The UCI Pro Tour: An Enduring Reform or a 'Train Wreck' Waiting to Happen

Abstract

In 2005, significant reforms were introduced in professional road cycling by the sport’s governing body, the “UCI”. Those reforms are now threatened by an entrenched dispute between the UCI and the owners of the sports’ most prestigious races. The outcome of the dispute, while uncertain, will be influenced by the legal structures and characters of the bodies involved. These structures and the issues raised by the conflict, including the implications of European Community competition law, are examined. It is argued that despite some defects in its democratic structure, the role of the UCI as the governing body of the sport gives its position greater legitimacy than that of the private owners ..