On July 17, 2023 the UCI Eligibility Regulations for Transgender Athletes (UCI 13.5.001) went into effect, on July 20, 2023 Cycling Canada issued a statement that these regulations will be recognized at all UCI-sanctioned events in Canada.
We wanted to follow up with our membership on this matter to help you to understand what this means and how it may impact your experience moving forward.
At this time there is no change to our provincial policy which allows members to self-identify when registering for membership and events. This means that you will be able to continue to participate in all provincially sanctioned events and activities in the same way as you did prior to July 17, 2023. Where some of you may experience impact is at events held in Alberta that are National Level and above. This includes events such as:
- Nationals Championships (such as Canadian Road Nationals which took place earlier this year)
- Canada Cup events (such as BMX Canada Cup Aug 26-27)
Racers This regulation change primarily impacts transgender women and the teams/field(s) in which they race. However, we encourage all athletes (particularly those identifying as non-binary or as in a gender separate from what they were assigned at birth) to review the regulations in full. This regulation is specific to UCI-designated race categories for events such as the ones listed above. You can find a table of UCI designated race categories below.
Organizers and officials
This regulation only impacts UCI-designated race categories at UCI-sanctioned events. For Alberta Bicycle Association events and race categories not sanctioned by the UCI, including non-UCI categories at the Canadian Cycling Championships, athletes may participate in the gender category identified on their current applicable licence/membership. For events where this regulation is used, organizers, officials, and ABA staff will not be put in a position to decide whether a UCI-category athlete is eligible to compete in the women’s category. The responsibility will not be on you to determine whether or not an athlete is transgender and eligible to compete, please continue to check UCI licenses during riders confirmation and allow participants to race in the category outlined on their license. If an athlete is found to be in contravention to the UCI regulations post-event, it will be up to the UCI to remove the athlete from UCI points, official titles/awards, and to apply sanctions as applicable.
List of UCI-designated categories
Category
Abbreviation
Description
Junior Men
MJ
Riders 17 – 18 yrs
Junior Women
WJ
Riders 17 – 18 yrs
Under 23 Men
MU
Riders age 19 - 23
Under 23 Women
WU
Riders age 19 - 23
Elite Men
ME
Riders age 23 and above
Elite Women
WE
Riders age 23 and above
Masters (Open) Men
MO
Riders age 30 and above not belonging to registered UCI team
Masters Women
WM
Riders age 30 and above not belonging to registered UCI team
List of UCI-designated BMX categories
Bike Size
Level
Category
Description
Standard 20”
Championship
Junior Men
Riders 17 – 18 yrs
Standard 20”
Championship
Junior Women
Riders 17 – 18 yrs
Standard 20”
Championship
Under 23 Men
Riders age 19 - 23
Standard 20”
Championship
Under 23 Women
Riders age 19 - 23
Standard 20”
Championship
Elite Men
Riders age 23 and above
Standard 20”
Championship
Elite Women
Riders age 23 and above
Standard 20”
Challenge
Boys
Ages: 5 and 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; (11 categories)
Standard 20”
Challenge
Girls
Ages: 5-7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; (10 categories)
Standard 20”
Challenge
Men
Ages: 17-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35 and over; (4 categories)
Standard 20”
Challenge
Women
Ages: 17-24, 25 and Over. (2 categories).
Standard 20”
Masters
Men
Riders age 30 and above
Standard 20”
Masters
Women
Riders age 30 and above
Cruiser 24”
Challenge
Boys
Ages: 12 and under, 13 and 14, 15 and 16; (3 categories)
Cruiser 24”
Challenge
Girls
Ages: 12 and under, 13 - 16; (2 categories)
Cruiser 24”
Challenge
Men
Ages: 17-24, 25-29, 30 - 34, 35 - 39, 40 - 44, 45-49, 50 and over; (7 categories).
Cruiser 24”
Challenge
Women
Ages: 17-29, 30-39, 40 and over. (3 categories).