With a series of far-reaching decisions, the UCI has set the course for the 2027 season. At its meeting during the Road World Championships in Montréal, the Management Committee approved new safety measures for professional cycling, launched the new UCI Junior Road Nations Cup and approved several changes to the international race calendar. In addition, a traditional discipline is returning to the World Championships programme after more than 30 years.
Changes to the racing calendar
The Vuelta España Femenina by Carrefour.es will take place in 2027 immediately following the men’s Vuelta, from 3 to 10 October. The Vuelta a Burgos Feminas will take over the previous slot in early May. In addition, Eschborn-Frankfurt will return to its traditional date on 1 May.
New UCI Junior Road Nations Cup
The UCI Junior Road Nations Cup will get underway for the first time in 2027. The new series comprises eleven races across different continents and will conclude with the final in Varese from 29 July to 1 August. Twenty-six men’s and women’s teams will each qualify for the final via continental rankings. The results are also set to influence the allocation of starting places for the Road World Championships.
Greater safety in road cycling
From 2027, new standards for barriers in the final 200 metres before the finish line will apply to WorldTour and Women’s WorldTour races. In addition, the UCI is pushing ahead with the introduction of GPS tracking systems, which will enable real-time tracking of riders and vehicles and are intended to improve safety during races.
According to the UCI, initial findings from a crash study that has been running since March 2026 show that injuries sustained by female cyclists are, on average, more serious and result in longer periods of absence from cycling than those sustained by men. The data collected is to form the basis for future safety measures.
New rules and structures
From the 2027 UCI Cycling World Championships onwards, all sports directors of national teams must obtain UCI certification. In addition, road teams will in future be able to earn points towards the team classification when their riders compete in World Championships and World Cups in other disciplines such as cyclo-cross, track cycling or mountain biking.
With a new consultation framework, the UCI also aims to involve manufacturers and experts more closely in the regulation of bicycles, equipment and data technologies. At the same time, work is beginning on the revision of the Lugano Charter, the founding document setting out the values and principles of international cycling.
The stayer race returns to the World Championships
Another noteworthy decision concerns the Track Cycling World Championships: the stayer race is set to return to the World Championships programme after more than 30 years, making its comeback at the 2027 UCI Cycling World Championships in Haute-Savoie Mont-Blanc. For the first time, world championship titles will be awarded to both men and women at the event.
The next meeting of the UCI Management Committee will take place on 28 and 29 January 2027 as part of the Cyclo-cross World Championships in Ostend.
Lukas Niebuhr
Editor
