The UCI President David Lappartient revealed that it is still possible for the RideLondon Classique to return to the Women’s WorldTour after it was stripped of this status when event organisers failed to provide adequate live TV coverage of the race.
UCI regulations stipulate that a minimum of 45 minutes of live coverage per stage must be available for an event to qualify for Women's WorldTour status. This year at RideLondon, however, only the last day’s circuit race around London was broadcast live while the previous two stages were shown as highlights packages.
“There is still a possibility, but it’s mandatory under the UCI specifications to have live TV so it’s clear that it was something we were asking for,” Lappartient said at the Grand Départ of the Tour de France.
“We know they are working on it, because they came back to us last week, and I hope they can finalize an agreement, and be secure in the WorldTour, because it’s a nice race.”
Lappartient’s comments aligned with a statement released by the UCI in June that temporarily reclassified the RideLondon Classique as a ProSeries race, a move that will be reversed if event organisers can present a firm commitment to offer live coverage of all stages.
“Daily live TV coverage of the UCI Women's WorldTour events, which include the most prestigious races in women's professional road cycling, is fundamental to ensure its continued international development,” the UCI’s statement said.
Since 2016, the RideLondon Classique has occupied a spot on the Women’s WorldTour, except for in 2020 and 2021 when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The race expanded to three stages this year after four editions as a WorldTour one-day race for sprinters that finished on The Mall.
As a one-day race, it was known for being one of the richest women’s races on the calendar, offering a total prize pot of €100,000. It was also one of the few races to ensure equal prize money for men and women when both races were held. In 2022, however, the prize pot was reduced to €60,000.
A final decision on the status of the RideLondon Classique will be made at the UCI Management Committee meeting in September.
