In an interview with cyclingnews, Van Damme, the head of the Belgian Cycling Federation and a member of the UCI Management Committee, admitted he was considering his options but insisted he had not yet made a final decision.

He has been touted as a potential candidate, with support for the Belgian seemingly growing behind the scenes.

“People are asking me to stand and there are rumours that I’m going to stand, but the decision hasn’t been taken,” Van Damme told cyclingnews.

“They think I would be a good candidate and that’s always nice to hear.”

Current President Brian Cookson, who declared he would stand for a second term last May, described Van Damme as an “excellent President of the Belgian Federation and the UCI Road Commission”.

“If he decides to stand then that's a matter for him,” he told cyclingnews.

Van Damme also admitted he could yet support Cookson in his bid for re-election and said he would discuss the matter with the Briton and European Cycling Union (UEC) President David Lappartient, who is another potential candidate.

The French Cycling Federation (FFC) President announced he would not seek a third term, prompting talk he could challenge Cookson for the top job at the UCI.

Lappartient attempted to play down these suggestions by claiming his decision to remove himself from the running for the FFC Presidency was due to his international commitments.

“I will certainly wait until after the Classics, and if I have a good feeling from Brian over the next four years, then it’s possible that I’ll support him,” Van Damme added.

“That’s something I’ll discuss with him.

“An election year is always a special year.

“It’s also a fact that as well as the Presidential election you also have the election of the management board and the different continent.

“This all means that people are nervous and of course that there are rumours.

"I expected that David would stand four years ago and he didn’t do it.

“I think that he’s doing a really good job as President of the UEC - it was, let's be honest, not really existing, and he made something of the UEC.

“I’ll have a discussion with him in the next four months."

To stand for the Presidency, a candidate must be nominated by the national governing body of their nationality or residence, with the nomination required to be submitted three months prior to the date of the Congress.

As the incumbent President, Cookson does not require a nomination.

The Presidential election is due to be held at the UCI Congress on September 22 in Bergen, Norway.