The UCI has officially confirmed the introduction of an Under-23 women's category at the Road World Championships, starting at Wollongong 2022 in Australia later this year. However, the wait for standalone races for U23 women will have to wait until the 2025 Worlds in Rwanda.
Plans for an U23 women category, to reach equality with the men's schedule, were first revealed when Cyclingnews asked UCI president David Lappartient about the matter at last year's Worlds in Belgium.
This week, the UCI held its latest Management Committee meeting, in which the roadmap for the U23 women's category at the Road World Championships was set in stone.
As suggested by Lappartient back in September, the first step will be for the creation of U23 women's titles in road race and time trial, but within the existing elite women's races. In a format already used by several federations for national championships, the winner of the U23 title is simply the highest-placed finisher below the age of 2023.
Such plans attracted widespread criticism from within the women's peloton but the UCI has decided not to accelerate plans for standalone U23 women's races, confirming in the Committee meeting that this would only happen from 2025.
"As a transitional measure for the 2022, 2023 and 2024 UCI Road World Championships, for technical and logistical reasons and due to commitments already made, the women's races will include both the Elite Women and Under 23 Women categories," read a statement from the UCI.
"The two titles will be awarded at medal ceremonies during which the UCI World Champions will be presented with a rainbow jersey and the three riders on the podium with medals corresponding to their rank. From the 2025 edition, which will be held in Kigali (Rwanda), a separate event will be organised for athletes in the Women Under 23 category."
The UCI claimed that the creation of the U23 category was "a further step towards parity" and part of a UCI policy that "will lead, after an incremental progressional, to the full attainment of this key objective".
There have been growing calls for an U23 women's category at the World Championships to match the men's programme and to help create a bridge from the juniors - which already has its own category - to the elite professional ranks. Australian rider Sarah Gigante said the current system was "completely unfair".
However, the new 'transition' plans are unlikely to satisfy many. After they were first revealed in September, a number of riders hit out, with 21-year-old Niamh Fisher-Black questioning the logic of the 'race within a race' format.
"If your'e going to have a title for u23 give us our own race. It's a complete different dynamic," the New Zealander wrote on social media.
"The point of this sport is to cross the line first, not finish somewhere in the bunch and get rewarded for it. That’s not why I race. Come back when you can give us a proper race."
The UCI already organises an U23 women's category in other disciplines, such as cyclo-cross, while the European Federation has a standalone category for its European Road Championships.
In its press release on Saturday, the UCI referred to 'technical and logistical reasons', echoing comments made by Lappartient back in September.
"It’s wonderful to welcome Worlds but when you’re the mayor of the host city and you say ‘I close my city for eight or nine days, and now one day more’ - because this is what will happen - that’s also something to consider," he said, while technical director Peter Van den Abeele added: "The Road Worlds programme is already quite busy."
