Cycling tries to go global with new one-day UCI Classics Series
New format could sha𝐆ke up men’s WorldTour i𝄹n 2020






The framework of the new UCI Classics Series - the new men's WorldTour one-day races set to be introduced in 2020 - emerged during the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:UCI Road World Championships in Innsbruck, with the changes likely to sha💙ke-up the men's WorldTour and divide the WorldTour calendar into Grand Tours and short stage races and the one-day Classics.
While commercial and technical details have still to be thrashed out with the race organisers, teams and riders, the UCI hopes the creation of a season-long Classics series can make the sport more global, more seasonal and ultimately attract more revenဣue that will be shared between the race organisers, the teams and the r💮iders.
The 20-25 race UCI Classics Series could eventually develop into a Formula 1-type series, with t✨he best one-day riders competing in all the weekend races and targeting overall victory in the series. They would perhaps still ride the Grand Tours but could reduce the number of stage races they ride per season 🌠in order to focus more on the UCI Classics Series.
UCI President Davi🍰d Lappartient has been cautious about making major proclamations about the format for the UCI Classics Series because he has yet to fully convince the major race organisers and the leading teams to work together on the plans. As part of the wider WorldTour reforms agreement, all the stakeholders have to agree for the project to move forward. If one refuses, the UCI Classics Series will not happen.
"We can perhaps compare it to being at the foot of L'Alpe d'Huez," Lappartient said in Innsbruck, perhaps knowing he has a mountain to climb to stop race organisers and teams fighting over revenue and control of the new-look race series, where television rights and other income will be pooled and any profits shared.
20-25 races in spring and late summer
The UCI Classics Series would shake up the current cycling calendar, with between ꦫ20 and 25 one-day races held on weekends from January/February to April and from mid-August to the end of the season.
Stage races will then dominate the racing calendar from the Tour de Romandie in late Aꦗpril, via the Giro d'Italia, the Criterium du Dauphine, the Tour de Suisse, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana.
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The 20-25 races will have the five monuments – Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Il Lombardia as the cornerstones of the calendar. Other established one-day races will be included, but there are plans to create new events in new markets to help push the global im꧅pact and visibility of professional cycling. There are currently 19 one-day races in the WorldTour calendar, suggesting up to six new events may be added for 2020.
The UCI Classics Series is likely to crown an overall winner based on points, with the best riders expected to compete on the cobbles, the Ardennes hills and acro♌ss the whole UCI Classics Series calendar.
"We want our sport to be as global as possible and have a worldwide calendar throughout theꩵ season and across different continents," Lappartient said. "We don't have races in key markets in the Americas or Asia, and that's why we need a global model. Those markets can also help European teams find major sponsors."
T🧔he WorldTour teams will be obliged to ride all the current one-day WorldTour races in the UCI Classics Series💜 but have the right to skip some of the new races. There will be places for the best-ranked Pro Continental teams, and race organisers can invite some wildcard teams.
The UCI Classi💟cs Series will overlap with stage races on𓄧 the existing WorldTour calendar and other continental calendars, with global travel from race to race perhaps also an issue to resolve to protect rider health.
The UCI Classics 🐷Series will perhaps overshadow long-standin💧g stage races, but leading race organisers may be prepared to sacrifice stage races that struggle to make a profit to defend the Grand Tours and be part of the UCI Classics Series.
"The idea is not to increase the number of race days for riders and teams and not to push the team with extra travel costs. This us just an idea, it's not set in stone, but for example the UAE co🍌uld reduce its st🍸age race by one day and add a one-day Classic," Lappartient suggested.
Create new revenue growth for all
Only Paris-Roubaix secures any real television rights 🅠revenue amongst the curren🎶t one-day Classics, with Milan-San Remo apparently only shown live on terrestrial television in four European countries.
Lappartient and his advisors hope that bundling television rights and using new digital technology and a possible united digital platform can significantly raise revenue, as has occurred in other sports. The idea is also to combine the best skills of each race organiser to ensure the best image and data productio🔯n, secure global distribution and so sell the sport to a wider global audience.
Lappartient, despite coming from the Brittany in the💟 traditional heartland of French cycling, is not afraid to innovate or go against the historic structure of men's professional cycling.
"It's risky, but there's always risk in life," Lappartient told Cyclingnews. "We know we can expect challenges ahead but believe that together we can work out a gꦿood solution."

Stephen is one of the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.