David Lappartient re-elected as UCI President without opposition
Frenchman David Lappartient has been re-elected as president of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), securing a third consecutive four-year term until 2029. His re-election was confirmed on Thursday, September 25, during the 194th UCI Congress at the Kigali Convention Centre, held on the sidelines of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships.
The congress, officially opened by Rwandan president Paul Kagame, welcomed 115 members representing UCI national federations. Lappartient stood unopposed, and his confirmation followed article 41 of the UCI constitution which states: “If there is only one candidate for a position or there are several candidates with the same number of positions, the election shall be held without a vote.”
The 59-year-old has led the world cycling body since 2017, after previously serving as president of the French Cycling Federation (FFC) and the European Cycling Union (UEC). He also served as president of the French Olympic Committee between 2023 and 2025, most notably overseeing the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Earlier this year, he made an unsuccessful bid for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee.
His re-election builds on a second term secured in 2021, the same year Rwanda was awarded hosting rights for the 2025 UCI Road World Championships, the first time the event is staged on African soil.
As Lappartient begins his new term, he faces pressing challenges for the UCI. Rider safety remains a central issue, with a series of fatal crashes in recent years increasing the urgency for reform. The UCI has tabled several measures this year, but many of them have provoked backlash. Riders protested against the introduction of a higher minimum handlebar width, while a proposed gear ratio limit has already triggered legal action from manufacturer SRAM.
A test of the new GPS safety tracker during the Tour de Romandie Féminin ended in chaos, with five leading teams disqualified after refusing to comply. Critics argue that while the intention is right, the execution raises concerns, leaving the UCI under pressure to find consensus on how best to protect riders at ever higher speeds.
At the same time, Lappartient must navigate tensions around the controversial OneCycling project, which the UCI rejected in its current form earlier this year. Backed by major Saudi investments, several teams and organisers, the initiative aims to reshape the sport’s economic model. While the UCI has threatened sanctions against those pursuing the project, it has also left the door open to future dialogue, underscoring the tension between maintaining control of the sport and responding to calls for a new economic model.
What lies ahead may define not only the arc of his presidency, but the very contours of cycling’s future.
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