Bans on sure helmets for highway racing, concessions on limits for handlebar widths and factors that means extra throughout disciplines are amongst updates on UCI guidelines that have been introduced on Thursday morning.
Assembly on the UCI Street World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, this week, the Administration Committee of biking’s governing physique authorized varied measures.
“I’m additionally delighted by the strengthening of our UCI Nations’ Cups for Juniors, which can present a stable worldwide racing construction for the subsequent technology of our sport’s elite athletes.”
Handlebar widths
Probably the most noteworthy of those guidelines is a change in new handlebar limits for highway racing, which implies from subsequent yr, bars should be a minimum of 400mm vast (outdoors to outdoors), a most flare of 65mm and an interior measurement restrict between the brake hoods of 280mm.
This does imply handlebars could be narrower, with that interior measurement restrict dropping 40mm from the unique 320mm restrict, proposed in June this yr. That quantity can be reviewed by the UCI Gear and New Applied sciences Fee “with a view to doubtlessly rising it for future seasons”.
The unique announcement of handlebar width limits prompted criticism from internationally of biking, particularly from ladies, for whom narrower handlebars are extra the norm resulting from measurement.
The Cyclists’ Alliance, a union for feminine professionals, stated that the unique guidelines would “put riders in danger”. It seems the UCI has listened to criticism, a bit.
Bars of 38cm or extra will there probably move the UCI’s exams, whereas these which are smaller will not.
The UCI assertion stated: “The UCI points a reminder that the goals of setting these limits is to include speeds by guaranteeing a sure air drag from the width of the handlebars.”
Related to this, the UCI is bringing in clarifications for his or her laws on forearm assist on handlebars, which is outlawed in highway racing, kind of.
Helmet clampdown
In an effort to fight the rising pattern of super-aero helmets in highway racing, the place some groups use lids which seem like time trial variations, the UCI is bringing in new guidelines for highway helmets, or “mass begin occasion helmets” of their language. These guidelines will apply from 1 January 2026.
The press launch says: “These specs will embrace minimal air flow necessities, a ban on helmet shells or equipment protecting or obstructing the riders’ ears, and a ban on built-in or removable visors. These new specs additionally intention to include aerodynamics, and as well as will function a foundation for distinctions between helmets utilized in totally different disciplines.”
It’s prone to imply an finish for some excessive helmets utilized in highway races, though the precise impression is but to be seen. The target is to have a easy distinction between TT helmets and highway race variations.
Value caps for monitor biking
On prime of guidelines for monitor biking which imply tools must be registered with the UCI and utilized in occasions earlier than the Olympics, the UCI is now set to introduce worth caps.
This can be launched from 1 January 2027, in time for the 2028 Olympic Video games in Los Angeles.
The discharge says: “The addition of worth caps additional reinforces the integrity of competitions by stopping extreme value limitations so contributors from all nations have truthful entry to tools. These new guidelines will come into power from 1 January 2027. From that date, most costs will apply for framesets, forks, wheels, handlebars and their extensions, helmets and skinsuits.”
It would imply an finish to bikes just like the one Japan used on the 2024 Olympics, which got here with a retail worth of £108,000. It was the most costly monitor bike at that Olympics, costing considerably greater than Workforce GB’s Hope x Lotus HB.T, priced at £25,000 for the body, and Australia’s Issue bike, at £47,000 for the complete set-up.
UCI factors to rely throughout disciplines
From 2027, UCI highway groups will be capable to profit from factors earned by their riders in different disciplines. This implies, for instance, {that a} highway crew like Lidl-Trek would be capable to acquire UCI factors earned within the World Championships for monitor, cross-country mountain biking, cyclo-cross and gravel, plus the general standings within the World Cups for monitor, MTB XCO and cyclo-cross.
The press launch says: “Authorised on the advice of the PCC, this measure can be relevant for male riders who’re within the prime 20 of his crew’s highway rating and for feminine riders within the prime eight of their crew’s highway rating. No factors from these different disciplines can be added to the UCI Particular person Rating or the UCI Rating by Nation for highway. Simulations over the approaching months will affirm the size of factors coming from leads to these different disciplines.”
For instance, Tom Pidcock would be capable to earn factors for his Q36.5 Professional Biking crew from MTB and cyclo-cross, and a rider like Lotte Kopecky may tally her monitor factors to SD Worx-Protime.
This may need the optimistic impact of encouraging groups to permit their riders to flourish throughout disciplines.
No extra U23 Nations Cups
As of 2026, the UCI Nations’ Cup for under-23 riders can be discontinued, and extra emphasis given to the Males Junior UCI Nations’ Cup and Ladies Junior UCI Nations’ Cup.
“A brand new format for the 2 collection will see the event of occasions on all continents and the institution of a season ultimate,” the UCI stated. “A person UCI Nations’ Cup rating can be revealed along with the prevailing nations rating. In the meantime, the institution of Junior growth groups will allow riders on this class to progress inside groups which have a transparent framework concerning their composition and participation rights.
“This may allow the structured growth of Junior riders, overseen by Nationwide Federations, earlier than they doubtlessly be a part of a growth or skilled crew.”
REDs monitoring
The UCI says that it’s within the “means of finalising documentation and instruments that can be utilized by crew medical doctors to allow the analysis of REDs (Relative Power Deficiency in Sport)”.
It says: “The technique is to depend on a screening and risk-assessment instrument validated and revealed by an Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus group (IOC REDs CAT2). The tailored instrument supplied by the UCI consists of questionnaires tailor-made to aggressive biking and a danger evaluation that’s simple for crew medical doctors to make use of.”
Excessive climate and rider security protocol up to date
The strategy for discussions over excessive climate and rider security throughout occasions has been up to date. “It now features a chronological decision-making course of from the pre-race assembly to how choices are made, in addition to clarification of in-race procedures,” the UCI says.
