It's done. The steering committee of the International Cycling Union (UCI) approved, Tuesday September 25 in Innsbruck, on the sidelines of the Road Worlds, the new organization of men's professional road cycling. The day before, she had already obtained the green light from the Professional Cycling Council (CCP), made up in particular of representatives of the teams, riders and organizers. This new organization will be implemented gradually from the 2019 season. Its objective: to strengthen the status of cycling among the largest professional sports in the world. According to a UCI press release, it will allow “ to improve the readability of the season and the stability of the system, to encourage the arrival of new partners, to improve the overall visibility of cycling and to support its development at all levels. » The UCI international road calendar will now be made up of three divisions: UCI WorldTour, UCI ProSeries and UCI Continental Circuits. From 2020, the UCI WorldTour will bring together the three Grand Tours, the other stage events and the one-day races together in a new UCI Classics Series, for a total of around 185 days of racing. All will benefit from a three-year warranty. For their part, the teams will also continue to be divided into three divisions: UCI WorldTeams, UCI ProTeams (formerly continental teams), and UCI continental teams. We will find, as today, 18 UCI WorldTeams (made up of 27 to 30 riders), and an unlimited number of UCI ProTeams and UCI continental teams.
— Published September 26, 2018
