UCI - Union Cycliste Internationale
On the initiative of the English National Cyclists' Union (NCU), the first
international authority was founded on 23.11.1892 in London: International Cyclists Association (ICA). ICA's life was
short. One reason for this was that the strong French association UVF was
denied membership because, from the perspective of the NCU, it was an
association of professional cyclists. The "strong man" of the ICA Secretary
General Henry Sturmey rigorously advocated the British view of amateurism
and the strict rejection of professional riders, which led to conflicts
with less strict national associations. At the beginning of 1897, the ICA
tightened the stipulation by declaring that it would consider any amateur
starting against professional riders to be a professional too.
At the ICA congress in Paris on 14.04.1900, there was a scandal as a result
of renewed inconsistencies regarding the distribution of votes (on the one
hand the British Empire: Scotland, England and Ireland 3 votes each, plus
Canada, Cape Colony, New Zealand and New South Wales 1 vote each = 13
votes, on the other hand all other member countries only 1 vote each) and
the question of amateur status. Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, the USA, and
France left the ICA and founded the
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)
on the same day. In June 1900, the Dutch, and the German association (DRB)
also joined the UCI. Canada, New Zealand, and Denmark followed in August
1900. The NCU left the ICA on 31.03.1901. The ICA now consisted only of the
Irish Cyclist Association and the Scottish Cyclist Union and still existed for a while - but in fact, the ICA
was at the end.
Interestingly, a UCI had already been founded on 24.10.1896 in Paris by the Union Cycliste de France, the German Verband der Vereine für Radwettfahrten, the Bund Deutscher Radfahrer Österreichs and the Ligue Vélocipédique Belge. Léon Hamelle FRA became president and Paul Rousseau BEL secretary general. A key decision in the foundation was the mutual recognition of the records of the member associations and the organization of an open world championship in Paris in 1897. However, this UCI never really seems to have had a life.
Despite differing assessments of the amateur status and prize money, the
NCU's accession (which had dominated the ICA) failed mainly due to the
number of votes that the French-dominated UCI wanted to grant to the
British associations. The NCU then wanted to find an Empire League and
organize its own world championships. After the UCI received further growth
through the accessions of Portugal, Spain, and Argentina in 1902, the NCU
also joined in February 1903, followed by Australia in August 1903.
The UCI and its predecessor, the ICA, considered the conflict between
professionals and amateurs determining separate world champions as early as
1894. In order to maintain the status of an Olympic sport, amateurs and
professionals were strictly separated into two sub-federations at the
congress in San Sebastian on 02.09.1965. The UCI was now an umbrella
organization only. With the entry of professional athletes into the Olympic
arenas not only the separation into amateur and professional riders became
obsolete, the organization of separate world championships (track cycling
from 1993 onwards, road cycling since 1995) was also abolished. At the
congress on 26.08.1993 in Oslo, the sub-federations for amateur and
professional cycling, which had existed for almost thirty years, were
dissolved and the sole responsibility for cycling returned to the UCI.
Member associations
ICA
1892 ENG, FRA (not the cycling federation UVF, but the Union des
Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques), GER
(Deutscher Radfahrer Bund), NED, BEL, CAN
1897 USA, DEN, NED (2 associations), IRL, ITA, NOR, SCO, SWE, Cap Colony,
SUI, New South Wales
1898 NZL
UCI
1900 BEL, FRA, ITA, SUI, USA (2 associations)
1912 23 national federations
1930 42 national federations
1960 72 national federations
1980 129 national federations
2000 165 national federations
2020 187 national federations
Presidents
| ICA | |
|---|---|
| 23.11.1892 - 08.09.1898 | Frans Netscher NED |
| 08.09.1898 - 1900 | Erik Staal DEN |
| UCI | |
| 14.04.1900 - 23.01.1922 🕆 | Emile de Beukelaer BEL |
| 24.01. - 03.02.1922 | Léon Breton FRA, acting |
| 03.02.1922 - 06.02.1936 | Léon Breton FRA |
| 06.02.1936 - 04.02.1939 | Max Bürgi SUI |
| 04.02.1939 - 06.02.1947 | Alban Collignon BEL |
| 06.02.1947 - 20.10.1957 🕆 | Achille Joinard FRA |
| 21.10. - 29.11.1957 | Adriano Rodoni ITA, acting |
| 29.11.1957 - 27.11.1981 | Adriano Rodoni ITA |
| 27.11.1981 - 31.07.1990 🕆 | Luis Puig ESP |
| 31.07.1990 - 29.11.1991 | Valeriy Sysoyev URS, acting |
| 29.11.1991 - 22.09.2005 | Hein Verbruggen NED |
| 23.09.2005 - 27.09.2013 | Pat McQaid IRL |
| 27.09.2013 - 21.09.2017 | Brian Cookson GBR |
| 21.09.2017 - | David Lappartient FRA |
|
|
| Presidents of Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC) | |
| 03.09.1965 - 24.08.1981 | Adriano Rodoni ITA |
| 24.08.1981 - 22.08.1982 | Luis Puig ESP |
| 22.08.1982 - 26.08.1993 | Valeriy Sysoyev URS |
| Presidents of Fédération Internationale des Cyclisme Professionnel (FICP) | |
| 03.09.1965 - 24.08.1977 | Henri Hégésippe FRA |
| 24.08.1977 - 14.08.1978 | Arthur Campbell GBR |
| 14.08.1978 - 02.08.1984 🕆 | Josy Esch LUX |
| 02. - 25.08.1984 | Hein Verbruggen NED, acting |
| 25.08. - 28.11.1984 | José María Sentís ESP |
| 28.11.1984 - 29.11.1991 | Hein Verbruggen NED |
| 29.11.1991 - 26.08.1993 | Werner Göhner GER |
Secretaries General
| Honorary Secretary of ICA | |
|---|---|
| 23.11.1892 - 1901 | Henry Sturmey ENG |
| UCI | |
| 14.04.1900 - 06.04.1901 | Mario Bruzzone ITA |
| 06.04.1901 - 21.05.1941 🕆 | Paul Rousseau BEL |
| 21.05.1941 - 09.02.1946 | --- |
| 10.02.1946 - 06.02.1947 | Victor Breyer FRA |
| 06.02.1947 - 28.11.1969 | René Chesal FRA |
| 28.11.1969 - 26.08.1993 | Michał Jekiel POL |
| Since than appointed Directors General only | |
| Secretaries General of Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC) | |
| 03.09.1965 - 14.08.1969 | René Chesal FRA |
| 14.08.1969 - 24.08.1981 | Giuliano Pacciarelli ITA |
| 24.08.1981 - 26.08.1993 | Carla Giuliani ITA |
| Secretaries General of Fédération Internationale des Cyclisme Professional (FICP) | |
| 03.09.1965 - ??? | Camerlynck BEL |
| (1969) | René Geltemeyer ??? |
| 14.08.1978 - 26.08.1993 | Fernand Conter LUX |
Last modified: 20.01.2022