{"id":241768,"date":"2026-05-04T17:52:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T17:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/04\/we-are-gravely-concerned-the-cyclists-alliance-respond-to-the-ucis-request-for-consultation-on-the-future-of-the-sport\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T17:52:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T17:52:53","slug":"we-are-gravely-concerned-the-cyclists-alliance-respond-to-the-ucis-request-for-consultation-on-the-future-of-the-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/04\/we-are-gravely-concerned-the-cyclists-alliance-respond-to-the-ucis-request-for-consultation-on-the-future-of-the-sport\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;We are gravely concerned&#8217; &#8211; The Cyclists&#8217; Alliance respond to the UCI&#8217;s request for consultation on the future of the sport"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-a2a9f722-ebf5-4091-9395-51d678f8cb05\">The Cyclists&#8217; Alliance (TCA) have provided a response to the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/i-have-a-lot-of-thoughts-on-how-to-improve-cycling-says-demi-vollering-as-fdj-united-suez-assert-leadership-role-in-uci-reform-consultations\/\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/i-have-a-lot-of-thoughts-on-how-to-improve-cycling-says-demi-vollering-as-fdj-united-suez-assert-leadership-role-in-uci-reform-consultations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UCI&#8217;s consultation request<\/a> about the future of the sport.<\/p>\n<p>In a letter to the UCI, the rider advocacy body expresses concern about the lack of progress, despite apparent improvements in women&#8217;s racing.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-a2a9f722-ebf5-4091-9395-51d678f8cb05-2\">&#8220;The UCI has stated that women\u2019s cycling has experienced &#8216;<em>remarkable growth&#8217;<\/em> in recent years,&#8221; stated in the letter published on Monday. &#8220;However, as noted above, we are gravely concerned that this momentum has not led to a &#8216;stronger structure for women\u2019s professional cycling&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-continues-below block py-2 text-sm\">Article continues below <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"inline-block w-2.5 h-2.5 ml-2\" fill=\"currentColor\" preserveaspectratio=\"xMidYMid meet\" viewbox=\"0 0 1000 1000\"><path d=\"M1000 100L500 900 0 100h1000z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&#8220;Despite outward signs of progress, the sport remains built on fragile foundations,&#8221; the letter continues, quoting Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), who talked of her fear <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/im-afraid-that-the-worldtour-could-implode-at-some-point-but-lets-see-elisa-longo-borghini-warns-current-drain-on-grassroots-racing-could-wreak-havoc-higher-up-in-sport\/\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/im-afraid-that-the-worldtour-could-implode-at-some-point-but-lets-see-elisa-longo-borghini-warns-current-drain-on-grassroots-racing-could-wreak-havoc-higher-up-in-sport\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&#8220;the WorldTour could implode at some point.&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">The TCA&#8217;s letter to the UCI includes suggestions for radical changes to the funding structure, including revenue sharing and redistributing Women&#8217;s WorldTour race days, such as rescheduling the Vuelta Femenina to follow the men&#8217;s race in September.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">The association also pointed to poor coverage of some races, suggesting more should be mandated by the UCI.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Safety is also a concern, the TCA making a number of suggestions, including a &#8220;rider-centred approach&#8221; to GPS tracking, the elimination of sharp turns inside the final 500m of races and reform of the yellow card system.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-u8p2N7sKVPgnudGRxuCmWL\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-u8p2N7sKVPgnudGRxuCmWL slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Also, the letter included suggestions for improvements around the instability in the lower levels of the sport, which it identified as a major concern, pointing out the loss of races and higher budgets causing teams to fold, both of which are eroding development pathways for riders.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;At a time when women\u2019s cycling is experiencing increased visibility and momentum, The Cyclists\u2019 Alliance emphasizes that long-term success depends on strengthening the sport\u2019s underlying structures,&#8221; their press release states.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur goal is to ensure that growth in women\u2019s cycling is matched by a strong and sustainable foundation,\u201d said TCA Interim Managing Director Deena Blacking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis submission represents the collective voice of riders and a shared vision for how the sport can continue to evolve.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">The full letter runs to over 5,600 words and can be read on <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyclistsalliance.org\/miscellaneous\/the-cyclists-alliance-publishes-letter-to-uci-outlining-vision-for-a-stronger-future-for-womens-cycling\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" rel=\"noopener\">the organisation&#8217;s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/we-are-gravely-concerned-the-cyclists-alliance-respond-to-the-ucis-request-for-consultation-on-the-future-of-the-sport\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cyclists&#8217; Alliance (TCA) have provided a response to the UCI&#8217;s consultation request about the future of the sport. In a letter to the UCI, the rider advocacy body expresses concern about the lack of progress, despite apparent improvements in women&#8217;s racing. &#8220;The UCI has stated that women\u2019s cycling has experienced &#8216;remarkable growth&#8217; in recent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":241769,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-241768","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241768"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241768\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}