News for national teams ahead of next season: the UCI has announced the places available for each nation at the 2026 World Championships in Montreal . Compared to the past, when the number of riders was determined by the current season's ranking, the UCI has now decided to stop the ranking at the end of the 2025 season (October 19, to be precise).

Good news for Italy, which will be able to field as many athletes as possible in each category, with the exception of the junior women.

Italy could potentially field 35 athletes for the road races at the next World Championships, not counting the two riders authorized per nation and category for the time trials and relays. Added to these are the automatic selections earned by Lorenzo Finn in the U23 men's road race, as the defending champion, and Federica Venturelli in the U23 women's time trial, as the European champion.  

Furthermore, the UCI imperatively requires that teams "confirm the full or partial use of their places by December 1, 2025." As for Italy, in addition to the equal time trial places for everyone, there are eight places available for the men's elite road race, six for the men's Under 23 race (seven with Finn, but the place is his only one; he cannot be replaced), five for juniors, seven for elite women, five for U23s, and four (one less than the maximum) for juniors.

Photo: Sprint Cycling Agency