UCI Opens Fans' Choice Awards Voting
Fans can vote for riders of the year across five road cycling categories before the December 9 gala in Benidorm.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Cycling
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The UCI opened online voting for its Fans' Choice Awards, letting fans select riders of the year across five road cycling categories. Voting closes on December 1, with winners presented at the UCI annual gala in Benidorm.
Why it matters
The UCI added the fans' awards to give supporters a voice in recognizing the sport's top performers. The honors sit alongside the annual gala, which recognizes the best riders, teams and nations based on the World Rankings.
Each of the five road cycling categories has a shortlist of 10 nominees, split evenly between five men and five women. Remco Evenepoel and Puck Pieterse each have three nominations across the categories.
The players
Remco Evenepoel
Belgian road cyclist who has three nominations in the Feat of the Year classification.
Puck Pieterse
Dutch cyclist with three nominations across the Young Rider, Domestique and Climber selections.
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)
The sport's global governing body, which organizes the Fans' Choice Awards and the annual gala.
The details
Fans vote online to choose their preferred nominees across the five categories. Voting opened at 12:00 CET on Wednesday and closes on December 1, with the awards ceremony broadcast live on the UCI's YouTube channel.
Timeline
Wednesday: voting opens at 12:00 CET.
December 1: voting closes at 11:59 pm.
December 9: awards gala held at the Centro Cultural de Benidorm.
Roadmap
The UCI's annual gala already recognizes the best riders, teams and nations using the World Rankings. Adding a fan-voted category layers public input onto that established awards framework.
Fans who want to shape the honors must cast their votes before voting closes on December 1. The ceremony will stream live on the UCI's YouTube channel for those who cannot attend in Benidorm.
The takeaway
Fans now have a direct role in recognizing the riders they most admire. Casting a vote before December 1 is the simplest way to take part.
What happens next
Voting closes December 1, and winners will be presented at the UCI gala in Benidorm on December 9.
Further reading
For more on the sport's competitive calendar, explore our Cycling section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Cyclingnews.
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