Cyclocross Season Braces for Major Changes in 2024-2025
March 1, 2023 – Cycling Weekly
With the current cyclocross season winding down, the sport’s governing body, the UCI, has already announced a series of significant rule changes set to take effect in the 2024-2025 campaign. The modifications were reviewed during the UCI Management Committee meeting held on February 2-4 in conjunction with the Cyclocross World Championships in Prague.
Key Changes
The key changes focus on enhancing the status of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup events. A new “protected event” designation will be granted to up to half of the World Cup races, allowing the UCI to refuse the addition of any conflicting events on the same date. This move aims to promote the internationalization of cyclocross and ensure the priority of sporting interests when it comes to rider participation.
Furthermore, the UCI is tightening the obligations for highly-ranked cyclocross athletes. Riders in the top 20 of the men’s and women’s elite rankings will no longer be allowed to compete in national-level events, as the governing body seeks to ensure “balanced participation” across the different categories of cyclocross competitions.
To incentivize the participation of these top-tier riders, the UCI has mandated that the first two rows of the elite races at World Cup events be reserved for the highest-ranked athletes in the series.
Team Obligations
For registered cyclocross teams, new rules have been introduced as well. UCI Professional Cyclocross teams must now send at least three riders, across both the men’s and women’s elite categories, to all rounds of the World Cup. The smaller UCI Cyclocross teams are required to field at least one rider in either category for a minimum of five World Cup events.
Rider Participation Concerns
The 2023-2024 season witnessed some controversy surrounding rider participation, with young star Thibau Nys opting to compete in a Superprestige race rather than a World Cup event. UCI Chairman David Lappartient heavily criticized this decision, warning that such behavior may jeopardize a rider’s ability to participate in other World Cup races and the World Championships.
Riders and team managers have also raised concerns about the increasingly crowded cyclocross calendar, with 14 or 15 World Cup events in recent seasons, compared to the pre-COVID era of around 8 or 9 events. This has led to calls for more rest periods and strategic race selection in the build-up to the World Championships.
As the sport prepares for the 2024-2025 season, the cycling community eagerly awaits the release of the official UCI Cyclocross World Cup calendar, which will shed more light on the implementation of these new rules and regulations.
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