The international governing body for cycling is the Union Cycliste Internationale, abbreviated UCI.
Founded in Paris on 14 April 1900, the UCI coordinates international competitive cycling through national federations. It governs disciplines including road racing, track cycling, mountain biking, cyclocross, BMX and gravel. The organisation also establishes competition regulations, issues international rankings and organises the UCI World Championships.
The UCI is headquartered in Aigle, Switzerland, near Lausanne. It works with national federations and cooperates with the International Olympic Committee on Olympic cycling events. Its authority is therefore specific to cycling, unlike the IOC, which oversees the Olympic movement across many sports.
A common mix-up is treating UCI as the name of a race or a bicycle standard. It is the federation itself; UCI approval labels and technical rules are consequences of that governing role. FIBA governs basketball, FIFA governs association football, and the IOC governs the Olympics—not international cycling.