The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has issued an updated version of the men’s and women’s 2021 UCI Road International Calendar, in light of the current Covid-19 pandemic.
In total, across all classes of events (UCI WorldTour, UCI Women’s WorldTour, men’s and women’s UCI ProSeries, and men’s and women’s class 1 and 2 events), the UCI has received 70 requests to postpone events in 2021. Meanwhile, 60 races have had to be cancelled at the request of organisers, due to restrictions imposed by local authorities.
The calendar published was the subject of a wide consultation involving the concerned national federations and organisers, as well as the stakeholders of men’s and women’s road cycling (organisers, teams and riders).
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2021 edition of Eschborn-Frankfurt will take place on the first day of the 2021 UCI Road World Championships in Flanders (Belgium). This date, which takes into account the existing calendar and the UCI Worlds programme, was considered the best compromise following discussions with the different concerned parties.
The 2021 UCI WorldTour has so far been relatively spared from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with the cancellation of only two events, at the very beginning of the year in Australia: the Santos Down Under and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. The rest of the calendar remains unchanged.
When it comes to the UCI Women’s WorldTour, the Itzulia Basque Country Women (Spain), which should have been held on 14-16 May, has been postponed to 31 July; it will be organised under its former name, Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa, and on one day in 2021 before returning to its stage race format in 2022.
The Women’s Tour (Great Britain), which should have taken place on 7-12 June has been rescheduled for 4-9 October. As for the Tour of Chongming Island UCI Women’s WorldTour (China), which had been scheduled for 6-8 May, this has been postponed to 14-16 October, a few days preceding the Tour of Guangxi Women’s WorldTour.
Finally, the Women’s WorldTour Ronde van Drenthe (the Netherlands) is postponed from 14 March to 23 October and will conclude the 2021 UCI Women’s WorldTour.
For 2021, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (Australia) and the Prudential RideLondon Classique (Great Britain) were both cancelled. The other UCI Women’s WorldTour events should take place as initially planned.
The 2021 road season, which should have come to an end on 19 October (date of the end of the final 2021 UCI World Tour event, the Gree-Tour of Guangxi, and of the final 2021 UCI Women’s WorldTour event, the Tour of Guangxi Women’s WorldTour) is extended until 31 October. This extension allows for an extra margin in case of other postponements this year.
The UCI adds that it continues to closely follow the development of the international health situation and, if necessary, will adjust the calendar of events, for example with new postponements to dates before the season’s end, set at 31 October.
UCI President David Lappartient said “I thank the different stakeholders of men’s and women’s professional road cycling for their collaboration. Together, we have managed to establish a coherent revised calendar that suits the concerned parties.
“I would also like to point out that the UCI WorldTour and the UCI Women’s WorldTour, which bring together the biggest men’s and women’s one-day races and stage races, have already seen some major events take place. The 2021 editions of these two series look promising.
“This success can be credited to the measures taken by the UCI, in collaboration with organisers, teams and riders, to ensure the season can go ahead in the best possible conditions while protecting the health of riders and all participants.”
2021 UCI WorldTour (updated calendar)
21-27.02: UAE Tour (UAE)
27.02: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite (BEL)
06.03: Strade Bianche (ITA)
07-14.03: Paris-Nice (FRA)
10-16.03: Tirreno-Adriatico (ITA)
20.03: Milano-Sanremo (ITA)
22-28.03: Volta Ciclista a Catalunya (ESP)
24.03: Oxyclean Classic Brugge-De Panne (BEL)
26.03: E3 Saxo Bank Classic (BEL)
28.03: Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields (BEL)
31.03: Dwars door Vlaanderen – A travers la Flandre (BEL)
04.04: Ronde van Vlaanderen – Tour des Flandres (BEL)
05-10.04: Itzulia Basque Country (ESP)
11.04: Paris-Roubaix (FRA)
18.04: Amstel Gold Race (NED)
21.04: La Flèche Wallonne (BEL)
25.04: Liège-Bastogne-Liège (BEL)
27.04-02.05: Tour de Romandie (SUI)
08-30.05: Giro d’Italia (ITA)
30.05-06.06: Critérium du Dauphiné (FRA)
06-13.06: Tour de Suisse (SUI)
26.06-18.07: Tour de France (FRA)
31.07: Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa (ESP)
09-15.08: Tour de Pologne (POL)
14.08-05.09: La Vuelta Ciclista a España (ESP)
22.08: Euroeyes Cyclassics Hamburg (GER)
29.08: Bretagne Classic – Ouest-France (FRA)
30.08-05.09: BinckBank Tour
10.09: Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec (CAN)
12.09: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal (CAN)
19.09: Eschborn-Frankfurt (GER)
09.10: Il Lombardia (ITA)
14-19.10: Gree-Tour of Guangxi (CHN)
2021 UCI Women’s WorldTour (updated calendar)
06.03: Strade Bianche (ITA)
21.03: Trofeo Alfredo Binda – Comune di Cittiglio (ITA)
25.03: Oxyclean Classic Brugge-De Panne (BEL)
28.03: Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields (BEL)
04.04: Ronde van Vlaanderen – Tour des Flandres (BEL)
11.04: Paris-Roubaix Femmes (FRA)
18.04: Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition (NED)
21.04: La Flèche Wallonne Féminine (BEL)
25.04: Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes (BEL)
20-23.05: Vuelta a Burgos Feminas (ESP)
27.06: La Course by Le Tour de France (FRA)
31.07: Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa Women (ESP)
07.08: Postnord UCI WWT Vårgårda West Sweden TTT (SWE)
08.08: Postnord UCI WWT Vårgårda West Sweden RR (SWE)
12-15.08: Ladies Tour of Norway (NOR)
24-29.08: Boels Ladies Tour (NED)
30.08: GP de Plouay – Lorient Agglomération Trophée Ceratizit (FRA)
03-05.09: Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta (ESP)
04-09.10: The Women’s Tour (GBR)
14-16.10: Tour of Chongming Island UCI Women’s WorldTour (CHN)
19.10: Tour of Guangxi Women’s WorldTour (CHN)
23.10: Women’s WorldTour Ronde van Drenthe (NED)
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