Bans on certain helmets for road racing, concessions on limits for handlebar widths and points meaning more across disciplines are among updates on UCI rules that were announced on Thursday morning.
Meeting at the UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, this week, the Management Committee of cycling’s governing body approved various measures.
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“I am also delighted by the strengthening of our UCI Nations’ Cups for Juniors, which will provide a solid international racing structure for the next generation of our sport’s elite athletes.”
Handlebar widths
The most noteworthy of these rules is a change in new handlebar limits for road racing, which means from next year, bars must be at least 400mm wide (outside to outside), a maximum flare of 65mm and an inner measurement limit between the brake hoods of 280mm.
This does mean handlebars can be narrower, with that inner measurement limit dropping 40mm from the original 320mm limit, proposed in June this year. That number will be reviewed by the UCI Equipment and New Technologies Commission “with a view to potentially increasing it for future seasons”.
The original announcement of handlebar width limits caused criticism from across the world of cycling, especially from women, for whom narrower handlebars are more the norm due to size.
The Cyclists’ Alliance, a union for female pros, said that the original rules would “put riders at risk”. It appears the UCI has listened to criticism, a bit.
Bars of 38cm or more will there likely pass the UCI’s tests, while those that are smaller won’t.
The UCI statement said: “The UCI issues a reminder that the objectives of setting these limits is to contain speeds by ensuring a certain air drag from the width of the handlebars.”
Connected to this, the UCI is bringing in clarifications for their regulations on forearm support on handlebars, which is outlawed in road racing, more or less.
Helmet clampdown
In order to combat the growing trend of super-aero helmets in road racing, where some teams use lids which look like time trial versions, the UCI is bringing in new rules for road helmets, or “mass start event helmets” in their language. These rules will apply from 1 January 2026.
The press release says: “These specifications will include minimum ventilation requirements, a ban on helmet shells or accessories covering or obstructing the riders’ ears, and a ban on integrated or detachable visors. These new specifications also aim to contain aerodynamics, and in addition will serve as a basis for distinctions between helmets used in different disciplines.”
It is likely to mean an end for some extreme helmets used in road races, although the exact impact is yet to be seen. The objective is to have a simple distinction between TT helmets and road race versions.
Price caps for track cycling
On top of rules for track cycling which mean equipment needs to be registered with the UCI and used in events before the Olympics, the UCI is now set to introduce price caps.
This will be introduced from 1 January 2027, in time for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The release says: “The addition of price caps further reinforces the integrity of competitions by preventing excessive cost barriers so participants from all nations have fair access to equipment. These new rules will come into force from 1 January 2027. From that date, maximum prices will apply for framesets, forks, wheels, handlebars and their extensions, helmets and skinsuits.”
It might mean an end to bikes like the one Japan used at the 2024 Olympics, which came with a retail price of £108,000. It was the most expensive track bike at that Olympics, costing significantly more than Team GB’s Hope x Lotus HB.T, priced at £25,000 for the frame, and Australia’s Factor bike, at £47,000 for the full set-up.
UCI points to count across disciplines
From 2027, UCI road teams will be able to benefit from points earned by their riders in other disciplines. This means, for example, that a road team like Lidl-Trek would be able to collect UCI points earned in the World Championships for track, cross-country mountain biking, cyclo-cross and gravel, plus the overall standings in the World Cups for track, MTB XCO and cyclo-cross.
The press release says: “Approved on the recommendation of the PCC, this measure will be applicable for male riders who are in the top 20 of his team’s road ranking and for female riders in the top eight of their team’s road ranking. No points from these other disciplines will be added to the UCI Individual Ranking or the UCI Ranking by Nation for road. Simulations over the coming months will confirm the scale of points coming from results in these other disciplines.”
For example, Tom Pidcock would be able to earn points for his Q36.5 Pro Cycling team from MTB and cyclo-cross, and a rider like Lotte Kopecky could tally her track points to SD Worx-Protime.
This might have the positive effect of encouraging teams to allow their riders to flourish across disciplines.
No more U23 Nations Cups
As of 2026, the UCI Nations’ Cup for under-23 riders will be discontinued, and more emphasis given to the Men Junior UCI Nations’ Cup and Women Junior UCI Nations’ Cup.
“A new format for the two series will see the development of events on all continents and the establishment of a season final,” the UCI said. “An individual UCI Nations’ Cup ranking will be published in addition to the existing nations ranking. Meanwhile, the establishment of Junior development teams will enable riders in this category to progress within teams that have a clear framework regarding their composition and participation rights.
“This will enable the structured development of Junior riders, overseen by National Federations, before they potentially join a development or professional team.”
REDs monitoring
The UCI says that it is in the “process of finalising documentation and tools that can be used by team doctors to enable the diagnosis of REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport)”.
It says: “The strategy is to rely on a screening and risk-assessment tool validated and published by an International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus group (IOC REDs CAT2). The adapted tool provided by the UCI includes questionnaires tailored to competitive cycling and a risk assessment that is easy for team doctors to use.”
Extreme weather and rider safety protocol updated
The method for discussions over extreme weather and rider safety during events has been updated. “It now includes a chronological decision-making process from the pre-race meeting to how decisions are made, as well as clarification of in-race procedures,” the UCI says.