Newsletter UCI – Listopad 2021

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Sustainability, and the role cycling has to play in the planet’s future, has been very much in the headlines since our last UCI newsletter.

It is widely recognised that cycling can provide solutions to modern-day challenges such as climate change, public health, traffic congestion and air pollution. This was highlighted on 26 and 27 October at our third UCI Mobility and Bike City Forum in Odense, Denmark. I was thrilled to meet so many cycling leaders, advocates, mobility experts and National Federation representatives to exchange on the future of active mobility.

This theme came to the fore again at the United Nations COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, which finished on 12 November.  The UCI joined an international coalition in signing a joint letter to governments asking them to commit to significantly increasing the number of people who cycle in their countries. We fully believe this is necessary to reach global climate goals quickly and effectively.

One of the events organised at the COP26 focused on the power of the bike. UCI Vice-President Enrico Della Casa and our Advocacy and Development Manager Isabella Burczak spoke on panels as part of this event hosted with the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and the Scottish government.

Still on the theme of sustainability, it was my pleasure to travel to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) at the beginning of the month to meet with H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, and to award the capital with the UCI Bike City label. As well as hosting the 2022 and 2024 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships and the 2028 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, Abu Dhabi is making huge efforts, through its expansive cycling for all strategy, to extend the city’s cycling infrastructure and encourage more people to ride bikes.

As you know, my aim is to make cycling one of the world’s most sustainable sports, and for that we need the support of all our National Federations. I urge you to consult our Sustainability Guidelines which we published this year and which are available on the UCI website.

I also recently visited Vatican City (Italy) where I met with Card. Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, to offer the Pope the official cycling jersey of the Vatican. The ancient bond between cycling and the Vatican, our member National Federation most recently affiliated at the UCI Congress in September 2021, is part of our sport’s rich history.

Our last UCI World Championships of the year, for indoor cycling, have now been held. After their postponement last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the indoor cyclists and cycle-ball players were able to compete at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart (Germany) cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd. I was very pleased to be able to attend a day of the competitions and experience first-hand the incredible performances and atmosphere.

On a more sombre note, I was deeply saddened by the death of our UCI World Cycling Centre trainee Desiet Tekeste following an accident during training in her home country, Eritrea. Since she first came to us in Aigle in 2018, we have seen her develop from a Junior athlete to a valued member of our UCI Continental Team, WCC Team. She will be remembered not only for her talent and promise as a cyclist, but for her kind, friendly and glowing personality. Our thoughts go to her family and all those close to her.

With all our UCI World Championships now over, the renewal of the UCI Athletes’ Commission has been completed. You will recall that two athletes – one man and one woman – per discipline were elected by their peers at their respective 2021 UCI World Championships. At their first meeting in December, the Commission members will elect their President, who will automatically serve on the UCI Management Committee.

Moreover, we will be announcing the renewal of our UCI Commissions for the 2021-2025 period this week, the composition of which will be published on the UCI website. I am delighted that these Commissions now comprise significantly more women than previously, the latter now make up 59 of the 183 members. A special edition of the UCI Newsletter dedicated to the subject will be published in the next few days.

Although all our 2021 rainbow jerseys have now been awarded, racing action continues nearly every weekend until the end of the year with our new UCI Track Champions League and the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup. Both these series are featuring spectacular battles between the very best of the two disciplines, and I look forward to the next rounds.

David Lappartient
UCI President

Please note that for 2022, there will only be one application period.

The International Relations Services (internationalrelations@uci.ch) are available to answer any queries you may have as well as advise and guide you in applying for the UCI Solidarity Programme.

Newly appointed and reelected National Federations Presidents
On the African continent, Mr. Wondimu Hailu has been elected as the President of the Ethiopian Cycling Federation. As for Messrs Mahamat Abakar Mahamat and Giandomenico Massari, they were respectively re-elected to the presidency of the National Federation of Chad (Fédération Tchadienne de Cyclisme) and the Cycling Federation of Nigeria.

In Europe, Mr. Emin Müftüogl, former UCI Management Committee member, took up his position as the President of the Turkish Cycling Federation on 3 November 2021.

In Oceania, Mr. Tony Holden has been elected President of Cycling New Zealand.

We wish them all the very best in the promotion and development of cycling in each of their countries and thank them for their commitment to the sport.

SPORTS

• 2023 UCI Masters Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships
• 2023 and 2024 UCI Masters Cyclo-cross World Championships
• 2023 and 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships
• 2024 and 2025 UCI Masters Mountain Bike World Championships
• 2024 and 2025 UCI Junior Track World Championships
• 2024 and 2025 UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships
• 2025 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships
• 2025 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships
• 2025 and 2026 UCI Track World Championships
• 2025 and 2026 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships
• 2025, 2026 and 2027 UCI Gravel World Championships
• 2026 and 2028 UCI Road World Championships
• 2026 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships
• 2027 UCI Cycling World Championships.

The bidding documents for the events mentioned can be found on the UCI website.

Candidates are requested to send the UCI a letter of support from their local authorities and National Federation by 31 December, as well as their completed bidding file and fee by 31 January 2022 at the latest.

You can find the list of the next UCI World Championships on the UCI website.

For any additional information, candidates may contact the UCI Sports Department at sportsdepartment@uci.ch.

Registration of UCI Women’s Continental Teams and UCI Continental Teams
You are reminded that the deadline for the submission of the fully completed UCI Women’s Continental Teams and UCI Continental Teams files by the National Federations was 10 November.

The UCI is currently carrying out checks on the submitted files. In this respect, we strongly recommend that National Federations and teams involved in this process log on frequently to the UCI DataRide – Teams platform to check the status of their file. Should there be requests for clarification or elements which are rejected, it is recommended that they intervene as soon as possible so as not to delay the publication of the team’s name in the list of registered teams (see also below for information on mandatory invitations).

Finally, we kindly ask National Federations to send the annex A-3.2 signed by the respective representatives of each team wishing to register to road@uci.ch.

Sport Directors’ course
From 8 to 12 November, the UCI, in collaboration with the UCI World Cycling Centre, welcomed a record 81 candidates, who attended the Sport Directors’ course in view of obtaining its certificate. This number is explained by the fact that the organisation of this course was not possible in 2020 due to restrictions in place in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, and by the significant development of women’s cycling. Candidates were taught by both UCI specialist staff and external speakers with specific expertise.

The examination took place on Friday 12 November and the results will be communicated to candidates as soon as possible. We invite those who did not have the opportunity to register for this session and who fall within the scope of article 1.1.077 of the UCI Regulations to consult the UCI website regularly for information on the next session as soon as it becomes available.

Final 2021 season rankings and obligatory invitations
All the final rankings for the 2021 season, calculated this year on 31 October 2021, are available on the UCI website.

Following the publication of these rankings and regarding the obligatory invitations provided for in article 2.1.007bis, we draw the attention of the teams which would have finished at the top of these classifications, that only the teams duly registered at the beginning of January will be able to benefit from these invitations, in accordance with article 2.17.040 §3.

Therefore, we invite these teams to ensure that their registration file is compliant or to regularise their situation as soon as possible.

Any delay in the publication of the team on the UCI website once the registration has concluded may result in them losing their automatic invitation.

2022 UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong (Australia)
The city of Wollongong will host the 2022 UCI Road World Championships between 18 and 25 September next year.

To deliver a successful global event, Wollongong 2022 has set up an official travel office to oversee the travel arrangements of National Federations, partners, media and fans. The Wollongong 2022 Travel Office, managed by global cycling tour operator Mummu Cycling, is available to assist with accommodation, transport and logistics.

The UCI invites National Federations to use the services offered by the Wollongong 2022 Travel Office. For more information, please click here.

Please note that a specific email address has been created for the UCI Road World Championships. We kindly ask you to contact rwc@uci.ch should you have any questions and require further information.

National Federations should forward any registration applications and requests for changes to track@uci.ch.

• Team name
• Contact person
• Email address of the team
• Nationality of the team.

The registration and payment deadline is 15 January 2022.

In accordance with UCI Regulations, the application criteria for UCI Mountain Bike Teams are as follows:

• UCI Mountain Bike Endurance Teams can apply for registration only if they have at least 75 points in the UCI endurance team ranking, calculated as per article 4.13.002.
• UCI Mountain Bike Gravity Teams can apply for a registration only if they have at least one point in the gravity team ranking, calculated as per article 4.13.002.

2021 Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championships
The Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championships took place in Parque das Nações in Lisbon (Portugal)between 15 and17 October 2021. The spectacular Velosolutions Pump track located in Parque das Nações, next to the famous Vasco da Gama Bridge, set the stage for the ultimate showdown, with some of best pump track riders in the world.

Eddy Clerte (FRA) and Aiko Gommers (BEL) were crowned the new UCI World Champions.

2021 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon Series
With the Absa Cape Epic as last event of the 2021 season, the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon Series came to an end. The winners of the overall standing are Andreas Seewald (GER) and Katazin Sosva (LTU).

2021 Enduro World Series
The 2021 edition of the Enduro World Series concluded at Tweed Valley, Great Britain. The winners of the overall standing are Jack Moir (AUS) and Mélanie Pugin (FRA).

UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup
Jeroen van Eck (NED) and Gaia Tormena (ITA) won the sixth and final round of the 2021 UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup in Barcelona (Spain).

Van Eck and Tormena secured the overall UCI World Cup titles of the speciality with 365 and 450 points respectively. While the men’s competition was decided on the very last race of the season, the UCI World Champion Tormena already had her overall title confirmed at the previous round in France, in which she was unable to race.

Results from each round are available on the UCI website.

The 2021 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup concluded and the overall winners are as follows:

• Men Elite:               Simon M. Marquart (SUI) – 740 points, with 3 World Cup wins in 2021
• Women Elite:          Mariana Pajón (COL) – 815 points, with 2 World Cup wins in 2021
• Men Under 23:       Asuma Nakai (JPN) – 810 points, with 3 World Cup wins in 2021
• Women Under 23:  Thalya Burford (SUI) – 970 points, with 3 World Cup wins in 2021

Action from the fifth and sixth rounds can be viewed at this link.

You can watch the highlight of the closing rounds of the 2021 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup at this link.

The 2022 UCI BMX Racing World Cup series starts in May 2022 – the locations and dates are due to be announced shortly.

2022 UCI BMX Racing Regulations
Updates to Part VI – BMX of the UCI Regulations, effective from 1 January 2022, have been published on the UCI website.

2022 UCI BMX Racing Teams
Registration for the 2022 UCI BMX Racing Teams is now open. The deadline for registration for your team is 15 January 2022.

The benefits of registering a UCI BMX Racing Team are:

• Allocation of one Team Bib during UCI BMX Racing World Cup events.
• Online registration to UCI BMX Racing World Cup events for riders in a UCI BMX Racing team.
• UCI BMX Racing World Cup rainbow passes. The same number of passes (as defined each season for the series) available to National Teams shall be available for UCI BMX Racing Teams. For the sake of clarity, all riders entered by the team are accredited for each UCI BMX Racing World Cup event by virtue of their race entry, and are not given rainbow passes.
• The right to a team tent and parking at UCI BMX Racing World Cup events under the same conditions and prices as those set for national teams by the event organisers.
• Access to the UCI Arbitral Board for their riders, their paying agents and the UCI BMX Racing team’s principal partners.
• Two sporting accreditations and one Team Bib during the UCI BMX Racing World Championships.

Documents to register a UCI BMX Racing Team must be completed and returned to offroad@uci.ch by 15 January 2022 ensuring that the subject line includes “UCI BMX Racing Team Registration” and the Team name.

The UCI BMX Team Registration forms can be found here.

The term “BMX” becomes systematically “BMX Racing” from 2022
From 1st January 2022, the term “BMX” – which includes the Supercross format – will be systematically replaced by “BMX Racing”. This modification applies when referring to the discipline and to its different denominations, meaning:

• the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup becomes the UCI BMX Racing World Cup
• the UCI BMX World Championships become the UCI BMX Racing World Championships
• the UCI BMX Commission becomes the UCI BMX Racing Commission.

This decision, approved by the UCI Management Committee, was taken to ensure a clear distinction between the discipline of BMX Racing and the discipline of BMX Freestyle.

From 2022, all event branding, event logos and BMX Racing handles will reflect this change.

In addition, the distinction between the two disciplines will be made clearer with the following hashtag modifications:

• #BMXWorldCup becomes #BMXRacingWC
• #BMXFSWorldCup becomes #BMXFreestyleWC.

• 25-27 March 2022: Park and Flatland in Hiroshima, Japan
• 25-29 May 2022: Park and Flatland in Montpellier, France
• 3-5 June 2022: Park in Osijek, Croatia
• 20-23 October 2022: Park on the Gold Coast, Australia

UEC BMX Freestyle Park European Championships
On 13-14 November, the 2021 UEC BMX Freestyle Park European Championships were held in Moscow, Russia. An incredible event was delivered at the Music Media Dome where Anthony Jeanjean (FRA) grabbed his second European Park title in men and Nikita Ducarroz (SUI) won the women title.

The 2022 UEC BMX Freestyle Park European Championships will take place in Munich, Germany from 11-13 August 2022.

The leaders in the different categories are currently:

• Women Elite: Lucinda Brand (NED), Baloise Trek Lions
• Women Under 23: Puck Pieterse (NED), Alpecin Fenix
• Men Elite: Eli Iserbyt (BEL) Pauwels Sauzen Bingoal

Upcoming rounds

All information, including the programme of the events are available on: https://www.ucicyclocrossworldcup.com.

The riders’ registration for these events can only be done by the National Federations for the Men Elite and Women Elite categories. For both these categories, the deadlines to register riders on the UCI Online Registration system are as follows:

2022 Walmart UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships
The 2022 Walmart UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships are taking place on 29 and 30 January 2022 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA.

The following event information is available on the UCI website:

• Event schedule.
• Competition Guide version 1, including the Team Relay test event (scroll down and see „Official Documents“)

Please note that the accreditation system will open on 13 December 2021: https://uci.getyourevent.online/.

US travel restrictions
In early November, travel restrictions to the USA were updated. Please note that only fully vaccinated persons can enter US territory by air from abroad. If you plan to travel to Fayetteville, we kindly request that you acquaint yourself with the following information:

• Non-U.S. citizen, Non-U.S. immigrants – Air Travel to the USA.
• Accepted COVID-19 vaccines.

Conditions for travel and entry into the USA will continue to evolve in the coming weeks, specifically concerning testing before travel as well as tracking and tracing once on US territory. Please check all requirements before booking your trip.

2021-2022 UCI International Cyclo-cross Calendar: Women Junior category
A total of 44 Class 1 or Class 2 Cyclo-cross events (over 130 overall this season) have already added a Women Junior race to their schedule.

If you wish to support the development of the youth categories for women, you can still do so. The UCI calendar fee remains the same if an organiser decides to add a Women Junior race to their event.

Only the minimum prize money must be respected for the additional race (800 EUR for Group 1 National Federations as per the UCI Financial Obligations). Please note that this race can be combined with the Men Junior race or any other race (except Men Elite and Women Elite). Please contact your National Federation for approval and submission to offroad@uci.ch.

2022-2023 UCI Cyclo-cross Calendar
The procedure to register events on the 2022-2023 UCI Cyclo-cross International Calendar has started and will conclude with the approval by the UCI Management Committee on 28 January 2022. National Federations and current organisers have received information regarding the procedure including registration forms by email. If you have not received the form or if you want to register a new event, please contact your National Federation. The deadline for the submission of the registration forms is set to 15 December 2021.

2021 UCI Cycle-ball World Cup
The third and final round of the 2021 UCI Cycle-ball World Cup round took place on 13 November in Altdorf, Switzerland.

It was won by André Kopp and Raphael Kopp of RV Obernfeld (Germany).

It is the last opportunity for the teams to qualify for the 2021 UCI Cycle-ball World Cup Final in Grosskoschen, Germany, on 27 November 2021.

2021 UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships
From 29 to 31 October, the 2021 UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships took place in Stuttgart, Germany, with the participation of 120 athletes representing 18 nations.

The 2021 UCI World Champions are as follows:

• Artistic Cycling Single Men: Lukas Kohl (GER)
• Artistic Cycling Single Women: Milena Slupina (GER)
• Artistic Cycling Pair Open UCI World Champions: Serafin Schefold and Max Hanselmann (GER)
• Artistic Cycling Pair Women UCI World Champions: Selina Marquardt and Helen Vordermeier (GER)
• Artistic Cycling Team 4 Open (ACT4): Germany
• Cycle-Ball: Gerhard and Bernd Mlady (GER)

In cycle-ball, Belgium won the match against Japan. Consequently, 2022 will see Group A comprised of teams from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic Germany, France, Germany and Switzerland.

Further information, all the news and results are available on the UCI website.

We would kindly ask for your feedback regarding this edition of the UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships as it is important for us to improve the event from year to year. Please send your comments to indoor@uci.ch.

2021 UCI Artistic Cycling Ranking
The 2021 UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships was the last event to count towards the 2021 UCI Artistic Cycling Ranking. The trophies were awarded to the athletes on site. All newly crowned UCI World Champions won the ranking in their respective disciplines.

2022 UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships
The 2022 UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships will take place from 4 to 6 November 2022 at the Topsporthal Vlaanderen in Ghent, Belgium.

2022 UCI Cycle-ball World Cup
The UCI is accepting bids for the following events of the 2022 UCI Cycle-ball World Cup:

National Federations will receive confirmation of the appointed UCI Commissaires by the end of 2021.

As such, a rider risks being sanctioned when a GC or its metabolites or markers are found to exceed the laboratory reporting levels in a urine sample collected in-competition, even if a GC is prescribed and administered out-of-competition.

In order to prevent such occurrences for GCs administered as part of a legitimate medical intervention, the above-mentioned Guidance Document provides information on the following topics:

• GCs and the List of Prohibited Substances
• GCs and TUE applications
• Washout periods following administration of GCs by oral, intramuscular and local injection routes
• When to apply for a TUE
• How a TUE Committee would evaluate a GC TUE application.

Such document aims at assisting athletes and support personnel in their understanding of the new applicable regime to GCs in particular when they are administered as part of a legitimate medical intervention.

Please make sure that all your members, and in particular your athletes and their entourage are aware of the changes made to the GC regime and take note of the content of this document. The UCI strongly encourages you to help your riders to get familiarised with it.

Different panels held throughout the day dealt with topics such as sport tourism, urban planning, climate change and inclusive cycling promotion. These panels were addressed by 14 speakers, all experts in their domain, including representatives of National Federations, event organisers, international advocacy organisations, tourism boards, public authorities, and Non-Governmental Organisations.

Participants received key insights into means to strengthen the positive impact of cycling as both a sport and mode of transport, including: embedding sustainable tourism, social impact and job growth into event planning; the wider human dimension of infrastructure design; tips to reduce barriers to entry into cycling and make cycling accessible to all; the importance of partnerships, communities and cross-sectoral collaborations to enhance engagement and success; the intricacies of infrastructure planning within the Global South; recommendations for the cycling family to effectively affect global transport policy; and how to use cycling as a transformational tool for happier, healthier and human cities, among many others.

The morning following the Forum, participants benefitted from three different bike tours of Odense’s cycling infrastructures, with representatives of the UCI’s Bike Cities and Regions staying on in the afternoon for a knowledge sharing and sustainability workshop.

To ensure that all National Federations can access recordings from the event, all the panel discussions will be published on the UCI website and YouTube channel in the following days. Do not hesitate to watch the highlights video from the 2021 UCI Mobility and Bike City Forum here.

Four rounds will be held over the next three weekends – in Lithuania, Great Britain and Israel -, guaranteeing back-to-back spectacular racing.

As explained by the UCI’s Head of Track, Gilles Peruzzi, the new League is part of a carefully thought-out overhaul of track cycling to ensure the discipline is coherent, accessible and attractive for riders, nations, teams and fans.

History transitioning to the future
“The UCI is hugely proud of track cycling’s rich history, which goes back more than 125 years. But we also want to ensure that the discipline continues to flourish over the next 125 years,” says Peruzzi. “That is why, since 2016, we have carried out in-depth studies with our stakeholders to find out how we can build on its potential and increase its popularity even further, particularly in the years between the Olympic Games.”

The result has been to replace the UCI Track Cycling World Cup with a shorter – three rounds only – UCI Track Nations Cup. Tailor-made for national teams and with fewer rounds, this new format introduced in 2021 aims to ensure more nations compete at all events of the series. Held from April to June (as opposed to between October and January for the UCI World Cup), the UCI Track Nations Cup enables National Federations to earn valuable points that count towards qualification for the Tissot UCI Track World Championships (and the Olympic Games).

Those UCI World Championships, held for the first time this year at their new October date (as opposed to early in the calendar year previously), took place from 20 to 24 October in Roubaix (France). Not only were athletes vying for the prestigious rainbow jersey, they were also aiming to qualify for the brand new UCI Track Champions League.

Each round of the League takes place in one day with the same racing programme to ensure an interesting and coherent narrative across all rounds: individual sprint and keirin for the sprinters, and elimination and Scratch Race for the endurance riders. Eighteen riders can take part in each race, with hard and fast action guaranteed:

• Sprint: over 3 laps
• Keirin: 5 laps (2 behind derny)
• Scratch Race: a relatively short 5km
• Elimination: the last rider across the finish line every other lap is eliminated.

The same number of men and women are competing and receive equal prize money.

Television feast
The UCI has partnered with Discovery Sports Events for the UCI Track Champions League. This partnership ensures global coverage via Discovery channels that include Eurosport and Global Cycling Network.

For François Ribeiro, Head of Discovery Sports Events, track cycling has the potential to be one of the most exciting forms of televised sport: “Discovery Sports Events has applied its experience in motorsport, which shares similar DNA of high speed, adrenalin, and unpredictability, but also engages audiences with an accessible, short format, live data driven approach,” he says. “This isn’t about rewriting the rules of track cycling, but simply dialling up the excitement and making it accessible to a wider range of sports fans.”

He explained that European venues have been favoured in the first edition of the series in order to mitigate travel and logistical challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Consequently, we identified a number of world class velodromes including a mix of more established sites such as London and Palma as well as newer venues including Panevezys and Tel Aviv,” he explained.

The television-viewing possibilities for fans are vast. The league is broadcast globally by Eurosport and is also available to watch live and ad-free on GCN+. In addition, a number of 3rd party global broadcast partners have come on board, helping to bring the innovative new series to a large mainstream global audience.

UCI Track Champions League programme
A round scheduled to take place in St-Quentin-en-Yvelines on 20 November had to be cancelled as the velodrome is being used as a Covid-19 vaccination centre. The remaining rounds are:

27 November: Panevezys, (Lithuania)
3 December: London (Great Britain)
4 December: London (Great Britain)
11 December: Tel Aviv (Israel).

 #SOCIALMEDIA

UCI WCC CORNER

“I wanted to be one of the best cyclists in the world,” he remembers.

And now he is.

Second in the UCI World Ranking for both the , Nicholas Paul has lived the sort of year he dreamed of when he first set foot at the UCI WCC.

Qualifying for the Olympic Games had been a major long-term goal, and 2021 saw him travel to Tokyo to live the dream.

More than simply qualifying, Paul earned himself an Olympic Diploma thanks to his 6^th place in the sprint at the Izu Velodrome.

“My original goal was to qualify for the Olympic Games, but once I was qualified, my goal was to win a medal,” he explains. “In the sprint I qualified in the top four guys, then to finish sixth and be competitive with the top guys was amazing. The Olympic Games were mind-blowing, it was something I had dreamed of…  seeing the Olympic rings on the track!”

He had more than proven that he was among the best in the world, but he still hadn’t qualified for the 2021 UCI Track Cycling World Championships!

So, in September, it was direction Cali (Colombia) for the UCI Track Cycling Nations Cup to earn the necessary points to be able to compete for the rainbow jersey in Roubaix (France) the following month. Nicholas Paul more than proved his form in Colombia, winning the kilometre time trial, the keirin and the individual sprint… and earning his ticket for the UCI Worlds in Roubaix. He had four weeks of training at the UCI WCC to prepare.

“The month between Cali and Roubaix was really hard, both physically and mentally. I had to get back into focus. It was tough, but training for cycling is never easy!”

Nicholas Paul was not travelling to Roubaix simply to participate: he claimed silver in the kilometre time trial behind one of the Netherlands’ Olympic stars, Jeffrey Hoogland.

“My aim was to win. I don’t think about the other names on the start list. I just want to win. Anything can happen on the day. And second is still a great achievement. My medal is hanging up in my room, reminding me to keep going for gold and the rainbow jersey.”

Another motivation is the photo of the rainbow jersey that his UCI WCC coaches have stuck to the back of the pacing scooter during training.

Nicholas Paul’s sterling results and UCI World Ranking mean he was named among the pre-qualified riders for the new UCI Track Champions League, a series featuring only the cream of international track cycling. He lies fourth in the sprint ranking after the first round in Mallorca (Spain) at the beginning of this month, with the following rounds due to take place in Panevezys, (Lithuania) on 27 November, London (Great Britain) on 3 and 4 December and Tel Aviv (Israel) on 11 December.

It will have been a long year of major competitions and hard training far from home, although he did manage a trip back to Trinidad and Tobago between Tokyo and Cali.

“I do miss home but here (the UCI World Cycling Centre) is the best place to be for me. It’s a great atmosphere training with Craig (McLean, coach) Jai and the guys.*

“We’re not teammates, we’re family.”

There will be little let-up for Nicholas Paul in 2022, with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (Great Britain), the UCI World Championships in Montigny-le-Bretonneux (France) and no doubt the start of the qualification process for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

*Three of Nicholas Paul’s fellow trainees at the UCI WCC also qualified for the Olympics: fellow Trinidadian Kwesi Browne, South African Jean Spies, and Suriname’s Jair Tjon En Fa (who finished 4^th in the keirin). Jean and Jair are also competing in the UCI Track Champions League with Nicholas Paul, alongside another UCI WCC trainee Jai Angsuthasawit (Thailand).

Desiet Kidane Tekeste – 2000-2021
Everyone at the UCI World Cycling Centre was devastated by the death of road cycling trainee Desiet Kidane Tekeste, from Eritrea, after being hit by a car while training in the Eritrean capital Asmara.

We first got to know Desiet in 2018 when she came to the UCI WCC for a Junior Road training camp. She returned to Aigle for two months the following year before being invited to join our UCI Continental Team, WCC Team. The Covid-19 pandemic mean she never made it to Switzerland in 2020, but it was a huge pleasure to have her back racing with our team in 2021.

At 21 years old, Desiet had a promising future in cycling and will be sorely missed by her teammates, colleagues and staff.

Our sincere condolences go to her loved ones.

For any further information, do not hesitate to contact the different UCI departments.
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