CYCLING : UCI ANNUAL REPORT SHOWS HISTORICALLY-HIGH RESERVES

Cycling : UCI annual report shows historically-high reserves of Chf 76.1 Million, which will support reduced revenue from 2025 Worlds In Rwanda. In 2021, the Union Cycliste Internationale decided to take its most important event, the World Road Championships to Kigali, Rwanda to create more excitement around the sport in Africa. There are costs to doing that, as the UCI Annual Report for 2024, released Monday demonstrated. By Rich Perelman

CYCLING : UCI ANNUAL REPORT SHOWS HISTORICALLY-HIGH RESERVES OF CHF 76.1 MILLION, WHICH WILL SUPPORT REDUCED REVENUE FROM 2025 WORLDS IN RWANDA

In 2021, the Union Cycliste Internationale decided to take its most important event, the World Road Championships to Kigali, Rwanda to create more excitement around the sport in Africa. There are costs to doing that, as the UCI Annual Report for 2024, released Monday demonstrated. By Rich Perelman

The report’s financial update noted :

“The year 2025 will be characterised by the first UCI Road World Championships to be organised in Africa (in Kigali, Rwanda). In this respect, the budget shows a particularity because when the UCI Road World Championships were awarded to Kigali, the Management Committee exceptionally approved a reduced organisation rights fee.

“It was considered that this initiative, which was part of the UCI’s development and solidarity mission, justified a financial effort. The 2025 budget therefore presents a logical loss for a non-Olympic year characterised by a drop in the organisation rights fee for its flagship annual event.

“However, given the surpluses of the last two cycles, the UCI has an excellent financial base, and the 2025 budget will not put the UCI’s finances under pressure.”

But the federation, as noted, has plenty to lean on to cushion the loss of its usual revenues from its World Road Champs. In 2024 (please note that CHF 1 = $1.26) :

CHF 70.080 million in operating revenue for 2024, compared to CHF 46.270 for 2023, thanks in part to CHF 24.756 million in IOC television rights money (about $25.7 million U.S.).

CHF 47.502 million in expenses, compared to CHF 51.277 million in 2023.

CHF 25.908 million in surplus after some investment gains, vs. a loss of CHF 3.408 million for 2023.

It was a good year, and the UCI balance sheet has never looked better :

Assets expanded to CHF 134.254 million, including CHF 38.716 million in cash.

Consolidated reserves were at an all-time high at CHF 76.139 million, up from CHF 50.183 million at the end of 2023. Pretty impressive.

In terms of its competitions, the UCI gets most of its money from road racing, especially the Road Championships. In 2024 :

CHF 14.576 million : Road
CHF 4.980 million : Mountain Bike
CHF 2.774 million : Track
CHF 2.586 million : Cyclo-Cross
CHF 1.550 million : BMX Freestyle
CHF 1.253 million : BMX Racing
CHF 851,000 : all others

The financial report noted the federation’s financial strength should extend well into the future :

“The UCI’s financial solidity has been strengthened by the securing of our main media and commercial revenues, as well as by the allocation of most of our major UCI World Championships until the end of 2030.

“This operational visibility will enable the UCI to better define the allocation of its financial resources for the next cycle. A financial plan will be drawn up for the next eight years and will define the resources needed to implement the Agenda 2030 and strategic projects for our International Federation.”

The UCI has benefitted from strong interest in road racing and increased interest in mountain biking, so it can afford to go to Rwanda in September. Another massive World Cycling Championships involving most of the federation’s disciplines is scheduled for 2027 in the Haute-Savoie region of France.