The UCI WorldTour is failing. It’s losing money, most of its events fail to attract a sizeable audience, the promotion-relegation points system was refined but still causes consternation, and teams outside of the WorldTour are having no problems persuading riders to drop down a division; in fact, more are choosing to be ‘demoted’ than promoted. Yet the UCI has just muddied the waters further.

At the governing body’s annual congress in Kigali, Rwanda last week, the UCI’s president David Lappartient – elected for his third and in theory final four-year team – announced that from 2027 UCI points gained in three other disciplines (mountain bike, cyclocross and gravel) would be added to a road team’s overall UCI points tally, therefore increasing the numbers of available points in the battle to be one of the top-18 ranked teams after the three-year cycle. On one hand, this seems like a fair amendment to the rules – racing across various disciplines is becoming increasingly common. But on the other hand, it’s worth reminding the UCI that the UCI WorldTour is a road-based competition. It does not encompass other disciplines.

Why is this important? Because the WorldTour – men’s and women’s – needs a complete overhaul. Perhaps, even, to be binned and started again. Yet the UCI seems hellbent on making it ever bigger and more confusing. Far less comprehensible and understandable, at a time when figures across the sport are united in calling for a top-tier road division that is far more comprehensible and understandable.

This article was published by Rouleur in September 2025. You can read the full article here.