Riders who finished in the top 25% of their age group in the 6 qualifier events who took place prior to the pandemic and the cancelled 2020 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships or in the 17 qualifiers who already took place or are scheduled for this season will soon get an official invitation to register for the 2021 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships who take place in Istocno Sarajevo from 6-10 October. We expect these invitation to be sent by the end of this month.
The main goal of limiting the percentage to 20% in the last two seasons was the safety of riders during the World Championships with more qualifier events each year (29 scheduled last season) and more participants at the start of the World Championships , but given the pandemic, this limitation was of no use anymore.
Riders who are not able to qualify in one of the qualifier events who remain on the calendar also have an option to apply for a wildcard. Defending World Champions from Poznan 2019, reigning continental and national masters champions are awarded with direct qualification. Also the national federations of countries without qualifier event can benefit from 10 wildcards to give to their best riders. It’s not possible to apply for a wildcard based on previous results in UCI Gran Fondo World Championships or results in other Granfondos who are not part of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series.