2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Series expands with nine new events

The 16th edition of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series — the UCI’s mass participation series that serves as a qualifier for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships — will welcome 9 new events in 2026, bringing the total to 36. The 2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships are set to take place from 26 to 30 August in Niseko, Japan, on a hilly course in the renowned ski resort.

Five qualifier events have already taken place in recent weeks, with three more races scheduled in Guadeloupe, Colombia, and China in early December, all debuting on the calendar.

The first new event in 2026 is the Cape Town Cycle Tour, the world’s largest timed mass participation cycling event, with up to 35,000 riders in recent editions. It is scheduled for 8 March in the iconic South African city, known for its harbour and coastline.

Sudety Tour will mark the first-ever UCI Gran Fondo in Czechia. Held in Broumov on 9 and 10 May, the event includes both a time trial and a granfondo on undulating roads on the Czech-Polish border.

Hungary will also host a UCI Gran Fondo World Series race for the first time. The Tour de Matra, taking place on 29–31 May in Gyöngyös, enters its sixth edition and will now feature a time trial alongside the granfondo.

The fourth new addition of 2026 is the Tour de Fukushima on 13 and 14 June. This event will replace Niseko as the home qualifier for Japanese riders for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, being held 11 weeks later.

Granfondo Bulgaria in Velingrad joins the calendar on 21 June, offering a challenging 161km course with 2006m of elevation including a long 18km climb towards the final.

The 2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Niseko will be the first ever held in Asia. Younger age categories will compete on a 140km course with 2370m of elevation for the coveted rainbow jerseys. The main challenge is an 840m climb starting from sea level just past the halfway point, with a steep final kilometer leading to the finish. The shorter 80km mediofondo for men over 60 and women over 50 will feature 1572m of elevation and the same steep finish.  The Championships open on Thursday with a flat 16.3 km individual time trial and a Team Relay the next day.

In the final months of 2026, the series will expand further with 11 events after the UCI World Championships, serving as qualifiers for the 2027 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships. Much of this growth will come from South America.

UCI Gran Fondo Chile in the Region de Los Rios will be the first event of its kind in the country, scheduled for 4 October.

Granfondo La Nucia in Spain, an existing event, will join the series with a qualifier on 18 October in a region popular among UCI WorldTeams for winter training.

Granfondo Ecuador will take place on 14 November in the coastal town of Salinas, offering a unique racing experience on the country’s westernmost point.

The UCI is also proud to introduce its first event in Argentina. Granfondo Siete Lagos, running from San Martin de los Andes to Villa la Angostura, is scheduled for 21 and 22 November and will include both a time trial and granfondo in the scenic region of Patagonia.

In addition to these new races, the UCI continues to rely on 27 established events that have proven to be valuable partners over the years, not least Maraton Franja BTC City (Slovenia) and Amy’s Granfondo (Australia) which have been part of the series since its inception.

With this expanded calendar, the UCI Gran Fondo World Series reaffirms its position as the world’s leading series of mass participation cycling events, spanning five continents and offering a diverse range of courses and regions that hold a special place in every amateur rider’s race calendar.