Dear members,
It has been a few weeks since the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships and the UCI Management Committee meeting took place in Valkenburg last February. Still early that month I flew to PyeongChang, South Korea, for the 132nd IOC (International Olympic Committee) Session; which finished the day before the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Apart from the informative and positive meetings there, this was a fantastic occasion for meeting and exchanging with leaders of other summer and winter Olympic sports in addition to visiting the Korean Cycling Federation in Seoul.
The month of March has seen the delivery of two Continental Congresses. Firstly, the ACC Congress in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur; which I attended along with my Director of Cabinet and International Relations – Mrs. Marjorie Guillaume, the UCI Director General – Mrs. Amina Lanaya, and the UCI World Cycling Center Director – Mr. Frederic Magné. I had great pleasure seeing delegates from the 21 affiliated National Federations who attended the Congress held during to the 2018 Asian Track Cycling Championships and organized by the Malaysian Cycling Federation. Many congratulations to the ACC and the President of the Malaysia Cycling Federation Mr. Haji Abu Samah WAHAB for an outstanding event organization. Next, with 45 National Federations in attendance, the UEC Congress took place in Istanbul, Turkey on March 11th where Mr. Rocco Cattaneo (SUI) was elected as the Confederation’ new President. Again, my congratulations to Rocco who has been serving as Acting President of the UEC following my election as UCI President last September. It is important for me to attend these Continental Confederation Congresses and see how our common vision for cycling is widely shared among National Federations and Continental Confederations across the world.
The 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Apeldoorn (NED) were also a success, and I was delighted to see two former UCI World Cycling Centre trainees among the UCI World Champions crowned during this event. The UCI Executive Board met during these Championships.
Work to put in place an ambitious reform for professional road cycling continues with my participation to the General Assembly of the AIGCP on March 16th and the PCC (Professional Cycling Council) meeting on March 22nd.
After several months of in-depth research and hard work from UCI staff, in particular from UCI Manager of Equipment and the Fight Against Technological Fraud, Mr. Jean-Christophe Péraud, and from my UCI Management Committee colleague, Mr. Bob Stapleton, we have been able to organize a Press Conference in Geneva, Switzerland (March 21st), to detail the progress we have made in this area and present different methods of fraud detection we are planning to use. As you all know, the fight against technological fraud has been one of my key priorities since my election as UCI President and I am delighted by the progress that has been made in our effort to ensure the credibility of sporting result and protect clean athletes.
David Lappartient
UCI President
UCI News: UCI DataRide – UCI Congress
Sports :
Road – 2018 UCI Road World Championships – Guidelines for vehicule circulation in the race convoy – Training – UCI Continental Advisers – 2018 National Road Championships – Reminder on registering National Championships
Track – 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships presented by Tissot – Apeldoorn, Netherlands – Nations’ Forum – Track Commission
Mountain Bike – 2018 UCI Mercedes-Benz Mountain Bike World Cup – 2018 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships – 2018 UCI MTB Teams
BMX Racing – 2018 UCI BMX World Cup Kick-off – 2018 UCI BMX World Championships – Competition Guide – Reminder – 2019 and 2020 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup Bids
BMX Freestyle – 2018 UCI BMX Freestyle Park kick-off – 2018 UCI BMX Freestyle Calendar – reminder
Cyclo-cross – 2018/2019 Telenet UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, MJ and MU rounds – 2018/2019 UCI Cyclo-cross Teams registration process – 2018/2019 UCI Cyclo-cross international calendar – 2018 Cyclo-cross training camps
Trials – 2018 UCI Commission Meeting and Organiser Seminar 2018
Para-Cycling – UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships Rio de Janeiro – Registration deadline UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup Ostend
Indoor – Preview UCI Cycle-ball World Cup Kamenz (GER) – Registration Information UCI Artistic Cycling World Cup Heerlen (NED)
Mass events – UCI Gran Fondo World Series events in March (Cyprus Gran Fondo and Tour de Britain)
Commissaires – Elite National Commissaire Courses
Cycling for all – Funding oppotunities for the promotion of cycling
Spotlight on… Trinidad and Tobago
UCI WCC Corner
We remind National Federations to consult their dedicated Extranet on a regular basis. Besides the possibility to register their events on the international calendar or their athletes for different UCI events, the Extranet provides access to numerous administrative and practical documents. It also contains all the previous newsletters.
UCIDataRide – Licence renewals 2018
A quick reminder to all National Federations that all 2018 licence renewals must be recorded on the UCI DataRide system even if the licencee possessed a UCI ID from 2017. Please consult the document “2018 Licence Renewals” on the Federation extranet, UCIDataRide section, under the General folder.
2018 UCI Congress
Save the date
The 2018 UCI Congress will take place on 28th September in Innsbruck (Austria) on the occasion of the 2018 UCI Road World Championships. More information will be shared in due course.
SPORTS
ROAD
2018 UCI Road World Championships
Volunteers Programme
The Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the 2018 UCI Road World Championships in Innsbruck-Tyrol (Austria) is looking for some 1500 volunteers to work in different fields during the event.
The UCI supports their recruitment campaign and would be grateful if you could also contribute to making these Worlds a great success.
Remote start areas
The UCI Road World Championships will take place in Innsbruck-Tirol (AUT) from 23rd to 30th September 2018. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that the races will start in different towns of Tirol, with the same finish area in the centre of Innsbruck. Please consider the remote starts below when making your hotel and vehicle reservations.
VENUES
When Races Start area Distance from Finish area Finish area
Sunday 23rd September 2018 Women and Men Team Time Trial Otztal/Area 47 approx. 56 km, 45 mins by car Innsbruck
(Tiroler Landestheater)
Monday 24th September 2018 Women Junior Individual Time Trial Hall-Wattens approx. 18 km, 25 mins by car
Men Under 23 Individual Time Trial
Tuesday 25th September 2018 Men Junior Individual Time Trial Hall-Wattens approx. 18 km, 25 mins by car
Women Elite Individual Time Trial
Wednesday 26th September 2018 Men Elite Individual Time Trial Rattenberg approx. 48 km, 40 mins by car
Thursday 27th September 2018 Women Junior Road Race Rattenberg approx. 48 km, 40 mins by car
Men Junior Road Race Kufstein approx. 77 km, 55 mins by car
Friday 28th September 2018 Men Under 23 Road Race Kufstein approx. 77 km, 55 mins by car
Saturday 29th September 2018 Women Elite Road Race Kufstein approx. 77 km, 55 mins by car
Sunday 30th September 2018 Men Elite Road Race Kufstein approx. 77 km, 55 mins by car
Information about accommodation can be found here, or by emailing welcome@innsbruck-tirol2018.com.
The General Information Bulletin, where you will find all the key information to help your National Team plan for the 2018 UCI Road World Championships in Innsbruck (AUT), will be published by April 15th.
Guidelines for vehicule circulation in the race convoy – Training
Published last year as an appendix to the UCI Regulations, the UCI’s Guide to vehicle circulation in a race convoy is one of the key components of the UCI’s overall action plan on rider safety during races, and applies to all international events on the UCI calendar.
This guide seeks to establish operational standards and explicit rules – and can be valuable training material for National Federations, organisers and commissaires – with the aim of improving how vehicles and riders share the road space, thus increasing the safety of everyone during events.
We strongly encourage National Federations to share this guide with all members, as well as organising training sessions to ensure the correct application of the guidelines, and to remind drivers of their responsibilities whilst in the convoy.
The UCI remains available for any further guidance in this regard. If required, please do not hesitate to contact us via road@uci.ch.
Furthermore, in accordance with Article 2.2.035bis and in order to validate all “vehicle driver in a road cycling event” licence-holders who wish to drive a vehicle in the race convoy of a UCI WorldTour event – in particular media vehicle drivers – the UCI will once again be holding several driver training courses alongside certain UCI WorldTour events.
UCI Continental Advisers
With a view to developing road cycling in Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, the UCI will continue this year to work with its continental advisers, who possess proven knowledge of road cycling.
They are responsible for monitoring and providing feedback to the UCI teams and events on their respective continents, and play a role in developing new teams and new events that wish to obtain UCI status.
Each of them is a fundamental part of the UCI on each continent, and maintains the link between the UCI and its continental stakeholders.
Our advisers (below) are available to help when required:
– Laurent Bezault – Laurent.Bezault@uci.ch – Continental Adviser for the Africa Tour
– Steve Peterson – Steve.Peterson@uci.ch – Continental Adviser for the Asia Tour and the Oceania Tour.
– Pierre Hutsebaut – Pierre.Hutsebaut@uci.ch and Pascale Schyns – Pascale.Schyns@uci.ch – Continental Advisers for the America Tour.
2018 National Road Championships – Reminder on registering National Championships
We would like to remind National Federations who have yet to do so, that they must send us the registration form for their 2018 National Road Championships.
The form can be downloaded from the National Federations extranet.
The week set aside for the 2018 National Road Championships is: 25th June-1st July 2018.
National Federations must upload the results of these events onto the UCI DataRide platform.
We would like to remind you that where Elite and U23 riders take part in the same race, only one set of results should be uploaded.
TRACK
2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships presented by Tissot- Apeldoorn (NED) – Report
The 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships presented by Tissot took place on 28th February-4th March at the Omnisport Apeldoorn velodrome.
Some 364 athletes (207 men and 157 women from 40 nations) took part in the different events over five days of competition, an increase of 5% on the 2017 edition. Indeed, when compared to the previous pre-Olympic edition in Cali (COL) in 2014 (269 athletes), the increase is even more striking (+35%), which demonstrates significant development in this discipline.
Eight different countries took home gold medals, with a total of 18 reaching the podium. Worthy of mention is the success of the Dutch national team, who topped the medal table with a total of 12, followed by Germany and Great Britain.
The Organising Committee was delighted to see the velodrome full on three of the five evenings, with more than 16,985 tickets sold overall.
The 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships presented by Tissot were therefore a great success, to the delight of all stakeholders involved.
Nations’ Forum
For the very first time, a Nations’ Forum was organised on the eve of the World Championships. Two representatives from each nation were invited to participate in the forum, whose main topic was the qualification system for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, as well as the new regulations coming into force immediately after these Championships.
Following the presentations, a few questions were asked, but overall the participants appeared satisfied and seemed to appreciate the initiative. Members of the Track Commission were also in attendance to speak with team managers.
Track Commission
The first meeting of the new Track Commission took place on the Thursday and Friday mornings of the UCI Track Cycling Championships presented by Tissot in Apeldoorn. This was an opportunity for members of the Commission to discuss the regulations to be revised before the start of the qualification process for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, as well as the post-Olympic future of track cycling.
MOUNTAIN BIKE
2018 UCI Mercedes-Benz Mountain Bike World Cup
The first 2018 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup round took place in Stellenbosch (RSA), on March 10th 2018. You can find the news and results on the following link.
Information for the 2018 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup have been published on the UCI website.
– Schedules
– Online registration deadlines
– UCI Ranking publication
In particular, please be aware that registration for the first DHI event in Losinj (CRO) opens on 5th of April 2018 and closes on 16th of April 2018 at 12:00 CET.
2018 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships
The Competition Guide, the programme and registration deadlines of the 2018 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships taking place in Auronzo (ITA) has been published on the UCI website.
In the Competition Guide, you will find all the useful information you might need if you want to attend the event as a rider or spectator.
2018 UCI Mountain Bike Teams
The final list of the 2018 UCI Mountain Bike Team (Elite & Standard) has been published on the UCI website.
BMX RACING
2018 UCI BMX World Cup kick-off
The first round of the 2018 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup will take place in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FRA) from 31st March to 1st April. It is the first time that Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines is organizing a BMX World Cup.
2018 UCI BMX World Championships – competition guide
The competition guide for the 2018 UCI BMX World Championships in Baku (AZE) will be available on the UCI web site at the end of March. It can be found in the ‘official documents’ section.
Reminder – 2019 and 2020 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup Bids
All National Federations are reminded that the UCI is presently accepting bids for UCI BMX Supercross World Cup events for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. The bid guide is available here.
Bids should be sent by e-mail to offroad@uci.ch no later than 30 April 2018.
BMX FREESTYLE
2018 UCI BMX Freestyle Park kick-off
The first round of the 2018 UCI BMX Freestyle Park will take place in Hiroshima (JPN) from 5th to 8th March.
2018 UCI BMX Freestyle Calendar – Reminder
We would like to remind you that the deadline to return the 2017 UCI BMX Freestyle International calendar application forms is the 25th March 2018.
Forms must be submitted by the national federation, and can be e-mailed to offroad@uci.ch
CYCLO-CROSS
2018/2019 Telenet UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, MJ and MU rounds
The UCI Management Committee awarded nine rounds for six different nations for the 2018/2019 Telenet UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup. During its last meeting, the UCI Cyclo-cross Commission has then chosen those of these rounds receiving the Men junior and Men Under 23 races:
Round Date Venue Nation Men elite Women elite Men Under 23 Men junior
#1 23.09.18 Waterloo USA x x
#2 29.09.18 Iowa City USA x x
#3 21.10.18 Berne SUI x x x x
#4 17.11.18 Tábor CZE x x x x
#5 25.11.18 Koksijde BEL x x x x
#6 23.12.18 Namur BEL x x x x
#7 26.12.18 Heusden-Zolder BEL x x x x
#8 20.01.19 Pont-Château FRA x x x x
#9 27.01.19 Hoogerheide NED x x x x
2018/2019 UCI Cyclo-cross Teams registration process
UCI Cyclo-cross Teams have been created at the beginning of the 2017/2018 UCI Cyclo-cross season. The registration procedure for the 2018/2019 season will be communicated to the National Federations, current and potential Teams by 01.04.2018 at latest. The registration deadline remains on 31.07.2018, the lists of UCI Cyclo-cross Teams will be published on 15.08.2018 at the latest.
Some amendments to the UCI rules concerning UCI Cyclo-cross Teams will be subject to approval by the UCI Management Committee, but none impact the Teams’ obligations. If changes in UCI rules are accepted, Teams and National Federations will be informed by early July about the modifications.
2018/2019 UCI Cyclo-cross international calendar
The 2018/2019 UCI Cyclo-cross calendar has been published here after its approval by the UCI Management Committee on the 2018, february 2nd february. We strongly recommend to check the website address and the stages to be hosted: ME, WE, MJ or MU.
2018 Cyclo-cross training camps
The invitation to the 2018 UCI Cyclo-cross training camps have been sent by the WCC to National Federations. A good opportunity to accompany the UCI Cyclo-cross international calendar expansion!
Two training sessions will be organised in Aigle (SUI), for two different groups:
19th to 22nd June 2018 / 2nd to 7th October 2018
For any information: formation@uci.ch.
TRIALS
2018 UCI Commission Meeting and Organiser Seminar
The 2018 UCI Commission Meeting and the Organiser Seminar will take place at the UCI Headquarters in Switzerland from 26th to 29th March.
PARA-CYCLING
2018 UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships
The UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships are taking place in Rio de Janeiro (BRA) until 25th March 2018. 172 riders from 30 nations have registered for this event. It is also the first international event to take place at the Olympic Park in Rio since the Paralympic Games in 2016. Don’t miss the live streaming on our website via the following : http://www.2018uciparatrack.com/en/index.php/live/
Registration deadline UCI Road World Cup (Ostend)
We would like to remind you that the registration deadline for the World Cup round in Ostend (BEL) has been set for 11th April 2018. Please respect this deadline; late registrations will not be accepted
INDOOR
2018 UCI Cycle-ball World Cup
The 2018 World Cup will begin on 14th April in Kamenz, a city in the Saxony district of Germany, which will be hosting a World Cup round for the first time. Ten teams from France, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland and Germany will line up for the first event for the season.
The competition programme will be available on the UCI website shortly.
A total of eight rounds will be held over the course of the season, with the final being held in Klein-Gerau (GER) in early 2019:
14th April Kamenz GER
28th April Altdorf SUI
26th May Beringen BEL
11th August Hong Kong HKG
8th September Krofdorf GER
29th September Sangerhausen GER
13th October St. Gallen SUI
3rd November Höchst AUT
Final
19th January Klein-Gerau GER
2018 UCI Artistic Cycling World Cup
The competition programme and all documentation relating to athlete participation for the 2nd round (Heerlen (NED) – 30th June) will be sent to the Indoor Cycling representatives at each of the relevant National Federations.
All questions regarding the series should be addressed to: indoor@uci.ch
MASS EVENTS
UCI Gran Fondo World Series events in March and important notice regarding recall
The 2018 UCI Gran Fondo World Series will resume at the end of March, with the Cyprus Gran Fondo and Indonesia’s Tour de Bintan both being hosted from Friday the 23rd to Sunday the 25th of March.
Cyprus Gran Fondo
The Cyprus Gran Fondo is the only stage race on the World Series calendar which gives riders two individual options to qualify for UCI Gran Fondo World Championships road race, in addition to the time trial. Races will start along the coast, before riders head inland to tackle some of the island’s mountains, passing through traditional villages along the course.
The three-day stage race, catering to both competitive and recreational riders alike, will start with the 28.6km time trial on Friday, followed by the 89km and 65km road races on Saturday and Sunday. All stages will see riders take the start in front of the Paphos Medieval Castle, in the city of Paphos, named European Capital of Culture in 2017. Cyprus Gran Fondo is the only stage race on the calendar which gives riders next to the time trial on Friday also two individual options to qualify for the Granfondo.
The 28.6km time trial is an out-and-back loop with a first part slightly going uphill to return back to the same point to finish.
The 89km road race on Saturday is the hardest day of the three days stage race with a lot of climbing in the first part after the neutralized start. The final day offers a 65km Granfondo with 1349m of elevation.
The central city for the three events is Pafos, a famous holiday destination for many foreigners with a beautiful medieval castle.
Cyprus Gran Fondo is the only stage race on the calendar which gives riders next to the time trial on Friday also two individual options to qualify for the Granfondo.
The 28.6km time trial is an out-and-back loop with a first part slightly going uphill to return back to the same point to finish.
The 89km road race on Saturday is the hardest day of the three days stage race with a lot of climbing in the first part after the neutralized start. The final day offers a 65km Granfondo with 1349m of elevation.
The central city for the three events is Pafos, a famous holiday destination for many foreigners with a beautiful medieval castle.
With spring arriving in Cyprus, it will be an ideal time to ride on the Mediterranean island, with the Gran Fondo expected to showcase Cyprus as a varied and ideal cycling destination. Cyprus Gran Fondo is the only stage race on the calendar which gives riders next to the time trial on Friday also two individual options to qualify for the Granfondo.
Tour de Bintan
The 28.6km time trial is an out-and-back loop with a first part slightly going uphill to return back to the same point to finish.
The 89km road race on Saturday is the hardest day of the three days stage race with a lot of climbing in the first part after the neutralized start. The final day offers a 65km Granfondo with 1349m of elevation.
The central city for the three events is Pafos, a famous holiday destination for many foreigners with a beautiful medieval castle.
During the same weekend, the Tour de Bintan will be hosted in Indonesia, on the island of Bintan. The epicentre of the event will be around the Bintan Resorts area, with riders enjoying courses that follow white sandy beaches and lush rainforests across the island.
The 17km time trial on 23 March and 144km Gran Fondo Classic road race are official qualifying races for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships. Both races are also part of a three-day stage race, which will give competitors the opportunity to chase the yellow jersey for the overall fastest time over the three-day event. A shorter Gran Fondo Discovery ride at 55km will also allow a wider category of riders to experience a less challenging course.
More than 1100 riders representing over 30 different nationalities are expected to gather on the island for a vibrant, epic and festive weekend of cycling.
Note regarding recall for UCI Gran Fondo World Championships
Finally, with the objective to ensure that athlete safety and performance remain a top priority at the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, the UCI has confirmed that qualification for the World Championships will be limited to the first 25% of riders in each age group, as per the UCI regulations, and will not include additional recall opportunities.
The concept of recall was applied in previous editions of the World Series, inviting the next best ranked riders who missed the 25% cut-off to replace those who did not take up their qualification spots. With the growing popularity and expansion of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series, and the resulting increase in athletes qualifying for the World Championships, this additional qualification opportunity will no longer be offered to ensure a more efficient control of the size and safety of the event.
For more information regarding the UCI Gran Fondo World Series, please do not hesitate to visit www.ucigranfondoworldseries.com.
COMMISSAIRES
Elite National Commissaire Courses
We would like to inform that the Danish Cycling Federation (DCU) will organize two Elite National Commissaire courses.
Disciplines – MTB class and Road class
Lead Tutors – appointed by the UCI
Date 3-6 May 2018
Venue – Askov Hoejskole, Vejen, 6600, Denmark
Nearest airport Billund Airport. A pick up can be arranged.
Contact Person henninghknudsen@gmail.com
Both courses are open for the national commissaires from other countries. All the participants have to be:
– active licence holders with their own NF
– registered to the course by their own National Federation.
CYCLING FOR ALL
Funding opportunities for the promotion of cycling
With the aim of providing greater support to national federations in the area of Cycling for All, the UCI has developed a consolidated list of funding opportunities, from various organisations and sources worldwide, which may be able to support cycling advocacy projects.
The consolidated list contains data on specific programmes, eligibility criteria, application procedures, key deadlines and other useful information. Our objective is to keep adding to and expanding this database, so it becomes a reference point for national federations and other partners seeking information on project funding.
One such opportunity is the European Union’s Erasmus+ Sport 2018 programme, for which applications close on 5 April. Focusing on international partnerships, the programme awards funding to proposals that support areas such as physical activity promotion or social inclusion. There is clear potential for national federations to propose a project related to cycling under this framework. Detailed information on proposals and partners can also be accessed here: https://sporttool.teamwork.fr/
Cycling, as a sport or form of transport, aligns well with the priorities of policy makers and public officials around the world. Be it by tackling climate change, urban congestion or public health, the case for more cycling can easily be made. Thus we believe more public funds must continue to be shared to support the cycling community’s key contribution to encouraging more cycling.
National Federations interested in learning more about these funding opportunities are encouraged to contact the UCI Cycling for All team at cyclingforall@uci.ch.
SPOTLIGHT ON… TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
During 2017, the Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation maintained over Five Hundred (500) registered cyclists in the various categories.
Development of Discipline:
Despite the current wave of economic down turn in Trinidad & Tobago, the TTCF grasped the opportunity to focus its attention on the ‘grass-roots’ communities to attract more participants to the sport of cycling and embarked on hosting a number of youth-development events.
Mountain Bike has continued to see growth in participation and spectators over the past year. Originally participation was for recreational purposes, however there has been a significant shift towards the competitive side of the sport.
UCI Events hosted in 2017:
Easter International Cycling Grand Prix,
National Track Championships.
Caribbean Track Championships
Pan American Elite Track Championships
High Performance:
One of the Strategic goals of the TTCF is the development of a high performance framework as a precursor to the qualifications for Tokyo 2020. These plans are a work in progress.
However, following a successful launch to a new era in T&T cycling under the helm of Technical Director for Cycling, Erin Hartwell, at the Tissot UCI World Cup V in Minsk, Belarus in January 2018, Trinidad & Tobago Team Sprint saw themselves climbing up the world ranking. The T&T team based and trained at NCC Couva Trinidad, performed exceptionally well in the Eastern European country turning many heads on the world stage.
As seen in Belarus by the performance of the T&T Team, this model proves that Trinidad & Tobago can produce cyclists who can be quite competitive at the World Stage. This we hope can lead to continued discussions around the National Cycling Centre at Couva becoming a UCI Satellite Centre for the Caribbean & Pan American Region.
Meeting with Betty Anne Alexander, trainee coach at the World Cycling Centre, in March 2018.
The 51-year-old is dynamic, ambitious and passionate about our sport. Here she talks about her life in cycling and gives her opinion on cycling in Trinidad and Tobago.
Betty discovered cycling through her husband, who is also a cyclist. She decided to take an interest in the sport too, and it was a revelation for her. She continued riding until the arrival of their two children, when the couple then decided to put their two sons on bikes too. The passion they inherited was immediately rewarded, as the two boys were talent-spotted by a coach.
As a result, Betty decided to get herself involved in sports administration, becoming secretary of a club, but she didn’t stop there. She is now president of a mixed cycling club. This mixed-gender status is something she is particularly proud of: “My team is not made up exclusively of women; there are also men and children of all genders involved.”
In 2010, she met a UCI commissaire who told her about the training courses held at the UCI World Cycling Centre. Self-funded but with help from the Trinidad and Tobago National Olympic Committee, she reached her dream; Betty can now boast about being the first woman from her country to take part in a UCI training course.
But her determination doesn’t stop there. Betty is ambitious, and when we move on to talking about cycling in Trinidad, she says: “Cycling is very popular in Trinidad and Tobago, but not as popular as cricket or football. We have good athletes, and the sport’s administrators and coaches are doing good work, but Trinidad and Tobago needs guidelines and targeted projects in order to progress. ”
The National Cycling Federation of Trinidad and Tobago offers training courses in the mountain bike, road and track cycling disciplines. However, the plan is to build a dedicated BMX track to develop this particular discipline, which is starting to attract more and more children.
With a view to Tokyo 2020, we asked Betty for her opinion on her country’s chances at the Olympic Games. “Trinidad and Tobago can achieve things, but over the next two years we need specific guidelines and better-organised work”.
When we talk to her about women’s cycling, she is full of hope. “Women’s cycling is growing. The aim is to convince women and girls to try cycling. Trinidad and Tobago needs to use its significant presence in track cycling, as demonstrated by its women’s pursuit team, to develop cycling among women even further.”
Betty is a fighter; she wants to see more women involved in our sport and help them to achieve equality with the men.
Her conclusion is this: “The number of women involved in the sport is going to grow, and I’m sure they will achieve great things.”
Meeting with Teniel Campbell
Aged just 20, the young Caribbean athlete Teniel Campbell talks to us about her journey, her sport, her life and her ambitions ahead of her training at the UCI World Cycling Centre.
Born in the Trinidad and Tobago countryside, she moved to the city at the age of 10 with her brother and her mother.
It was through her brother that Teniel discovered cycling. She decided to get involved in the sport and take part in competitions, and her involvement is now paying off. She is multi-talented, as adept on the road as on the track. Her record speaks for itself:
2014:
– Caribbean Junior Road Race Champion
2015:
– Caribbean Junior Road Race Champion
– Caribbean Junior Time Trial Champion
2016:
– Caribbean Time Trial Champion
2017:
– Caribbean Road Race Champion
– Caribbean Time Trial Champion
– National 500m Champion
– National Omnium Champion
– National Keirin Champion
Teniel is an ambitious young woman. She is aiming to be Olympic champion, and would love to be a model for future generations in her country. In the short term, she would like to sign with a professional team and continue racing for the Trinidad and Tobago National Federation at national and international events.
She may be dreaming of 2020, but this champion is keeping her feet on the ground, and is well aware of the need for good mental preparation. “It’s achievable but I have to work hard to believe in myself more, and to trust myself and my performances.”
She has strong opinions on women’s cycling too: “Women’s cycling needs more women. Cycling generates interest but something more is required to push women into getting on a bike, and to eventually achieve equality between men and women.”
She also has clear ideas on the state of cycling in Trinidad and Tobago: “Our country has good sprint cyclists, like Nicholas Paul, but we need to work harder in the endurance events. Trinidad and Tobago needs structure and guidelines in order to advance and perform.”
UCI WCC CORNER
Training of athletes
Forty talented young athletes are already training across four Olympic cycling disciplines at the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle. Since the beginning of the year, our training centre, recognised by the International Olympic Committee, has been filling up with cyclists coming from the world over to benefit from our facilities and professional coaching staff.
Men’s road group (January – June): 10 trainees from 9 countries (COL, CRO, HUN, KAZ, POL, POR, SRB, PAN, MGL). The athletes in this group spent the first month of their high-level training camp in Calpe (Spain), returning to the UCI WCC on March 2nd.
Women’s road group (February – June): 8 trainees from 8 countries (PAR, COL, VIE, THA, TTO, ARG, ETH, KAZ).
BMX (March – June): five women and nine men from 13 countries (ARG, AZE, BRA, CZE, ECU, ESP, JPN, LAT, LTU, PER, RSA, SVK, THA). Guided by our new BMX coach, Olympian and 2013 UCI World Champion Liam Phillips, these athletes, chosen from our talent identification camps, are aiming for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Mountain bike (March – September): Two African mountain bike specialists, Matshediso Ebudilwe (Botswana) et Tumelo Makae (Lesotho) have already begun their Tokyo 2020 campaign at the UCI WCC. Both athletes benefit from an Olympic Solidarity scholarship.
Track (February 5 – March 26): five young Korean athletes are nearing the end of a seven-week Youth Talent Identification Camp organised by the Korea Cycling Federation.
Congratulations
Congratulations to our Belgian track cycling trainee Nicky Degrendele, who was crowned Elite Women’s Keirin UCI World Champion in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. Another of our former trainees, Colombian Fabian Hernando Puertas Zapata won gold in the Elite Men’s Keirin. You can read about their performances here.
Training of cycling’s professionals
Coach/mechanics course (March 3-17): 10 trainee coaches from 10 countries (BRA, FJI, GUA, HUN, EST, EGY, ESP, BOT, IND, TTO). For the first time, our Level 1&2 coaching course also included the Level 1 mechanics course. Nine of the participants were women, of whom eight benefitted from an Olympic Solidarity scholarship.
Further information about our coaching courses and the dates can be found here.
Information about our mechanics training courses and the dates can be found here.
National Federations wishing to organise a coaching course or mechanics training course in their own country can find all the details of how to proceed by clicking here.