Dear Members,
We are gradually but surely moving towards the recommencement of the 2020 cycling season.
As you will have read in our latest press release published on the UCI website last week, the calendars for the UCI WorldTour and UCI Women’s WorldTour have received some final adjustments with a view to the start of racing in August. At its videoconference meeting on 10-11 June, the UCI Management Committee endorsed decisions made by the Professional Cycling Council earlier in the week regarding both calendars. These final adjustments leave us with two condensed but very full and exciting series for men’s and women’s professional road cycling, starting on 1st August at the Strade Bianche (Italy) and drawing to a close in China on 10 November with the Gree-Tour of Guangxi for men and the Tour of Guangxi for women.
The revised calendars can be consulted here.
We are also finalising the calendars for our other cycling disciplines, not only for this year but also looking forward to 2021. While the 2020 UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships in Cairo will unfortunately not take place, the Egyptian capital will host this event in April 2021. This is possible due to the generous gesture of original 2021 hosts – Tel Aviv (Israel) –who agreed to postpone their event 12 months to 2022.
Meanwhile the UCI Management Committee also approved the new venue for the 2021 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships, which will now take place in Isola d’Elba (Italy) instead of Manizales (Colombia).
As the recommencement of the 2020 cycling season approaches, a dedicated working group is finalising health protocols to be followed before, during and after races on the UCI International Calendar. As I have repeated on many occasions, the health of riders and all involved in cycling is the UCI’s priority. This working group, led by the UCI Medical Director Professor Xavier Bigard and comprising representatives of cycling’s different families, is working specifically on this priority, and will shortly be in a position to communicate the measures to be followed at races by event organisers and teams.
The UCI Management Committee also agreed that for disciplines which will not have a UCI World Championships in 2020, the reigning UCI World Champions will have the right to wear their rainbow jersey until the next UCI World Championships for that discipline.
Finally, the UCI Management Committee confirmed – after its former agreement in principle – that the UCI’s operational anti-doping activities will be transferred from the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF) to the International Testing Agency (ITA) as of 1st January 2021.
Meanwhile, World Bicycle Day on 3 June was a great success, with the bicycle highlighted around the world as an accessible, green, healthy and sustainable activity. Together with its partner Zwift, the UCI organised four virtual rides, each led by a prominent professional cyclist, that were open to everyone with the necessary equipment and software. More than 3200 people worldwide joined in the rides led by Chris Froome (GBR), Jolanda Neff (SUI), Chloé Dygart (USA) and Victor Campenaerts (BEL). You can read more about this in the Spotlight section of this newsletter.
Thank you all once again for your continued support and unity as we traverse this difficult period. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and as the cycling season takes shape, I hope your preparation for the recommencement of racing goes as smoothly as possible
David Lappartient
UCI President
| UCI NEWS UCI Management Committee meeting – 10 and 11 June 2020 At its meeting by videoconference held on 10 and 11 June, the UCI Management Committee took a series of decisions, notably concerning the update of the UCI International Calendar due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, including that of the UCI WorldTour and UCI Women’s WorldTour. A certain number of regulatory changes touching several disciplines were approved by the UCI Management Committee. These will be included in a special edition of the UCI Newsletter, which will be published shortly and made available on the UCI website. The UCI Management Committee also approved the UCI’s 2019 Financial Report, whichwill be published by 30 June together with the full 2019 UCI Annual Report, which was also approved. With a view to the recommencement of the 2020 cycling season, the UCI Medical Director Professor Xavier Bigard outlined the health protocols for the resumption of racing. The publication of these protocols will be communicated soon. Regarding anti-doping, the UCI Management Committee confirmed its decision in principle taken at its previous meeting, on 31 January 2020, to transfer the operational activities of its anti-doping programme to the International Testing Agency (ITA). This means that from 1 January 2021, the ITA will take over the mandate currently entrusted to the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF). The next UCI Management Committee meeting will take place on 22-24 September 2020 in Montreux (Switzerland) during the Aigle-Martigny 2020 UCI Road World Championships. For further details, please consult the press release concerning this meeting on the UCI website. Obituary: Madis Lepajõe Madis Lepajõe, former vice-president of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme, UCI Commissaire and member of the UCI Commissaires’ Commission, passed away on 21 May 2020. A tireless and selfless advocate for our sport, his commitment and his human qualities ensured the development of cycling in his country, throughout Europe and the world. His outstanding contribution to the sport will be sorely missed by the global cycling family. New President at the Lithuanian Cycling Federation Darius Levickis was recently elected President of the Lithuanian Cycling Federation. Under his presidency, the Federation will continue to promote and develop cycling in the country. We wish him the very best in his endeavours. SPORTS GENERAL Coronavirus: keeping track of events on the UCI International Calendar that are postponed or cancelled To give a clear view of the pandemic’s impact on events on the UCI International Calendar, up-to-date lists of affected races are available on the UCI website. These lists will be updated daily if necessary. List of postponed or cancelled events on the UCI International Calendar (by discipline):Road eventsPara-cycling road eventsTrack eventsMountain bike eventsBMX Racing eventsBMX Freestyle events Trials eventsIndoor cycling eventsCycling for all eventsRegistration procedure to 2021/2021-2022 UCI International Calendar Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the UCI has devoted the last few weeks to the restructuring of the 2020 UCI international calendar, which has delayed work on the 2021 calendars. The postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to 2021 has also disrupted the preparation of the 2021 / 2021-2022 registration procedure which is usually sent at the end of April-beginning of May. The procedure for registering events on the 2021 / 2021-2022 UCI International Calendar will be published shortly via the usual channels (UCI Newsletter, National Federations’ extranet, emails to organisers). The registration deadlines will be adapted where necessary. Thank you for your understanding and patience. ROAD  2020 UCI WorldTour and UCI Women’s WorldTour calendarFollowing the meetings of the Professional Cycling Council and the UCI Management Committee, dates of races on the 2020 UCI WorldTour calendar have been updated. Il Lombardia (Italy) will now take place on 15 August and the Gree-Tour of Guangxi (China) on 5-10 November. The EuroEyes Cyclassics Hamburg (Germany), which had not yet been allocated a date, will take place on 3 October. Eschborn-Frankfurt (Germany), the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic (Great Britain) and A Travers la Flandre (Belgium) have also been cancelled. The 2020 UCI WorldTour Calendar is available on the UCI website. The 2020 UCI Women’s WorldTour calendar has been updated following the change of date for the Tour of Guangxi (China), moved from 20 October to 10 November. The Postnord UCI WWT Vårgårda West Sweden TTT and the Postnord UCI WWT Vårgårda West Sweden RR (Sweden), as well as the Ladies Tour of Norway. The 2020 UCI Women’s WorldTour Calendar is available on the UCI website. Riders’ agents examination In view of the travel restrictions still in place in some countries and the continued closure of the UCI World Cycling Centre facility to the public, the riders’ agents exam, which was originally scheduled for 29 June, has been postponed to a later date. Candidates and those interested in this exam are encouraged to regularly check the UCI website for the latest information. We obviously remain at your disposal for any difficulties caused by this situation. 2021 Registration for UCI Women’s WorldTeams, UCI WorldTeams and UCI ProTeams The 2021 registration procedure for UCI Women’s WorldTeams, UCI WorldTeams and UCI ProTeams will change significantly due to the current global health situation and its consequences. All the information needed to seamlessly register teams for the 2021 season will be compiled in the registration instructions, which will be sent as soon as possible to the candidate teams. Considering these important changes (particularly with regard to deadlines and the procedure for communicating with the external auditor), it is imperative that teams carefully study these instructions. In addition, to help them get familiarised with this new procedure and direct all their questions to the UCI or EY, we confirm that, just as every year, interviews will be organised with the respective teams (the details of which will be specified later in a dedicated communication). We strongly urge teams to participate in order to avoid any difficulties during the registration process. TRACK  2020 UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships The 2020 UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships which were due to take place in Cairo (Egypt) on 16-21 August, have been pushed back one year. They will be organised at the same venue in 2021 (in April, at a date to be confirmed) instead of the UCI Junior Track Worlds in Tel Aviv (Israel), which the organisers have accepted to postpone to 2022. As a consequence of these changes, the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships will not be organised this year and will not take place in Aigle (Switzerland) in 2022 as originally announced. MOUNTAIN BIKE  2020 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Due to the current pandemic (Covid-19) linked to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the round of the 2020 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, which was to take place in Val di Sole (Italy) on 11 and 13 September, has been cancelled at the request of its organisers. The updated calendar of the 2020 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup has been published on the UCI website. The usual information concerning the series is also available on the UCI website. 2020 UCI Bike Masters World Championships Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic linked to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the 2020 UCI Mountain Bike Masters World Championships scheduled to take place in Pra-Loup (France) from 18 to 23 August are cancelled at the request of the organisers. UCI Mountain Bike Teams As you are aware, changes to the UCI Mountain Bike Teams riders’ list are permitted only during the riders’ transfer period, i.e. 6 to 10 July 2020 for the current season. The process will be managed via the UCI DataRide platform, in a similar manner to the registration:The team connects to the platform to make the necessary change(s)If a rider is leaving the team, we kindly request that the (X) at the end of the line to remove him not be used but the end date of the contract be changedIf a rider is joining the team, please use the correct start date of the contractThe requirements to add a rider are the same as per the first registration, i.e.include the contract dates as well as upload the contract onto the systemFor any change in the riders’ list, please upload the following documentsRider leaving a team: upload the letter signed by all the parties stating that the contract has come to an end (replace the contract)Rider joining a team: upload the new contractRider transferring from a team to another: upload the new contract and the letter signed by all the parties stating that the old contract has come to an endOnly one PDF document can be submitted, please merge the contract and letter if applicableThe team submits the new list of riders so the National Federation can validate it. It is imperative that the National Federation be informed of the changes made, so they are aware that the information needs to be approvedThe National Federation submits the list of riders so the UCI can validate itAs a final step, the UCI can then update the team list.Should you have any questions, please contact offroad@uci.ch TRIALS  2020 UCI Trials World CupThe new measures announced by authorities in the Province of Trentino due to the current coronavirus pandemic has seen the cancellation of the second round of the UCI Trials World Cup, scheduled to take place in Val di Sole (Italy) from 24 to 26 July at the request of the organisers. The third round of the UCI Trials World Cup, scheduled to take place in Lenzerheide (Switzerland) from 13 to 15 August, has been cancelled as the new dates overlapped with the fourth round to be held in Wadowice (Poland) on 5 and 6 September. 2021 and 2022 UCI Trials World Cup National Federations are reminded that the UCI is presently seeking bids for the UCI Trials World Cup events for the 2021 and/or 2022 seasons. Information regarding the bid process is available here. If possible, the UCI intends to award the events for both the 2021 and 2022 seasons following the UCI Management Committee meeting in September 2020. Bids should be sent to offroad@uci.ch no later than 31 July 2020. PARA-CYCLING  2020 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup As announced in the previous edition of the UCI Newsletter, the 2020 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup round scheduled for Castiglione della Pescaia (Italy) 27-30 May had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The UCI remains in contact with the Organising Committee with a view to staging the event later this year, global health conditions permitting. INDOOR  2020 UCI Artistic Cycling World CupDue to the current global health situation (coronavirus), the second round of the UCI Artistic Cycling World Cup, scheduled on 27 June in Komarno (Slovakia) as well as the third round, scheduled on 8 August in Hong Kong have been cancelled. 2020 UCI Cycle-ball World Cup Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the first round of the UCI Cycle-ball World Cup, scheduled on 4 April in Winterthur (Switzerland), the third round scheduled on 20 June in Svitavka (Czech Republic) and the fifth round scheduled on 19 September in Hardt (Germany) have been cancelled. 2021 UCI Artistic Cycling World Cup The dates and venues for the 2021 UCI Artistic Cycling World Cup have been provisionally set as follows:  2021 UCI Cycle-ball World CupThe UCI is still accepting bids for the following 2021 UCI Cycle-ball World Cup events:  The UCI plans to award the events for the 2021 season at the UCI Management Committee meeting in September 2020. Bids should be sent to indoor@uci.ch no later than 30 June 2020.2021 and 2022 UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships The UCI is accepting bids for the organisation of the 2021 and 2022 UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships. Information regarding the bid process is available on the UCI website. The UCI plans to award these World Championship events for 2021 and 2022 at the UCI Management Committee meeting in September 2020. Bids should be sent to sportsdepartment@uci.ch no later than 30 June 2020. CYCLING ESPORTS  The current global health situation has greatly increased interest in the possibility of maintaining fitness by participating in virtual rides or competitions using a number of different cycling esports platforms such as Zwift, the indoor cycling app. The UCI continues its close collaboration with Zwift in integrating cycling esports as one of its disciplines.As announced in September 2019, the UCI has chosen to work with Zwift to develop the first ever UCI Cycling Esports World Championships. While the coronavirus pandemic had the unfortunate effect of temporarily slowing down the implementation of this project, progress is once again being made by both parties. More details will be released in due course. The UCI published the first version of the UCI Cycling Esports Regulations following approval by the UCI Management Committee in early February 2020. Using these regulations as a base, the UCI is in consultation with stakeholders about taking the next steps in governance of the esports discipline to ensure that competitions are managed fairly and transparently. One key step will be the development of a UCI Cycling Esports International Calendar. It is worth noting that the present regulations already define cycling esports at a basic level. Indeed, National Federations can already use them on the various cycling esports platforms such as Zwift to host activities such as virtual training and competitions. CYCLING FOR ALL  Cycling #ForNature on World Environment DayTwo days after several digital activations were hosted for World Bicycle Day (see Spotlight below), populations are again encouraged to take to their bikes to celebrate World Environment Day on 5 June. Each year, this international day aims to engage governments, businesses, celebrities and citizens to focus their efforts on urgent environmental issues and promote progress on the environmental dimensions of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This year’s theme “biodiversity” and accompanying slogan of the day “time for nature” were fully in line with the spirit of cycling activities: be it riding as a means of transport to reduce carbon emissions, simply enjoying the pleasures of nature on a mountain bike, or protecting biodiversity at cycling events. The link between biodiversity and sport has increasingly been highlighted in initiatives taken by the sporting community, as many events depend on a healthy natural environment and have a responsibility to protect it. To support such measures, a new guide was published on Earth Day (22 April) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). “Mitigating biodiversity impacts of sports events” offers advice to sports event organisers on how to proactively and diligently reduce the impact on biodiversity and promote its conservation throughout all phases of event planning. The guide also features several examples related to cycling events, which include the London 2012 Olympic Games road cycling events, the Absa Cape Epic, the Tour of Britain and active mobility promotion at all sporting events. While the theme of World Environment Day 2020 was focused on biodiversity, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) also plays a key global role in the promotion of cycling: in particular, their Share the Road Programme helps governments and stakeholders in developing countries to move away from prioritizing the car-driving minority and towards investing in infrastructure for the majority: those who walk and cycle. For more information regarding World Environment Day, please do not hesitate to consult the article published on www.uci.org. Upcoming events ROAD – TRACK – MOUNTAIN BIKE BMX RACING– BMX FREESTYLE– PARA-CYCLING TRIALS – INDOOR – CYCLO-CROSS OLYMPIC GAMES  Qualification systems for the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020Following the postponement of the Paralympic Games to 2021, both the IPC and UCI have approved the revised qualification systems for Para-Cycling. The revised qualification guide and its appendix for the Paralympic Games are available on UCI’s website:Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games – Qualification GuideTokyo 2020 Paralympic Games – Qualification Guide Appendix 1The revised Qualification Systems for the Olympic Games have also been approved by the IOC and the UCI. Please refer to the UCI press release published on 15 May 2020 for any detail on the amendments to the Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Systems for Tokyo 2020. SPOTLIGHT ON… WORLD BICYCLE DAY  UCI’s World Bicycle Day initiative draws thousands to virtual ridesThe third annual World Bicycle Day on June 3rd was held in unprecedented circumstances due to the current coronavirus pandemic. And while the worldwide crisis has confined many people to their homes or at least restricted outside activities, the popularity and benefits of cycling were once again highlighted on this international day dedicated to the bicycle. Throughout the day, the UCI and its partner Zwift organised four virtual rides on the Zwift cycling esport training platform, which saw participation numbers top 3200. Each ride was led by one of cycling’s current stars: four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome (Team Ineos), 2017 UCI World Champion for mountain bike cross-country Olympic and 2016 UCI World Champion for mountain bike Marathon Jolanda Neff (Trek Factory Racing XC), holder of the UCI Hour Record timed by Tissot Victor Campenaerts (NTT Pro Cycling Team) and reigning UCI World Champion in the individual time trial, team pursuit and individual pursuit Chloé Dygert Owen (Twenty20 Pro Cycling), who also holds the world record in the individual pursuit. The concept for World Bicycle Day was participation rather than performance. There was no leader board and everyone, regardless of their fitness level, could take part and ask the pros questions via Zwift’s chat platform. With the four different rides spread throughout the day, people living in all time zones had the opportunity to participate in at least one of the events. Victor Campenaerts (BEL) led fellow riders on a flat portion of the Innsbruck 2018 UCI Road World Championships in Austria and was joined by 332 riders. He was followed by Jolanda Neff (SUI) and 408 mountain bike enthusiasts who tackled the mainly off-road Jungle Circuit of Watopia. Six hours later, 2281 riders joined Chris Froome (GBR) for a portion of the Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships course in the USA. American Chloé Dygert closed proceedings on a portion of the Yorkshire 2019 UCI Road World Championships course in Great Britain, accompanied by 233 riders. Participants were encouraged to make a donation to World Bicycle Relief (WBR), which builds and distributes a rugged, specially-designed, locally-assembled bicycle called the Buffalo Bike to students, healthcare workers, and entrepreneurs in rural regions of developing countries. As a reminder, the United Nations General Assembly first declared June 3rd World Bicycle Day in 2018, recognising the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle, which has been in use for over two centuries. Since then, this annual day dedicated to the bicycle has highlighted its benefits as a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit and sustainable means of transportation, promoting health for all. Cycling advocacy organisations and other bodies as well as United Nations agencies were active throughout this year’s World Bicycle Day, promoting the bicycle and its far-reaching benefits. These messages, also relayed on the UCI’s cycling for all Twitter account, @cycling, came from influential organisations such as UN-HABITAT, UN Environment, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) and Peace and Sport. |
| #SOCIALMEDIA UCI WCC CORNER  WCC Corner – e-learning for coachesCoaches from all corners of the world will soon be able to benefit from the UCI World Cycling Centre’s (WCC) new e-learning coaching course. The on-line course will further strengthen the UCI WCC’s Coach Development Programme (CDP), which since its creation in 2010 has seen coaches from all over the world receive UCI certification. Divided into three levels – Level 1, Level 2 and Diploma – the CDP aims to raise the standard of coaching throughout the world and consequently the level of cycling. While courses for all levels are held each year at the UCI WCC in Aigle, Switzerland, Level 1 & 2 courses are also organised at the UCI WCC’s different satellite centres or at the request of National Federations. The new e-learning course will initially be available for Level 1 only. Trainee coaches connected to the dedicated platform will have access to 10 modules covering all the topics found in the traditional course. Participants will have access to presentations, video storylines and quizzes to evaluate their knowledge as they prepare for a final on-line exam. They will have plenty of opportunities to inter-react with the UCI WCC coaches and experts, while following the course at their own speed. Once they obtain the Level 1 certificate, coaches will be able to attend courses for the next levels to deepen their knowledge and gain practical experience to add to what they have learned in theory. The UCI WCC’s expert coaches and staff were already developing the e-learning concept before the current coronavirus pandemic. Now, wishing to help National Federations during these difficult times, they are accelerating the preparation with a view to opening the platform before the end of the year. It is envisaged that the Level 1 course will eventually be 100% on-line. As a reminder, the CDP Levels 1 and 2 are aimed at new coaches working with younger riders or developing athletes. Level 3 (Diploma) is the highest qualification offered and is aimed at experienced coaches working either with their National Team or with national-level riders. “We are delighted to be able to offer this e-learning opportunity to coaches all over the world,” said UCI International Relations, Development and WCC Director Vincent Jacquet. “For more than 10 years, the UCI WCC’s expert coaches and staff have been training coaches from all over the world so that they have the necessary knowledge and tools to help athletes in their respective regions reach the highest possible level. Our new e-learning course will facilitate access to our expertise as we continue to work towards ensuring coaches everywhere are in possession of the latest and most effective coaching methods.” Vincent Jacquet added that the main objective was to strengthen the tools at the disposal of National Federations, thus increasing their autonomy and enabling them to carry out their own development projects. The UCI World Cycling Centre will inform National Federations once the e-learning course is available. In the meantime, for more information please contact: formation@uci.ch. |