Formation of Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) - Part 3
Cycling is mainly categorised into different divisions, the first and the most common of them all is termed as road racing and UCI Road World Cup was organised from 1989 to 2004 which was replaced by UCI Pro Tour series in 2005.
The UCI Pro Tour series in the beginning had some stage races, some day races and the Grand tours that includes the Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana and Giro d’ Italia. A series of races termed as UCI Continental Circuits for the different parts of the globe
were hence designed by UCI to expand its popularity.
The three Grand Tours as mentioned are raced across different countries across Europe and shares a similar format as they are all stage races and stretches up to three weeks and the three races included in the Grand Tours are the only races allowed by the
UCI that lasts more than two weeks.
Cyclists all across the globe trained harder and harder all year to participate in the grand tours but it is really competitive to participate all the three tours in one year and no one ever has been able to win all three grand tours in a same year.
All the three races in the Grand Tours have a long history as Tour de France that is held in July every year started way back in 1903, Giro d’ Italia organised in May was first ridden in 1909 and Vuelta a Espana started in 1935, which is now raced in September.
Other categories organised by UCI are BMX Racing, Indoor Cycling, Mountain bike racing, Para-Cycling Track, Cyclo-Cross and Track Cycling.
A white coloured jersey with five different stripes called as as a “Rainbow” jersey is awarded to the winner of world championship in all the formats of the game that includes Track racing, cyclo-cross, BMX and mountain biking and the champions are required
to wear the jersey while challenging in the same category.
The rainbow jersey makes it easier for the audience to spot out their world champion amongst all the other riders and a penalty of 2500 to 5000 Swiss Francs is implied to any player not been able to wear the rainbow jersey where necessary.
There is an interesting belief attached to the rainbow jersey commonly termed as the ‘curse of rainbow jersey’ which states that the cyclists winning the rainbow jersey one year will have to face the worst luck next year.
Jean-Pierre Monsere who won the rainbow jersey in 1970 died wearing it next year in March, 1971 and Tom Simpsons who broke his leg skiing and was not able to wear the rainbow jersey as he could not participate in the following event are amongst the cyclists
who made a lot of people believe in the curse.
There certainly are exceptions to the curse that includes the players like Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Greg LeMond as each of them end out to win the Tour de France while in their rainbow jerseys.
UCI since its formation has been governed by 9 presidents including two from Belgium two from France and one each from Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Netherlands and Ireland.
Emile De Beukelaer was the first president as the Belgian served the UCI from 1900-22 followed by Leon Breton of France from 1922-36, Max Burgi of Switzerland from 1936-39, Alban Collignon of Belgium from 1939-47, Achille Joinard of France from 1947 to 1958,
Italian Adriano Rodoni from 1958-81, Luis Puig of Spain from 1981-1990, Hein Verbruggen of Netherlands from 1991 to 2005, Pat McQuaid of Ireland from 20056 till date.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: