Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

UCI announces WorldTour and Professional Continental reforms

Changes include top two rated second tier teams getting automatic entry to Grand Tours

World cycling’s governing body, the UCI, has unveiled a series of reforms to men’s racing that will be gradually introduced from next season, including the two top-ranked second tier teams automatically being given places at Grand Tours.

The latter move will limit the flexibility of race organisers in awarding wild card entries, which is often done for commercial or nationality reasons

The reforms were announced today by UCI president David Lappartient after they were approved by the governing body’s management committee, meeting in Innsbruck.

Yesterday they had been unanimously agreed with key stakeholders representing riders, professional teams and race organisers.

Earlier plans to reduce the number of WorldTour teams to 15 have been shelved, and there will continue to be 18 outfits in cycling’s top tier. As now they will be obliged to ride all WorldTour races as well as on-day races, including the five Monuments, that in future will be grouped in a season-long UCI Classics Series.

From 2020, a new season long UCI ProSeries will be the home for second-tier races currently in the HC or 1 categories and outside the WorldTour, with the third tier comprising the existing Continental Circuits.

The two best-performing teams in the ProSeries will get automatic entry to the Grand Tours, while the top three will have the right to places in the UCI Classics Series and other ​WorldTour races.

Finally, from the end of the 2019 season, WorldTour licences will be awarded on a three-year basis based on ethical, administrative, financial, organisational and sporting criteria, which the UCI says “enable a comparison to be made between UCI WorldTeams and new candidates for UCI WorldTeam status.”

The UCI added that some details need fine-tuning over the next year or so in order for the new regime to be in place from 1 January 2020.

UCI president, David Lappartient, said: “I am very happy that all together, we have reached a favourable consensus for all stakeholders of men’s professional road cycling: teams, riders, organisers, sponsors and fans alike.

“We now have a solid basis for continuing the development of our sport so that it becomes one of the major professional sports in the world, THE sport of the 21st century,” he added.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

Add new comment

1 comments

Avatar
RobD | 5 years ago
0 likes

Sounds like a few sensible ideas, but will the pro continental teams have enough squad depth to ride three grand tours in a season? I know they're often seen as cannon fodder for some of the unlikely breakaway days etc, but opening this up to the top 4 teams or something similar might share the burden a little, with the top two guaranteed the tour and another GT of their choicem, with the third and fourth placed teams getting the Giro or Vuelta.

Latest Comments