Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is a professional cycling union that oversees cycling events in the international community. The UCI is headquartered in Aigle, Switzerland. The English translation is the International Cycling Union.
The UCI issues racing licenses to riders and enforces disciplinary rules, such as in matters of doping. The UCI also manages the classification of races and the points ranking system in various cycling disciplines including mountain biking, road and track cycling, for both men and women, amateur and professional. It also oversees the World Championships — in which different countries compete instead of trade teams — in various disciplines and in different categories. The winners of these races have the right to wear a special rainbow jersey for the following year, and have the right to wear the same rainbow pattern on their jersey collar and cuffs for the remainder of their careers.
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History
The UCI was founded April 14, 1900 in Paris by the national cycling organisations of Belgium, the United States, France, Italy, and Switzerland.
In 2004, the UCI constructed a new 200 metre velodrome at the new world cycling centre adjacent to its headquarters.
Presidents
| Name | Country | Presidency |
|---|---|---|
| Emile de Beukelaer | Belgium | 1900-1922 |
| Léon Breton | France | 1922-1936 |
| Max Burgi | Switzerland | 1936-1939 |
| Alban Collignon | Belgium | 1939-1947 |
| Achille Joinard | France | 1947-1958 |
| Adriano Rodoni | Italy | 1958-1981 |
| Luis Puig | Spain | 1981-1990 |
| Hein Verbruggen | Netherlands | 1991-2006 |
| Pat McQuaid | Ireland | 2006- |
International governing body
Road racing
From 1988 until 2004, the UCI administered the UCI World Cup, a season-long competition incorporating all the major one-day professional road races. In 2005 this was replaced by the UCI ProTour series which includes the Grand Tour road cycling stage races (the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España) and a wider range of other one-day and stage races.
To expand the participation and popularity of professional road bicycle racing throughout the globe, the UCI develop a series of races collectively known as the UCI Continental Circuits for each region of the world.
Track cycling
The UCI Track World Championships for men and women offers individual and team championships in several track cycling disciplines.
Cyclo-cross
Each UCI-sponsored event feds into the season-long competition known as the UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup. In addition, a series of single-day events are held each year to determine the Cyclo-cross World Champion at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.
Mountain bike racing
In mountain bike racing, the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships is the most important and prestigious competition each year. This includes the disciplines of cross-country, downhill and 4-cross. In addition, this event consists of world championship events for bike trials riding.
The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is a series of races, held annually since 1991.
BMX racing
The season-long competition is known as the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup and the UCI BMX World Championships serves as the one-day world championships for BMX racing.
Indoor cycling
The UCI sponsors world championships for artistic cycling and Cycle ball at an annual event known as the UCI Indoor Cycling Championships.
External link
Categories
Cycle racing | Cycling organisations | IOC Recognised International Federations | Union Cycliste Internationale