New UCI safety regulations confirm the direction of the Tour de Pologne. “We’ve taken a step forward”

During the meeting of the Management Committee of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), which took place during the Road World Championships in Rwanda, the latest rule changes were presented. One of them concerns the unification of standards for barriers used to secure sprint finishes. It is an important step towards increasing the safety of cyclists – an area that has been very important for the Tour de Pologne for many years.

According to the UCI press release, the developed specifications are to define the requirements concerning the dimensions, weight and centre of gravity of the barriers, as well as their key strength. The attachment system will have to be able to withstand the force of an impact in case of a crash, and a special test protocol will make it possible to assess the resistance of the barriers to impacts. Both the detailed technical specification and the test procedure will be made available to race organisers and manufacturers in the first half of 2026. The final stage of the work will be the development of a certification process that the barriers used at race finishes will have to meet.

Lang Team – organiser of the Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour – has been consistently implementing the principles that are now becoming the basis of the new regulations for five years. Thanks to cooperation with the Belgian company BOPLAN, a leader in the field of safety systems, the Polish race uses innovative barriers and totems that absorb impact energy, placed in key locations. The distinctive yellow BOPLAN screens have been protecting riders during sprint finishes for five editions.

– During the Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour we attach special importance to securing the route. We make sure that everything complies with the regulations of the Union Cycliste Internationale, which requires that the last 300 metres on both sides of the road are lined with safe barriers. Among other reasons, this is why we cooperate with the Belgian company BOPLAN, which specialises in safety systems. Logistically, it is quite an undertaking, but we have taken a step forward and we are glad that in this way we increase the safety of the riders – commented Czesław Lang, General Director of Lang Tour de Pologne.

The Tour de Pologne is the only stage race from the UCI WorldTour calendar that has been using BOPLAN safety systems for several years.