UCI reveals new regulations for Women's cycling

This year has been a year of tremendous growth for women's cycling. In terms of success, the Tour de France Femmes was the best. And now, with new regulations and an increased number of teams, it is poised to reach new heights in the future.

After its September Management Committee meeting, UCI published a series of new regulations on its website that take effect on November 1. The number of Women's WorldTeams will increase to 15.

Various Continental-level teams have applied for the last spot.  Plantur-Pura is the highest ranked among the applicants.  The other applicants are Ceratizit-WNT, in 15th, and AG Insurance-NXTG's elite team, which is currently in 17th.

The new rules also allow fluidity between the WorldTeam and development programmes. Riders registered with a development team may participate in ProSeries. Another major change we get to see is an upgrade in salary. The salary structure has changed with increases to the annual wages, and it will now include a neo-pro minimum salary, which is set at a slightly lower wage than the minimum salary for a rider on the Women's WorldTour.The registered neo-pro riders' salary will be set at €26,849 next year.

There are currently no minimum salary requirements for the 49 second-tier Women's Continental Women's Teams that are registered with the UCI. With an increase in salaries, women's cycling will be able to attract more young riders who were unable to pursue a professional career due to financial constraints.