The U23 road race at the World Championships in Yorkshire is to be cut short over fears the evening will be too dark for racing.
The UCI said a combination of the weather forecast and the early dark evenings in Britain had created concerns.
These were focussed both on the conditions for racing but also on the TV cameras being able to broadcast the race.
A decion had been taken to start Friday’s race 10 minutes earlier and reduce it by one lao of the 13.7km Harrogate circuit.
“Due to anticipated poor light conditions as a result of the inclement weather forecast, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in consultation with the Yorkshire 2019 organising committee has decided to modify the U23 road race distance and start time,” the UCI said.
“The race route modification represents moving the start time 10 minutes earlier and removing one lap of the Harrogate circuit.
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“This action has been guided by the concern to ensure the security of the athletes while preserving the sporting interest of the event.
“In addition to riders’ safety, the decision has been taken in order to ensure the light conditions will be sufficient for the host broadcaster to deliver a high-quality product using the full range of the planned production facilities such as the camera helicopter until the end of the race.
“The UCI and Yorkshire 2019 will continue to assess closely the weather forecast and race conditions and take any appropriate decisions.”
The precautions are being taken after very poor conditions today in the U23 men’s TT.
Flash flooding was so bad in the torrential rain that it caused some riders, including Ireland’s Michael O’Loughlin, to crash.
A decision was then taken to delay the start of the women’s TT to allow some of the surface water on the course to drain.
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