Performances in other disciplines should count for road rankings too, says UCI: "We want to change that"

The UCI has ambitious plans to shake up the cycling world. The cycling federation wants points earned in other disciplines, such as mountain biking, cyclo-cross or track cycling, to count toward the UCI rankings for road teams. This would really benefit multidisciplinary teams.

Peter Van Den Abeele, Sports Director at the UCI, shared the news. "What we aim to do is include points from other cycling disciplines in the team classification that determines which teams get WorldTour licenses," he told Sporza. "A team like INEOS Grenadiers has a star like Filippo Ganna competing in major track events. That’s fantastic, but INEOS doesn’t earn any WorldTour points from that. That’s something we want to discuss and change."

"We could add value to teams by fully supporting them when they allow riders to compete in other disciplines." This means that cyclo-cross and track riders could contribute to their team’s position on the UCI rankings. "Points that Van der Poel and Van Aert earn in the World Cup could then be carried over to road cycling." However, this idea won’t be implemented immediately — Van Den Abeele shared that the plan could be introduced as early as 2026.

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Filippo Ganna could soon bring a significant boost in UCI points to his team

Van Den Abeele on Nys: "With all his talent, he should focus on road cycling"

In addition to the WorldTour news, Van Den Abeele also revisited his earlier remarks about the World Cup. Previously, he criticized cyclo-cross riders who choose to skip certain races. For example, Thibau Nys has been selective with his cyclo-cross calendar. "You could raise the question whether Thibau is still a typical cyclo-cross rider," Van Den Abeele wondered aloud. "I don’t think so. Look at what he accomplished last season. It may sound bold, but with all his talent, he should focus on road cycling."

Van Den Abeele holds no grudge against the European champion, even though UCI president Davide Lappartient was highly critical of the young talent’s absences last year. Van Den Abeele views some of the cyclo-cross stars as role models for Nys. "Maybe he should follow the example of Van Aert and Van der Poel and just select a few key cyclo-cross races. His salary is paid by his road racing team, and they have different goals. That’s just the reality."

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