The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is going through a period of expansion and review of its main competitive structures, with initiatives covering both the growth of esports and the transformation of professional road cycling. In this context, the organisation announced together with MyWhoosh the creation of the first UCI Cycling Esports World Championships for Junior and Masters categories, while also launching a steering committee tasked with leading the next phase of reform in men’s and women’s professional cycling.
Both moves reflect different challenges within the sport. On the one hand, the UCI aims to expand access to its esports world championships and offer young cyclists and those over 40 the opportunity to compete for an official world title. On the other, professional road cycling is entering a period of structural analysis following an international consultation in which federations, teams, riders and organisers identified safety, financial fairness, the calendar, and commercial and media rights as key priorities.
UCI expands the Esports World Championships to Junior and Masters categories
The first edition of the new UCI Cycling Esports World Championships for Junior and Masters categories will take place virtually on 12 December 2026, one week after the competition for Elite categories. It will be the first time that the UCI awards the rainbow jersey of world champion in cycling esports to athletes outside the Elite category. The Junior events will be open to cyclists born in 2008 and 2009, while the Masters categories will include athletes aged 40 and over, divided into five-year age groups. A minimum of 10 participants will be required for each category to take place and for a world title to be awarded.
The competition will be held remotely on the MyWhoosh platform, using a virtual recreation of the final circuit of the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montreal. The course will be 13.3 kilometres long, with 247 metres of elevation gain. Juniors and participants over 60 will complete two laps, for a total of 26.6 kilometres, while cyclists aged between 40 and 59 will complete three laps, covering 39.9 kilometres. All participants must represent their National Federations, hold a UCI licence and meet the eligibility requirements established for the competition.
Professional cycling reform enters a new phase
While esports continue to expand their competitive reach, the UCI has also begun structuring a reform of men’s and women’s professional road cycling. The organisation created a steering committee bringing together representatives of the main stakeholders involved in the sport, including UCI leadership, the Professional Cycling Council, organisers, teams, cyclists, members of the Athletes’ Commission and representatives of some of the leading events and professional structures. The group held its first meeting on 6 October in Geneva, with two further meetings scheduled before progress is presented at the UCI Women’s WorldTour and the UCI WorldTour Seminar, scheduled for 9 and 10 December in Benidorm.
The initiative builds on the consultation on the future of road cycling conducted by the UCI in 2026. Responses showed broad agreement among the sport’s stakeholders on several challenges, including safety, the distribution of financial resources among teams, calendar organisation, and the management of commercial and media rights. To support the committee’s work, the UCI appointed Deloitte as its strategic adviser. Specialists from its global sports division participated in the first meeting in Geneva and will contribute to developing a vision and roadmap, while the first measures resulting from the process could be implemented as early as the 2029 season.
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