Peta Mullens says the UCI emailed her 48 hours before the UCI Gravel World Championships in Nannup to say she had been bumped from the 35-39 category to the elite field, citing 100 UCI points from a race she rode 14 months earlier. By her account, the rule she qualified under was replaced once qualifying was over. She says she will line up in the elite field.

Mullens says that about a week before the race the UCI ruled that elite UCI points in any discipline require racing elite at a world championship, and applied that retrospectively. She says the UCI had earlier replied, quoting its rulebook, that points from a different discipline were not relevant to gravel. Her case is about timing: «You can't give athletes one set of rules and let them spent thousands of dollars qualifying and travelling to a world championship. And then change rules the week before the race, and apply it retrospectively as well.» She adds: «We play by your rules all season and then you change them at the finish line.» She says the change affects 12 other riders, half of whom travelled from Europe, and that contacting UCI representatives on the ground in the previous 24 hours had «fallen on deaf ears». The women's races were scheduled for Saturday 10 October, with the elite men's race on Sunday. UCI regulations state that riders qualified for the Gravel World Championships in the elite category can only qualify for the elite category, and riders signing up for age groups can only qualify for age groups.

Mullens says she will start in the elite field rather than her age group. She says 12 other riders are affected, half of whom travelled from Europe.

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