What are UCI points in cycling?
UCI points are awarded for results in races on the UCI calendar and are used to build the official UCI world rankings for riders, teams and nations.
Every UCI race has a category, and the category sets how many points each placing is worth. A Grand Tour overall win or a Monument victory carries far more points than a win in a smaller .2 race. Points are also awarded for stage results and, in stage races, for the final general classification and for days spent leading it.
Points matter commercially. Team rankings built from UCI points help decide which teams hold WorldTour licences and which ProTeams get automatic invitations to the biggest races. That is why teams sometimes chase points at the end of a season in smaller races, and why a rider who scores points steadily can be valuable even without big wins.
Nations use UCI points too, to qualify places at the World Championships and the Olympic Games.
On howtoturnpro.com our earnings-per-point ranking divides estimated salary by points scored. Note that this ranking uses ProCyclingStats points, which follow a different scale from the official UCI points, so the two numbers are not interchangeable.