Trade teams will not be allowed to ride track World Cups as UCI overhauls calendar

The UCI has announced a major overhaul of the track cycling calendar, which will see trade teams barred from riding World Cup events.

Cycling’s international governing body is introducing several changes to the track system, including shifting the World Cup season from winter to summer.

Cyclocross will also undergo changes, as the UCI has passed the World Cup series over to race organiser Flanders Classics, which currently hosts the road events like the Tour of Flanders and Ghent-Wevelgem.

>>> Representation matters: why cycling needs to encourage diversity

UCI president David Lappartient said: “With the decisions taken to make track cycling and cyclocross more attractive, to increase the appeal of road cycling and to strengthen the good governance of our federation, the management committee has demonstrated its commitment to the central elements of the UCI Agenda 2022.”

As part of its plan to develop track cycling, the World Cup series will be knocked down from six events to three from the 2020/21 season, and will be organised from July to September, rather than October to January, from 2021.

The World Cup will change its name to the UCI Track Cycling Nations’ Cup and will be reserved solely for national teams.

This is bad news for outfits like Huub-Wattbike, who have blazed a trail for trade teams by beating national squads and setting records on the track.

The track world championships will be moved from March to October, at the end of the Track Cycling Nations’ Cup.

Plans have also been unveiled for a new race format organised between November 2021 and February 2022, aimed at widening the appeal of track cycling.

In the new race, individual riders will participate under their national flag but the UCI hasn’t confirmed full details.

With the cyclocross discipline, the UCI has given responsibility for the World Cup to Flanders Classics, which will be responsible for organisation, marketing and sponsorship and television rights for the World Cup and World Championships.

>>> Tom Dumoulin to miss the 2019 Tour de France

Lappartient said: “The partnership with Flanders Classics opens new international development possibilities for cyclocross.

“The company has demonstrated its know-how and its professionalism by taking the events it organises and promotes to unprecedented levels of popularity.

“The UCI cyclocross World Cup will greatly benefit from its expertise in domains such as the production and broadcasting of images and the improvement of offer to spectators.”

Other announcements from the UCI include a large-scale poll of the public aimed at increasing the appeal of road cycling events.