UCI makes big moves: Major calendar changes, new safety measures, and points system updates

First, the calendar changes. The Tour de Suisse is one of the most essential preparatory races for the Tour de France. But that race will be significantly different: where in previous years the race always consisted of eight stages (and in the past even nine), there will now only be five stages. This means that the race will now be the same length as the women's race: both races will be held between June 17 and 21 next year.

The same decision has been made for the Simac Ladies Tour. This year, the men's Tour of Holland will be held, and next year, the Simac Ladies Tour will also be known as the Simac Ladies Tour of Holland. To make this parallel even clearer, both races will be held between September 9 and 13. For the women's race, this was only possible if it was no longer held at WorldTour level: from next year, it will be a ProSeries race.

Further alterations were as follows: next year, the Classic Brugge-De Panne will start and finish in Bruges, and will also be known as The Great Sprint Classic. Next year, the Vuelta a España for women will have eight stages instead of seven, while the Giro Donne will move from July to late May/early June, one day after the men's Giro finishes. The Tour of Britain for women will now also take place in August, just like the men's race.

The UCI also implemented a change in the area of UCI points. From 2027, it will be possible to count points earned in other disciplines towards road cycling. This only applies to the team ranking, specifically for the top 20 riders in the men's team and the top 8 riders in the women's team. This is good news for Alpecin-Deceuninck (Mathieu van der Poel), Q36.5 (Tom Pidcock), and Visma | Lease a Bike (Marianne Vos and Wout van Aert)!

The International Cycling Union addressed several aspects of safety. First of all, they examined the handlebars: as of 2026, these will have a minimum width of 400 millimeters, with a minimum width of 320 millimeters on the inside. This is to prevent handlebars that are too small, which can reduce speed due to air resistance. The criticism from the women's peloton has therefore been disregarded.

It is also no longer permitted to start road races wearing time trial helmets. Casper van Uden won a stage in the Giro d'Italia wearing a fully enclosed helmet, but this will no longer be allowed. From 2026, helmets must meet minimum ventilation requirements. It will also no longer be permitted to place a ‘cover’ on them, and integrated or removable sun visors will be prohibited.

Finally, the barriers are being addressed. There was considerable criticism about the condition of barriers in various races, and organizations must now meet minimum standards. After extensive research, the new barriers will need to have specific dimensions and improved fastening systems, and they must be strong enough to withstand a crash.