Guide · Fleet planning
Planning a cycling team's fleet means deciding, day by day, which team car, bus or truck goes to which race, who drives it, what stays at the service course and which vehicles are free. It works best when the fleet plan sits next to the race programme, the selection and the travel plan, so that a change in one shows up in the others.
The planning questions
In a busy part of the season a team can have several races running at the same time, sometimes for different divisions. Every vehicle then needs an answer to the same four questions.
Each team car, the bus and the truck is assigned per day to a race, kept at the service course or marked as free. Seeing those periods side by side for the whole fleet makes it easier to spot a gap, or a vehicle promised to two races at once, while there is still time to change the plan.
An assignment is not complete without a driver. For the cars that follow the race, the UCI rules add a condition: every team car must carry a licensed sports director who is responsible for the vehicle (see below). That turns fleet planning into staff planning as well.
A vehicle can be at the service course, in maintenance or near the end of its lease or rental contract. Those dates belong in the same plan as the race assignments, otherwise they surface at the worst moment.
Vehicles also carry riders and staff: from the airport to the hotel, from the hotel to the start, between two races. When a transport leg records which vehicle is used and who drives it, the travel plan and the fleet plan stay consistent.
UCI rules
The number of cars you plan in the race, and which sports director sits in each, depends on the category of the race. These are the rules in the UCI Cycling Regulations, Part 2 Road Races (version of 1 September 2026).
Only one vehicle per team may circulate at race level. In UCI WorldTour events a second vehicle per team is allowed, except in circuit races and on final circuits; the organiser gives the first car a red number and the second a black one (article 2.3.017).
One vehicle per team at race level, with a second car allowed in men's UCI WorldTour and continental-circuit races (UCI ProSeries and Class 1) and in UCI Women's WorldTour races of seven stages or more. In Grand Tour team time trials a third car is allowed (article 2.6.033).
Every team car must carry a sports director with the appropriate licence who is responsible for the vehicle; for UCI-registered teams that sports director must also be registered with the UCI. The organiser lists everyone driving in the convoy, with licence number and UCI ID (article 2.2.035).
In practice: plan the cars that follow the race first, with a licensed sports director in each, then the vehicles that only travel, and check the technical guide of each race for its own instructions.
Checklist
A short check that catches most fleet problems while there is still time to solve them.
In VelOps
VelOps is team management and race logistics software for professional cycling teams (men's, women's and development squads): a back office for races, selections, travel, staff and team cars, plus a rider app. For the fleet, it gives staff one calendar for every vehicle.
FAQ
Under the UCI Cycling Regulations, only one vehicle per team may circulate at race level. A second vehicle is allowed in UCI WorldTour one-day races (not in circuit races or on final circuits). In stage races, a second car per team is allowed in men's UCI WorldTour and continental-circuit races (UCI ProSeries and Class 1) and in UCI Women's WorldTour races of seven stages or more, and a third car is allowed in Grand Tour team time trials. Always check the technical guide of the race.
Every team car must carry a sports director who holds the appropriate licence and is responsible for the vehicle. For teams registered with the UCI, that sports director must also be registered as such with the UCI. The organiser gives the commissaires a list of everyone driving in the race convoy, with their licence number and UCI ID.
Yes. The VelOps fleet calendar shows a vehicle's contract expiry when it falls within a month, next to the vehicle's race assignments, the service course and free periods.
Yes. Maintenance of the team's vehicles (team cars, the bus and the truck) is recorded in the VelOps back office. Maintenance in VelOps is for vehicles only, not for bikes or other equipment.
Published 7 October 2026.
Book a demo
We'll show you the fleet calendar, the race logistics and the rider app with your own races and roles as the example, in a 30-minute demo, in person or online.
Or email us directly: info@velops.app