The new event will be introduced at the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire (Great Britain)

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is very pleased to announce the launch of the new team time trial which will be raced as a mixed relay, reserved for national teams, comprising both men and women. This mixed relay for six riders from the Under-23 and Elite categories will replace the team time trial for UCI trade teams that has been part of the programme of the UCI Road World Championships since 2012. The last edition of this event was held in Innsbruck in 2018.

In the mixed relay, each team starts off with three male riders who complete a lap then relay to three female riders. The team's final placing is decided according to the time taken when the second woman crosses the line. The men and women both complete one lap of the same course. The six riders of the winning nation will all be awarded the rainbow jersey.

The mixed relay will be included in the Yorkshire 2019 programme on the first Sunday of the World Championships and will use the road race circuit in Harrogate. The event will contribute to the UCI World Ranking and will count towards qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The total prize money for the top 10 teams will be 166,000 euros, identical to that of 2018.

The new format allows National Federations to form teams from riders who are already entered for the individual events or to line up time trial specialists. For their part, the organisers can use the same course for the mixed relay as the individual time trials or road races depending on the course configurations.

Thesaid: "The mixed relay team time trial reserved for national teams is the latest step towards greater gender equality in cycling. Between 2012 and 2018, the team time trial was a showcase for UCI-registered teams. The new format will shine the spotlight on the National Federations and their riders while promoting equality between men and women. The mixed relay will also have a positive effect on the budgets of the teams and the organisers. This is a significant step towards achieving the UCI's major objectives of increasing the attractiveness of our World Championships, developing women’s cycling and promoting National Federations."