mm and a maximum inner measurement of 280mm. Riders including Niamh Fisher-Black and others have publicly protested that 400mm exceeds the natural shoulder width of many women and poses an increased risk of injuries in crashes, yet the UCI has doubled down on the regulation. For track events, the width limit will be set at 350mm from 2027. Additional clarifications outlaw forearm support on handlebars in mass start races except in designated time trial positions. New helmet rules will also come into force, banning ear coverings and integrated visors in mass start events from 2026 for road and cyclo-cross, and 2027 for track.
Safety updates were another major focus. Specifications for sprint barriers are being finalised, with stricter requirements for weight, attachment strength and impact resistance. Organisers of WorldTour, Women’s WorldTour and ProSeries races will be required to meet new standards covering signalisation, feed and waste zones, vehicle circulation and technology fraud checks. Protocols for handling extreme weather have been updated with clearer decision-making structures. The UCI also reported progress on SafeR, the structure uniting stakeholders to improve road race safety, and confirmed the creation of a Riders and Commissaires Working Group to address sprint safety, course design and rule enforcement.
Health was also high on the agenda, with the UCI Medical Commission presenting its work on REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport). New screening tools tailored to cycling are being developed to help team doctors diagnose risks associated with under-fuelling and excessive weight loss. Additionally, a weigh-in protocol for cycling esports has been approved, designed to eliminate unsafe dehydration practices.
UCI President David Lappartient said the meeting represented “three extremely productive days” and emphasised that rider safety and health remain priorities, alongside building clear pathways for junior and development riders. The next meeting of the Management Committee will take place in Hulst, the Netherlands, during the 2026 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.
