UCI WorldTour Seminar sets out details of the reform of men's professional road cycling

Following a two-day meeting held in Barcelona, Spain, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and keystakeholders of men’s professional road cycling have agreed on the details of the reform.

Coming after two years of dialogue and consultation amongst all stakeholders, the seminar broughttogether representatives of over 25 UCI WorldTour events, the 18 UCI WorldTeams and representatives ofriders.

The discussions were centred around the four guiding principles of the reform approved by the UCIManagement Committee in September:

 Credibility;

 Globalisation;

 Engaging fans;

 Strengthening the pyramid.

Creating the right conditions – in particular stability – to encourage further investment in the sport, bothfor growth and for reinforcement of structures to ensure cycling's credibility has shaped the design of thereforms.

With regards to events, the existing calendar will be used as a base but with the possibility of strategicgrowth to enhance the season. Greater stability will be achieved by registering existing UCI WorldTourevents for an initial three year period (2017 to 2019). Events from the tier below will be able to apply tojoin the UCI WorldTour. The first candidates will be assessed in 2016, and those selected will beincorporated from the 2017 season, also for an initial three-year period, with the possibility of eventsjoining also in subsequent years.

Races wishing to join the UCI WorldTour will be assessed based on a range of criteria to ensure thetechnical quality of those races as well as their role in the strategic development and promotion of the UCIWorldTour and the stories of the cycling season.

In line with the goal of helping stakeholders work together to create value in the sport, the ProfessionalCalendar Working Group will be formed. Administered by the UCI and comprising two representatives eachfrom the AIGCP (teams) and AIOCC (event organisers), plus one observer representing the riders, this newgroup will maximise cooperation between stakeholders and advise the Professional Cycling Council on theUCI WorldTour calendar.

A similar approach has been taken with regards to teams, with sustainability ensured with the granting ofthree-year licences to a maximum of 18 WorldTeams from 2017 onwards. Licences will be reviewed on anannual basis based on ethical, financial, administrative and organisational criteria (the Team Cahier desCharges), with sporting performance assessed over the three year period.

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