British Cycling president Bob Howden said: “I am concerned by the rejection of the proposals by three of the 10 English regional mandate meetings.

"British Cycling is going through a period of necessary change partly to ensure we are compliant with the Code of Sports Governance but, more importantly, to help us meet our ambition to be a world class governing body. It is therefore disappointing that a few people are seeking to slow, stop or even reverse that change.

“Ahead of the EGM, we presented to our regions about the importance of this vote and the need to modernise our structure. British Cycling has grown significantly in recent years and it’s essential that we recognise that growth and ensure that we are in the best possible position to service all of our membership and sport as a whole.

“Our 136,000 membership should be in no doubt that what is at risk is not only the funding for the Great Britain Cycling Team but our ability to support the grassroots of every part of our sport in every part of the country. Without this funding the sport of cycling could be lost to an entire generation. This is no bluff. Table Tennis England chose to reject the reforms and had their Sport England funding suspended.  We can’t allow this to happen.

“The changes proposed merit serious debate at Saturday’s Extraordinary General Meeting. However, that debate will lead to a serious decision for our National Councillors. On Saturday we need to decide how we want our sport to look in the future.

“We can choose to be a sport which has a leading role in the public life of this country, where our voice is heard at the highest level, where participation among women is surging and where our riders are the standard by which sporting success is judged.

“Or we can choose to turn the clock back 30 or more years to when we were on the margins, when our membership was much less diverse and when our best talent struggled to compete.

“As someone who cares passionately about the sport that has given me so much and to which I have been happy to give a great deal, it is clear to me that the correct way forward is to vote the proposals through. I am confident the right decision will be made in the best interests of those represented in the room and of the wider membership.”