The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) organised the annual UCI Women’s WorldTour and UCI WorldTour Seminar in Nice, France, on 25 and 26 November. The seminar brought together the different stakeholders of the leading series for women’s and men’s professional road racing.
Among the some 160 participants representing the UCI, organisers, teams and riders were: the President of the Association Internationale des Groupes Cyclistes Professionnels (AIGCP) Brent Copeland, the President of the Association Internationale des Organisateurs de Courses Cyclistes (AIOCC) Christian Prudhomme, the President of the Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA) Adam Hansen and CPA Women's Manager Alessandra Cappellotto.
After a welcome from the President of the Professional Cycling Council (PCC) Tom Van Damme, UCI President David Lappartient talked to the seminar participants about the major issues concerning women’s and men’s professional road cycling.
The UCI Sports Director Peter Van den Abeele then gave an overview of road cycling highlights from 2024, notably the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the combined UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland. A major focus for 2025 will be the UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, the first time this event will be held on the African Continent. Peter Van den Abeele also looked ahead to other major events in the years to come, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, and future editions of the UCI Road World Championships, which have been awarded up until 2030. In addition, participants of the seminar were given an update on the status of the different UCI Nations’ Cups for Under 23 and Junior riders, as well as details on the training and vital work of UCI Road Commissaires.
Regarding both men’s and women’s professional road cycling, PwC - the external auditor appointed by the UCI for the registration of UCI professional teams - presented the status of team registration for 2025. The growth and development of women’s cycling continues with the introduction of UCI Women’s ProTeams in 2025, which will bring the structure of women’s professional UCI Teams in line with that of men. Above all, it will contribute to the further professionalisation of women’s cycling, enabling a greater number of women to ride with professional status. Seven women’s teams have applied for UCI Women’s ProTeam status for the first year and some additional teams have already expressed their wish to join this level in 2026.
As far as the next cycle for years 2026-2028 is concerned, roundtable discussions were held on the principles for the registration of events on the UCI WorldTour Calendar and on the principles of financial fairness for teams which are currently being considered through a working group appointed by the PCC.
An update on medical issues included a reminder of the main principles of the High Temperature Protocol published this year, and the subject of pregnancy in women’s cycling. Seminar participants were also brought up to date on the current knowledge of the effects on performance of repeated carbon monoxide (CO) inhalation. The UCI clearly asks teams and riders not to use repeated CO inhalation. Only the medical use of a single inhalation of CO in a controlled medical environment could be acceptable. The UCI is also officially requesting the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to take a position on the use of this method by athletes. The medical session concluded with a roundtable discussion about the wellbeing and mental health of riders.
Concerning the area of integrity, the International Testing Agency (ITA), the independent body which has managed the UCI’s anti-doping operational activities since 2021, presented details of its anti-doping programme for cycling. This programme becomes more robust each year, especially with increasing emphasis on intelligence and investigations (I&I).
I&I is also a major factor in the UCI’s renewed fight against technological fraud. To this end, the UCI mandated Nick Raudenski as its Head of the Fight Against Technological Fraud in May this year. Nick Raudenski is a former criminal investigator with vast experience in intelligence and investigations, and in sports integrity. As well as expanding the methods to detect, deter, and prevent technological fraud in cycling, he is working to develop confidential sources and develop actionable intelligence to sharpen the programme’s effectiveness.
With climate change causing ever-increasing concern, the UCI has stepped up its engagement and collaboration with professional cycling stakeholders to develop the next steps of its sustainability strategy for professional cycling. This collaboration has led to the creation of a Professional Cycling Climate Action Working Group, which comprises representatives of UCI Teams, riders, organisers and sponsors. Seminar participants were given an overview of the working group’s role and vision, before some of its members took part in a roundtable discussion about the importance of sustainability for cycling and the sport’s role in helping tackle the climate crisis.
The important area of rider safety at women’s and men’s professional road competitions was the object of a roundtable discussion between members of SafeR, the structure dedicated to safety in men's and women's road cycling. As a reminder, SafeR brings together representatives of all the stakeholders in the sector - organisers, teams, riders and the UCI. An update on the continuing work to improve rider safety and an action plan for 2025 will be given at the beginning of next season.
The UCI Women’s WorldTour and UCI WorldTour Seminar was also an opportunity to present the trophies to the leaders of different 2024 UCI rankings:
UCI Women’s WorldTour Ranking – best rider: Lotte Kopecky (BEL)
UCI Women’s WorldTour Ranking – best young rider: Shirin Van Anrooij (NED)
UCI Women’s WorldTour Ranking – best team: Team SD Worx Protime (NED)
UCI Men Elite World Ranking – best rider: Tadej Pogačar (SLO)
UCI Men Elite World Ranking – best team: UAE Team Emirates (UAE)
UCI Men Elite World Ranking – best nation: Belgium.
Among the professional riders attending the seminar, Tadej Pogačar and Shirin Van Anrooij received their trophies in person, as did representatives of the winning teams and nation.
Trophies were also awarded to the top three nations of the UCI Nations Cups for Men Under 23 (1. Belgium, 2. France, 3. Switzerland), for Men Junior (1. France, 2. Spain, 3. Belgium) and Women Junior (1. Great Britain, 2. The Netherlands, 3. France)
At the end of the seminar, UCI President David Lappartient said: “2024 was a stand-out year for women’s and men’s professional road cycling, not least with the magnificent road events at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the combination of our UCI Road World Championships and UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland. The presentations and discussions in Nice over the last two days were extremely positive, and demonstrated the desire of all of professional road cycling’s stakeholders to continue working together to advance our sport on all fronts.”