Teams outvoted over new best host nation jersey for stage races

At its meeting in Aigle on 1 and 2 September, the PCC agreed to allow “organisers of National Tours (stage races) to create an additional distinctive jersey for the best rider of the nationality of the event”.

The UCI said the conditions for introducing the jersey have yet to be defined.

The proposal is optional rather than mandatory, meaning individual race organisers will decide whether to introduce the classification and jersey.

The measure did not pass unanimously. Escape Collective reported on Monday that the men’s and women’s teams, represented by the AIGCP, voted against the proposal.

The idea was put forward by the race organisers’ association, the AIOCC, and passed with the support of the UCI and the riders’ union, the CPA.

According to an AIGCP monthly report obtained by Escape Collective, the teams’ main concern relates to sponsor visibility. A new classification jersey would create additional space for race sponsors while reducing exposure for the commercial partners of the team whose rider wears it.

Teams are set to receive additional hotel rooms and VIP passes as compensation.

The proposal is one of several PCC decisions awaiting approval from the UCI Management Committee, which meets in Montréal from 20 to 22 September during the World Championships. The changes will not take effect unless they are formally confirmed by the committee.

Safety also featured prominently on the agenda at the Aigle meeting earlier this month.

With stakeholder groups unable to reach agreement on a joint proposal, the UCI said it would develop protocols and a regulatory framework for real time GPS tracking of riders and vehicles. Implementation is expected to begin in the WorldTour and Women’s WorldTour.

UCI president David Lappartient called on stakeholders to put their differences aside on matters of safety, saying commercial interests should never take precedence.

Proceedings in Aigle began with a tribute to Finlay Tarling, who died aged 19 following a crash on stage 8 of the Volta a Portugal on 14 August.

New requirements for barriers in the final hundreds of metres of races were also approved following research by HES SO Valais Wallis. They will first apply to WorldTour and Women’s WorldTour events in 2027 before being extended to other categories.

Three changes to the 2027 road calendar were also confirmed.

The Vuelta España Femenina will move to 3 to 10 October, prompting the Vuelta a Burgos Féminas to shift to 6 to 10 May. Eschborn Frankfurt will return to its traditional 1 May date.