UCI will allow points from other disciplines to count in road team rankings
At its annual UCI Congress held at the sport's Road World Championships this week, the sport's governing body announced a rule change in how road teams' points are calculated that could have the effect of encouraging multidisciplinary competition.
From 2027, the UCI will allow "a limited number of points based on the results obtained by their riders in other disciplines" to count toward their trade teams' ranking on the road. "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," the UCI said in a press release announcing that and other changes.
The exact specifics were not disclosed but the rule would apply to men's pro riders in the top 20 of their team's points ranking and women riders in the top eight of their team's ranking. The points will not count toward a rider's individual road ranking or in the nations rankings. The practical effect of the rule change could be to encourage multi-disciplinary riders to continue to compete outside of the road calendar. In past years, star riders like Lotte Kopecky, Mathieu van der Poel, Cat Ferguson, Tom Pidcock and Blanka Vas have regularly competed on the track and in cyclocross and mountain bike events.
