Ban on TT helmets for sprinters and UCI points goldmine in cyclocross - The new UCI changes approved into 2026 and 2027

The management committee of the UCI has gathered in Rwanda during the ongoing Kigali World Championships and have agreed on measures to take for the upcoming years in the sport. Amongst those is the ban of time-trial helmets in road races and the ability for cyclocross, mountain bike, gravel and track riders to score UCI points that count towards their road teams.

The latter is the most controversial out of the announcement. The UCI explains: "The introduction from 2027 of a system allowing UCI Road Teams to benefit from a limited number of points based on the results obtained by their riders in other disciplines. The concerned disciplines and events have now been confirmed: results earned by a team’s rider at the UCI World Championships for track, mountain bike cross-country Olympic (XCO), cyclo-cross and gravel, as well as that rider’s results in the overall standings of UCI World Cups for track, XCO and cyclo-cross, will be added to the UCI Road Team Ranking according to a specific points scale".

This will only come into place in 2027, midway through the next UCI points cycle, and the extra time will allow for the UCI to decide on how many points could be scored by this, so as to not have teams abuse the system. However it is inevitable that this will see more teams fighting for World Tour relegation or promotion focusing on off-road riders. The goal is to stimulate the other disciplines, but at the same time there is a specific measure already decided which is that these riders are required to score major points on the road for the rest to count.

"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."

Another measure agreed on is that all UCI ProSeries events will be required to attribute a participation to the team in its country that has the most UCI points; as well as all ProSeries races having to invite the Top5 best-scoring ProTeams of the previous season.

As had been announced by Tour de Suisse organizers, there's also been a calendar change which sees the Swiss race be reduced to only five days in June now in order not to collide with the newly-founded World Tour event Copenhagen Sprint. The Cyclocross round in Italy set for this winter, initially attributed to Cabras which had it's race cancelled last year because of bad weather, will now take place in Terralba instead nearby.

There is also action regarding helmets, with the UCI introducing a simplified distinction between time-trial and regular helmets, with the TT ones not being allowed for mass start races as has been happening throughout the past year with some teams. Visors, ear covers and ventilation holes are all parameters that will need to be followed.