Climate change is increasingly altering the landscape of professional cycling. Heavy rain, snow, wind, heat, and even pollution are shaping whether stages are completed or canceled.
Since 2015, the UCI has operated an extreme weather protocol to guide how organizers, teams, riders, and the federation respond. A 2024 update added objective temperature thresholds using the WBGT index to reduce ambiguity.
Overview of the Extreme Weather Protocol
The protocol provides a framework for recognizing extreme conditions and agreeing on a common response. It is designed to be invoked by any stakeholder and requires a consensus meeting that includes the organizer, riders’ representatives, teams, and the UCI.
After the meeting, the organizer and race commissaires implement the agreed measures and communicate them publicly.
What counts as extreme conditions
Extreme conditions are defined to cover a range of environmental threats that can compromise safety or fairness. The categories include:
- Freezing rain and snow on the road
- Strong winds
- Pollution and poor air quality
- Reduced visibility
- High temperatures (added in 2024)
These conditions can force adjustments to the route, timing, or even the cancellation of a stage if safety demands it. The protocol remains flexible so organizers can tailor responses to the specifics of a given day.
Triggering the protocol and decision-making process
Any stakeholder can trigger the protocol when conditions meet the defined extreme categories. A consensus meeting brings together all key parties to evaluate the risks and agree on a response.
The final decision rests with the organizer and the race commissaires, who then announce the course of action to the peloton and public.
Role of stakeholders and the decision process
- Organizers coordinate logistics, safety measures, and route changes.
- Riders’ representatives provide input on rider safety and performance considerations.
- Teams contribute strategic and health-related perspectives for their riders.
- The UCI offers regulatory oversight and ensures that decisions align with sport-wide safety standards.
The collaboration intends to balance safety with the integrity of the competition.
The 2024 WBGT thresholds: a move toward objectivity
A key feature of the 2024 update is the adoption of WBGT (Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature) thresholds to quantify heat stress more reliably. This index combines temperature, humidity, and wind to reflect how hot it feels to athletes during exertion.
The protocol uses two levels to guide actions when heat becomes a risk.
Orange and red levels explained
- Orange level (23–27.9 °C WBGT): Riders should be kept in the shade before the start, and teams should provide more neutral support such as drinks and ice bags to manage heat exposure.
- Red level (above 28 °C WBGT): More drastic measures are recommended, including modifying start/finish times, altering routes, or even canceling stages to protect rider health.
The move toward a measurable, objective heat standard aims to reduce subjective judgments and promote consistent decisions across races and disciplines.
Criticism and calls for more precision
While the WBGT framework marks progress, observers and some riders argue that the protocol still lacks clearly defined, objective thresholds for other extreme conditions. The main critique centers on arbitrariness and the potential for disagreement within the peloton when decisions hinge on subjective interpretations or uneven risk assessments.
What experts want next
- Explicit wind speed thresholds that trigger adjustments or suspensions.
- Clear rain and snow criteria tied to road conditions and safety risks.
- Standardized measurement procedures across venues to ensure apples-to-apples comparisons.
Advocates argue that adding objective criteria for a broader range of conditions would streamline decisions and enhance rider safety.
Implications for race operations and the peloton
For teams, organizers, and fans, the protocol underlines the need for proactive weather monitoring, flexible planning, and transparent communication.
In practice, this means having contingency plans, alternate routes, and safety resources ready well before a stage begins.
It also reinforces the importance of real-time data and independent assessment to support decisions that affect livelihoods, performance, and the sport’s long-term credibility.
As climate patterns continue to evolve, the balance between safety and spectacle will rely on ongoing refinement of the extreme weather protocol.
The 2024 WBGT update is a meaningful step toward objectivity, but the call for additional measurable thresholds suggests that the conversation about risk management in cycling is far from over.
Here is the source article for this story: The extreme weather will become increasingly common in races. What does the UCI protocol say?