Rider agents facing UCI exam to obtain 2012 licence

The International Cycling Union has announced that rider agents who wish to operate in cycling after January 1, 2012, will have to pass a three-hour written examination on the rules of the sport which be held in September.

The UCI Management Committee approved new rules last October regulating the role of rider agent with the aim to professionalise, standardise and better monitor their activity.

From 1st January 2012, anyone wishing to represent a rider from a team in a ProTeam or Professional Continental Team will have to have obtained a rider agent Licence from their National Federation. This request will only be accepted for agents who are already certified by the UCI, hence the need for agents to pass the written exam. The only people exempt from the new rule are riders’ lawyers and relatives.

The UCI has announced the exam will be held at the World Cycling Centre in Aigle, Switzerland. The UCI will then publish a list of registered rider agents on its website.

The agents can chose to sit the exam in either English or French. The exam will test their understanding of UCI rules on a wide range of subjects including racing, betting and sponsorship. There will also be a section on new regulations concerning agents that the UCI will publish shortly.