Since a few years, the winners of the age categories in the UCI Gran Fondo World Series qualifiers have been given a privileged position at the start of the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships. This is a position in the first row, also known as the “priority box”.
The number of riders allowed in this priority box is now being expanded. In addition to the defending World Champions, all riders who finish in the top 3 in a qualifying race will also be granted a spot. This new rule will only be applied in categories with more than 100 riders at the start. Older categories that have a combined start will not have a priority box, even if the combined group is larger than 100 riders.
The primary goal of this update is to increase safety. By positioning riders of similar skill levels together, the UCI reduces the need for riders to move up through the peloton during the initial kilometers of the race. This also serves as a recognition and reward for the riders’ performance, and it prevents them from having to wait for hours in their regular start box.
To allow the organizers time to prepare the lists, registration for the priority box will close on September 30th at midnight AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time). Riders can still register for the event until October 12th, as stated in the official invitation email, but they will not be able to claim a spot in the priority box and will have to start in the regular start box.
