Do you remember last year's “Van der Poel rule” during the MTB World Championships? Now it's finally official: here are the changes to the regulations planned for the 2024 World Cup.
New standard for XCO World Championship grids
The UCI has clarified the regulations for the creation of the starting grids for the World Championships. Finally now there is some clarity, even if the UCI has shown that it can change the rules whenever it wants and with any timing.
By 2024 the regulations will become more specific. The way in which the first 32 places on the grid will be assigned will not change. The changes reach the position from 33rd to 40th, which will be assigned as follows:
- Cyclists in the top-10 of the UCI cyclocross ranking
- Cyclists in the top-20 of the UCI road ranking
- There will be no preferences between the two classifications and if there are riders with the same positions in different classifications, the position between them will be assigned by drawing lots.
PREGNANT WOMEN
An important innovation is the introduction of the status of "pregnant" in the new legislation. It can be obtained when an athlete participates in fewer than 3 World Cup races due to pregnancy. In this case, her team or national team may request the pregnancy status. In this way, an approximate calculation of the ranking position will be made using the average of the UCI points obtained in the previous tests.
ACTION CAM
While the substance of the rule has not changed and the UCI must continue to approve their use, it has now clarified that they can only be worn on the visor or top of the helmet or on the bicycle and that the rider is responsible for their correct installation to avoid damage.
