UCI Makes Bid to Sanction Amateur Races, Training Camps, Group Rides

The UCI announced today its intention to launch new event classifications designed to include amateur events that do not meet the UCI's criteria for professional races, as well as organized non-competitive events such as training camps, Gran Fondos and even organized group rides. The classifications will follow the current convention used by the UCI, which begin with 1.n for a one-day event, and 2.n for a multi-day event, where the "n" refers to the classification within the category, with "1" being the highest, except for "HC" which is highester. An example of a 1.HC race is next week's Scheldeprijs in Belgium. Lesser known races such as the Grand Prix Pino Cerami the following day in Belgium is a 1.1.

The new amateur classifications will all begin with 0, regardless of whether they are 1-day or multi-day events. No events will be classified as 0.HC, and very few are also expected to be granted 0.1 or 0.2 status. UCI's director of Global Cycling Promotion Alain Rumpf is heading up the program, and expects most of the first events in the 0-Classification to receive a 0.4 status. Without apparent irony, he commented in a press conference, "We think the Category 4 is the benchmark for amateur racing, so we will start there."

Rumpf claims that the initiative can only strengthen competitive cycling across the globe, by exposing even non-competitive amateurs to the same technical and process standardization that has allowed professional cycling to flourish. "By leveling the playing field with technology, requiring pros - and now amateurs, and even enthusiasts - to ride UCI-approved bicycles and wear UCI-approved apparel, we are ensuring that training, tactics, fitness and grit determine winners - not innovation."

Some of the details of the new program are yet to be announced, including when it will be implemented, whether or not it will be mandatory for US race promoters, what the participation fee for promoters will be, what the per-registration supplement for racers will be, what the administrative expense will be, what additional expenses local race sponsors will bear to become UCI-approved amateur event sponsors, supplemental insurance costs, mandatory UCI officiating fees, and required UCI score reporting taxes.

GamJams contacted USA Cycling for some additional detail on how USAC would implement the program in its national, collegiate and local association events. A USAC official, who asked not to be named, said of the program, "Seriously? This is the first we've heard about it." Composing himself he went on, "once the UCI outlines all the details to us we will work together to plan an implementation." He later commented, "Yeah it's not something I expect we'll agree with. But it's the UCI and we want our racers to go to the Olympics and we'd like the Road Worlds in Richmond. So we'll object because that's what racers expect us to do, and then relent because that's what the UCI needs us to do. Just like that race radio thing at the NRC events."