The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and its education and training arm, the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC), today unveil the global UCI World Cycling Talent (UCI WCT) programme.

This landmark new programme is designed to identify, develop and support promising young cyclists from emerging cycling nations across Asia, Africa, Oceania and America. This ambitious athlete development initiative is already underway: phase 1 was launched on 20 April 2026, with twelve athletes from eleven countries currently training and racing in Brittany, France.

From one continent to the entire world

UCI WCT marks a decisive step forward in the UCI’s long-standing commitment to global cycling development. Building on the success of the UCI Africa 2025 programme – which demonstrated the transformative impact of targeted athlete support on a continental scale by preparing African athletes for the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda – the UCI is now taking that model up to a global scale.

The identified and selected athletes for the first phase come from Afghanistan, Belize, Bolivia, Ecuador, Eritrea, India, Namibia, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, and the United Arab Emirates, and now train and compete together. They are united under the UCI WCC colours, with shared access to coaching expertise, structured race programmes and professional support systems otherwise unavailable to them.

A programme built for the next generations

The premise of UCI WCT is straightforward: talent exists everywhere, but the conditions to develop it are not always in place. By providing young riders from smaller cycling nations with the infrastructure, competition exposure and mentorship typically reserved for those from established cycling nations, the UCI WCC aims to create structured pathways to the sport’s highest levels. The first year of the programme comprises two phases, providing athletes with an intensive road racing season in France along with individual development support from UCI coaches and staff.

Racing experience

Based in Josselin, France, the six women and six men currently participating in phase 1 (20 April - 14 June) compete regularly in regional races. These include, for example, the GP de Nantes (8 May), Rieux Open 3H (14 May) and the Tour de Loire-Atlantique (31 May) for the women and the Tour des Mauges (2-3 May), the Essor Breton (22-25 May) and the Route Vendéenne (12-14 June) for the men.

After a four-week break, some of these athletes will return, joined by new athletes to the UCI WCT programme, for the second phase (11 July to 13 September), continuing the European training and racing experience.

UCI President David Lappartient said: “Although there are incredibly talented cyclists in all regions of the world, they do not all have the same opportunities to realise their full potential. We are addressing that imbalance by providing training and racing opportunities in Europe, supported by a professional entourage, for athletes from countries with fewer resources. With the UCI World Cycling Talent programme, we want to ensure that cycling belongs to the entire world.”

UCI World Cycling Centre Director Jacques Landry said: “Following the success of the Africa 2025 programme - where Ethiopian talent Tsige Kyros achieved a top-10 place in the Women Junior road race at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships - the next step was to elevate this momentum globally. The aim is to channel more riders into the UCI WCC Development Pathway, with a view to progressing into the professional ranks via the UCI WCT programme.”