Race classifications: an explainer

Every race on the calendar carries a classification, and it matters more than the jargon suggests. A 1.2 or a 2.Pro, a National A or a National B: the label sets who is allowed to start, how far they race and how many points the result is worth. For a British domestic team, it can decide whether the biggest race of the year is on the programme at all.

This explainer sets out how the system works going into the 2027 season, from the UCI calendar down to British Cycling’s domestic categories, using races from 2026 as examples. The teams The British Continental follows, UCI Continental squads and domestic elite teams, ride a mix of both. UCI races sit at the top of the hierarchy, so we start there.

UCI race classifications

Reading the code

Every UCI road race carries a code such as 1.2 or 2.Pro. The number before the full stop tells you the format: 1 is a one-day race, 2 is a stage race. The part after it tells you the level. From highest to lowest, those levels are:

UWT (men’s WorldTour) or WWT (Women’s WorldTour)
Pro (the ProSeries)
1
2

So the Rutland–Melton CiCLE Classic, a 1.2, is a one-day race at the lowest UCI level. The Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men is a 2.Pro: a stage race one step below the WorldTour. The Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women is a 2.WWT, which puts it on the Women’s WorldTour.

A U on the end of the code (2.2U, for example) means the race is for under-23 riders. The Tour de l’Avenir, long the centrepiece of the U23 Nations Cup, became a 2.2U in 2026 after the UCI scrapped that series. The Nations Cup is now a junior series, contested by national teams, and its races carry the code Ncup. From 2027 it includes women’s races for the first time.

Who can ride what

The UCI registers teams in tiers. For men, the tiers are WorldTeams, ProTeams and Continental teams. For women, since 2025, they are Women’s WorldTeams, Women’s ProTeams and Continental teams. Below those sit national teams and regional and club teams, which covers every British domestic elite squad that is not UCI-registered. The class of a race determines which of these tiers can be invited. In short:

Men’s Continental teams can ride class 1 and class 2 races, and ProSeries races subject to limits, but not the WorldTour.
Men’s domestic elite and club teams can only ride class 2 races, such as the CiCLE Classic.
Women’s Continental teams can ride ProSeries, class 1 and class 2 races. They are no longer automatically eligible for the Women’s WorldTour, and can be invited only if fewer than 15 WorldTeams and ProTeams sign up. That is how all four British Continental teams made the start of the 2026 Tour of Britain Women. In its first season the rule was applied loosely: Continental teams also started the UAE Tour Women and the Giro d’Italia Women.
Women’s domestic elite and club teams can ride class 1 and class 2 races, but not ProSeries races.
National teams can ride most classes. At WorldTour level only the host nation’s team can start, and only with the UCI’s approval.

Men’s classifications

Class	Example	Who can take part
1.UWT / 2.UWT	Paris–Roubaix / Tour de France	UCI WorldTeams; the three best-ranked ProTeams from the previous season (automatic invitation); other ProTeams by wildcard; host nation’s national team in designated races only
1.Pro / 2.Pro	Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men (2.Pro)	WorldTeams (no more than 72% of the field); ProTeams, with the five best-ranked and any from the host country automatically invited; Continental teams from the host country and up to two foreign Continental teams (see note 1); host nation’s national team
1.1 / 2.1	Le Samyn (1.1) / Tour de l’Ain (2.1)	WorldTeams (no more than 50% of the field); ProTeams; Continental teams; national teams
1.2 / 2.2 (and U23 versions)	Rutland–Melton CiCLE Classic (1.2) / Tour de l’Avenir (2.2U)	ProTeams from the host country and up to two foreign ProTeams; Continental teams; national teams; regional and club teams

Europe Tour rules. Cyclo-cross professional teams are also eligible at ProSeries, class 1 and class 2 level.

(1) To start a ProSeries race, Continental teams must pay into the UCI’s anti-doping programme for ProSeries events. The UCI publishes a list of eligible teams.

Women’s classifications

Class	Example	Who can take part
1.WWT / 2.WWT	Paris–Roubaix Femmes / Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women	At least eight Women’s WorldTeams; the two best-ranked Women’s ProTeams from the previous season (automatic invitation); other Women’s ProTeams; host nation’s national team with UCI approval (see note 2)
1.Pro / 2.Pro	Scheldeprijs (1.Pro) / Tour de Pologne Women (2.Pro)	At least four Women’s WorldTeams; Women’s ProTeams; Continental teams; national teams
1.1 / 2.1	Grand Prix Féminin de Chambéry (1.1) / Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Femenina (2.1)	Between one and seven Women’s WorldTeams; Women’s ProTeams; Continental teams; national teams; regional and club teams
1.2 / 2.2	Dwars door Wingene (1.2)	Women’s ProTeams; Continental teams; national teams; regional and club teams; mixed teams (see note 3)

Cyclo-cross professional teams are also eligible at ProSeries, class 1 and class 2 level.

(2) If fewer than 15 WorldTeams and ProTeams have confirmed 30 days before the race, and the organiser can show it invited every WorldTeam and ProTeam, the UCI can allow Continental teams from the host country to be invited, then other Continental teams.

(3) National, regional, club and mixed teams in class 2 races may include second-year junior women, with the approval of their national federation.

British Cycling race classifications

Below the UCI calendar sits British Cycling’s own system, introduced in 2006. Since 2020, women’s events have used the same classes as open events. From highest to lowest:

National A
National B
Regional A
Regional B
Regional C+ and Regional C
Go-Race (introductory racing)

Each class sets which licence categories can enter (Elite, then first to fourth category) and how long races must be. Open National A road races are restricted to Elite, first and second category riders and must cover at least 130km on demanding courses, rising to 180km on flatter ones. Women’s National A races are open to Elite, first, second and third category riders, with a minimum of 100km. National B races open up to third category riders, with minimums of 120km for open races (or 100km with at least 1,500m of climbing) and 80km for women’s races.

Circuit races are measured by time rather than distance. Open National A and B circuit races must last at least 50 minutes, with open National A races capped at 90 minutes. The women’s equivalents have a minimum of 45 minutes.

The class also sets the points on offer. A National A road race pays 100 points to the winner and a National B road race 60, with National A circuit races paying on the same scale as National B road races. Those points decide riders’ licence categories and British Cycling’s national rankings.

Where the series fit

British Cycling’s Lloyds National Series sits within the system. The open and women’s National Road Series are National A road races. The National Circuit Series runs National A circuit races. The U23 Open National Road Series and the British Women’s Team Cup are run at National B level, as are most of the races outside the series that The British Continental covers.