World Tour Wild Cards 2025

[Netserk]

That is a useless reductio ad absurdum.

There's nothing useless about a well-applied reductio ad absurdum.

 

[RedheadDane]

Nope.

"Waiting to use the entire team for sprints with Kristoff and Dujardin/Turgis or whoever is understandable but also not doing what ASO expect them to do."

Who cares what ASO expects them to do?
They have riders who can mix it up in the sprints. Of course they're gonna mix it up in the sprints.

 

[tobydawq]

That is a useless reductio ad absurdum.

Oh, okay, I thought it was serious...

 

[Pozzovivo]

Did you miss the huge crash in the actual sprint? Basically two-thirds of the sprint field abandoned either immediately or in the following stages because of injuries sustained on that day.

You mean Ewan crashed with Sagan? Was there anything before that again but after the one that took out Haig?

 

[Pozzovivo]

There's nothing useless about a well-applied reductio ad absurdum.

Unfortunately, it was not well applied. When someone argues for fewer riders to improve safety in cycling, and you pretend that this leads to a situation in which there should be no cyclists at all, then it is merely a disingenuous useless comment.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

We basically already have that, they just want to make it a 20-22 team World Tour and kill off the only remaining flexibility the organisers have. They've already reduced the number of Wildcards from 4 to 2 because the organisers MUST invite 2 "mandatory wildcards" which is a complete oxymoron.

Plus of course it also gives those 'mandatory wildcard' teams a huge and easy headstart in regaining WT status or at least retaining mandatory wildcard status, making the gap between the haves and have nots even bigger than it already was.

A 23rd team in the GTs will benefit the ProConti-teams and give more teams a chance to race and therefore give more PC Teams a better platform for their sponsors and potentially make a huge difference for these teams.

With the mandatory wild cards it's basically 6 open spots in the GTs (7 when Lotto skips Giro). With adding one team for each of the GT, I think it generally will mean another team gets the shot, and not necessarily just the best getting another shot.

For example for 2025, if its allowed for a 23rd team, I think it would be good if it meant the Giro invites Tudor, Polti, Bardiani & Q36.5(one extra because Lott), Tour invites Tudor, Uno-X and Total and the Vuelta invites three spanish teams and not only 2.
I think it will be bad if it just means that the best teams of the candidates, for example Tudor and Uno-X is getting all these extra spots, but I dont think that will happen as Giro and Vuelta is good at protecting their own national PCT.

 

[Netserk]

Unfortunately, it was not well applied. When someone argues for fewer riders to improve safety in cycling, and you pretend that this leads to a situation in which there should be no cyclists at all, then it is merely a disingenuous useless comment.

Depends on the argument. For some arguments, it effectively shows what is wrong with them. Some safety arguments are indeed effectively arguments for banning professional cycling. If the conclusion is wrong, it's worth more closely examining the nature of the argument.

 

[pastronef]

'We'll know by early April if we continue into 2026' - Arkéa-B&B Hotels facing crunch WorldTour season

Sponsorship currently set to terminate at end of year for French team

www.cyclingnews.com

I'm very cynic but Arkea not continuing in 2026 would come as a little sigh of relief for some teams looking for WT wild cards.
(even though it also depends if the relegated teams would do us the favour of skipping Giro/Vuelta)

 

[Berniece]

Fleche Wallone will have a nice lineup of riders that used to be or are one of the best punchers in the peloton. With Pogacar, Alaphilippe, Hirschi, Nys and Pidcock.

Alaphilippe, Hirschi én Pidcock in Luik en Waalse Pijl? Tudor en Q36.5 krijgen wildcard voor beide koersen | sporza

Worden Luik-Bastenaken-Luik en de Waalse Pijl gekruid met extra smaakmakers als Julian Alaphilippe, Marc Hirschi en Tom Pidcock? Hun nieuwe ploegen - Tudor en Q36.5 - zijn vanaf vandaag in elk geval zeker van hun plekje in die twee koersen. Ze kregen een wildcard van de organisatie.

sporza.be

 

[Netserk]

Fleche Wallone will have a nice lineup of riders that used to be or are one of the best punchers in the peloton. With Pogacar, Alaphilippe, Hirschi, Nys and Pidcock.

Alaphilippe, Hirschi én Pidcock in Luik en Waalse Pijl? Tudor en Q36.5 krijgen wildcard voor beide koersen | sporza

Worden Luik-Bastenaken-Luik en de Waalse Pijl gekruid met extra smaakmakers als Julian Alaphilippe, Marc Hirschi en Tom Pidcock? Hun nieuwe ploegen - Tudor en Q36.5 - zijn vanaf vandaag in elk geval zeker van hun plekje in die twee koersen. Ze kregen een wildcard van de organisatie.

sporza.be

And they went back and included Cherave again. Have they learned nothing?

Before last year's race, the best edition in a long time:

Because Netserk has been pleading them to remove the Cherave climb for whatever reason.

Notice how almost all years with that damn climb have been worse than the years without it.

 

[tobydawq]

And they went back and included Cherave again. Have they learned nothing?

Before last year's race, the best edition in a long time:

Notice how almost all years with that damn climb have been worse than the years without it.

I don't quite think no Cherave was what made last year's race the spectacle it was. And I think you agree.

 

[Netserk]

I don't quite think no Cherave was what made last year's race the spectacle it was. And I think you agree.

I thought I made myself clear back then.

Difference is that they have removed Cherave. So the racing is much better now.

The weather, what are you talking about?!

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

I thought I made myself clear back then.

Netserk is one of those guys that gets up in the morning, sees the fresh 1m of snow that fell and thinks: "Ideal weather for a jog".

 

[tobydawq]

I thought I made myself clear back then.

 

[tobydawq]

Netserk is one of those guys that gets up in the morning, sees the fresh 1m of snow that fell and thinks: "Ideal weather for a jog".

As long as he is not lodging at the foot of Côte de Cherave.

 

[search]

Paris - Roubaix:

 

[Rockestar_33]

Paris - Roubaix:

Pretty much as expected, yeah? I mean the Unibet team would be the last selected and given they're the last French team in the PRT it's relatively straightforward.

 

[Pozzovivo]

Why are Uno-X not doing the CEGOR when they have automatic invites to all WT one-day events?

 

[Rockestar_33]

Why are Uno-X not doing the CEGOR when they have automatic invites to all WT one-day events?

Probably because it's the other side of the world and don't want to send 7/8 riders and support staff for one day of racing?

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Why are Uno-X not doing the CEGOR when they have automatic invites to all WT one-day events?

Because the joy of an invitation is that you don't have to accept. True genius in cycling management would be defined as winning all the races that you really want, and getting few enough points elsewhere to rank 19th or 20th.

 

[ingsve]

Why are Uno-X not doing the CEGOR when they have automatic invites to all WT one-day events?

Also beside from the cost they have other options the same week since most of their team is either in Mallorca or in Saudi right now. So it's both expensive and not a necessity.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

It would be weirder if a European team which couldn't ride TDU was taking part in any of the other Australian races. But perhaps Wærenskjold would have liked them to.

 

[search]

It would be weirder if a European team which couldn't ride TDU was taking part in any of the other Australian races. But perhaps Wærenskjold would have liked them to.

there used to be some (Roompot, Aqua Blue, Gazprom, UHC) when CGORR turned WT, but maybe the organizers had a bit more money available early on. And back then there was still Herald Sun Tour afterwards, of course.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

It would be weirder if a European team which couldn't ride TDU was taking part in any of the other Australian races. But perhaps Wærenskjold would have liked them to.

there used to be some (Roompot, Aqua Blue, Gazprom, UHC) when CGORR turned WT, but maybe the organizers had a bit more money available early on. And back then there was still Herald Sun Tour afterwards, of course.

If there was a possibility to do TDU, Surf Coast Classic, CEGORR it would be pretty good possibility to score some points for Uno-X by sending 7-8 riders down there. Surf Coast Classic+CEGORR+Herald Sun Tour if that still existed wouldve also been a decent option, but as long as a team like Uno-X would be limited to Surf Coast Classic+CEGORR it makes completely sense to not go down there, even if of course CEGORR is probably the best possibility for a team like Uno-X to win a WT one day race.

 

[yaco]

there used to be some (Roompot, Aqua Blue, Gazprom, UHC) when CGORR turned WT, but maybe the organizers had a bit more money available early on. And back then there was still Herald Sun Tour afterwards, of course.

Herald Sun Tour probably back in 2026.