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World Tour Wild Cards 2025

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Rockestar_33

Rockestar_33

Nov 12, 2024
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So, predictions:

Giro: Polti Vini Fantini, Bardiani, Q36.5, Tudor (no Lotto)
Tour: TotalEnergies, Uno-X, Tudor
Vuelta: Equipo Kern Pharma, Caja Rural, Q36.5/Euskatel Euskadi
 
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pastronef

Aug 19, 2011
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Netserk said:
www.uci.org

The number of teams participating in the men's Grand Tours increased to 23 by the UCI Management Committee

www.uci.org
Click to expand...

To this end, it requests the PCC to consider, at its next meeting, the possibility of increasing to three the number of compulsory invitations to the Grand Tours awarded on the basis of the UCI World Team Ranking (cf. art. 2.1.007bis of the UCI Regulations) and of restoring, as of the 2026 season, the current number of two invitations (wild cards) left to the discretion of the organisers for UCI ProTeams.


uh?
 
Netserk

Netserk

Apr 30, 2011
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pastronef said:
To this end, it requests the PCC to consider, at its next meeting, the possibility of increasing to three the number of compulsory invitations to the Grand Tours awarded on the basis of the UCI World Team Ranking (cf. art. 2.1.007bis of the UCI Regulations) and of restoring, as of the 2026 season, the current number of two invitations (wild cards) left to the discretion of the organisers for UCI ProTeams.


uh?
Click to expand...
This year there are 2 forced wildcards and 3 free wildcards. UCI wants that to next year be 3 forced wildcards and 2 free ones.
 
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Netserk

Netserk

Apr 30, 2011
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pastronef said:
so that would mean there'll be 3 teams getting ALL WT races, and 1 getting ALL 1 day WT races.

with Arkea possibly folding and Total wanting to move to Ineos, the 2026 wild cards chances look better
Click to expand...
The change is only to GTs.

Current rules: https://assets.ctfassets.net/761l7g...fdaa85fcd0eab00d/2-ROA-20250101-E.pdf#page=10

From 2026, if the change happens:

GT: 18 WT teams, 3 highest ranked PT teams, 2 wildcards
WT stage races: 18 WT teams, 2 highest ranked PT teams, 5 wildcards
WT one-day races: 18 WT teams, 3 highest ranked PT teams, 4 wildcards
 
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pastronef

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ingsve

ingsve

Mar 12, 2009
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Netserk said:
21 de facto WT teams. Should make relegation easier to swallow.
Click to expand...
For GTs at least but also with the difference that the top 3 PT teams can potentially change each year while the actual WT teams still have the 3 year security. It gives slightly more stability for the top PT teams at least.

Even if you were among the top 2 PT team up until now you could never really be safe from a new team investing heavily and skyrocketing to the top of the PT rankings pushing the others down. Now you would at least need to be pushed out of the top 3 to lose all the important access.
 
Samamba

Samamba

May 10, 2015
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ingsve said:
It gives slightly more stability for the top PT teams at least.
Click to expand...

Not just slightly, a lot more stability, cause chances of more than 3 really Pro Teams are really slim with Arkea relegating and probably folding. It's simply better right now to be a Pro Team. Relegation fight is kinda useless now, unless a team has such a bad season that they are below Q36.5, but I don't believe in that as long as they are a 1 man team.

You know what's wild. That the organizers pretend this is to get more of their domestic teams in GTs, while it's simply to get the rich teams in that probably also give them some more money. Let's just say that UNO X, Tudor and Astana get the guaranteed WCs next year, watch RCS drop Bardiani for Q36.5. Or watch Vuelta drop one of their Spanish teams for them.

That is unless UNO X skips a GT, which is possible.

If Total also folds, there's literally no stress for any decent team anymore. TDT will get to the Tour I mean...
 
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Netserk

Netserk

Apr 30, 2011
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Samamba said:
Not just slightly, a lot more stability, cause chances of more than 3 really Pro Teams are really slim with Arkea relegating and probably folding. It's simply better right now to be a Pro Team. Relegation fight is kinda useless now, unless a team has such a bad season that they are below Q36.5, but I don't believe in that as long as they are a 1 man team.

You know what's wild. That the organizers pretend this is to get more of their domestic teams in GTs, while it's simply to get the rich teams in that probably also give them some more money. Let's just say that UNO X, Tudor and Astana get the guaranteed WCs next year, watch RCS drop Bardiani for Q36.5. Or watch Vuelta drop one of their Spanish teams for them.

That is unless UNO X skips a GT, which is possible.

If Total also folds, there's literally no stress for any decent team anymore. TDT will get to the Tour I mean...
Click to expand...
If Astana makes the top-18, then the one of Cofidis, (B)DSM and Intermarché that gets relegated will also likely end up 4th among the PT teams this year (okay, Cofidis will probably surpass Q36.5).
 
ingsve

ingsve

Mar 12, 2009
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Samamba said:
Not just slightly, a lot more stability, cause chances of more than 3 really Pro Teams are really slim with Arkea relegating and probably folding. It's simply better right now to be a Pro Team. Relegation fight is kinda useless now, unless a team has such a bad season that they are below Q36.5, but I don't believe in that as long as they are a 1 man team.

You know what's wild. That the organizers pretend this is to get more of their domestic teams in GTs, while it's simply to get the rich teams in that probably also give them some more money. Let's just say that UNO X, Tudor and Astana get the guaranteed WCs next year, watch RCS drop Bardiani for Q36.5. Or watch Vuelta drop one of their Spanish teams for them.

That is unless UNO X skips a GT, which is possible.

If Total also folds, there's literally no stress for any decent team anymore. TDT will get to the Tour I mean...
Click to expand...
Short term it looks pretty stable yes. Though you don't really know over time if more projects like Tudor shows up that suddenly grows much stronger and pushes other PT teams down. Not to mention the Chinese takeover of Astana.
 
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pastronef

Aug 19, 2011
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www.letemps.ch

Sélectionnée pour le Tour de France, l’équipe suisse Tudor veut créer un laboratoire de performance unique dans le cyclisme - Le Temps

La formation de Fabian Cancellara participera à la Grande Boucle cet été. Une première pour une équipe suisse depuis 2016. En attendant le nouveau projet confidentiel de Tudor: un centre de performance unique dans le cyclisme
www.letemps.ch www.letemps.ch

"Tudor is reportedly working on a still-confidential project that could give it a significant head start over the competition: a performance laboratory inspired by Formula 1. (...) The "base" would house a velodrome, a wind tunnel, and possibly a hotel. (...) A planning application has been submitted by the Tudor Pro Cycling team for the construction of its new base in Sursee (Lucerne). Construction is scheduled for between mid-2025 and the first half of 2027."

We also learned that Tudor could buy Arkea's World Tour license in order to gain access to the top division as early as 2026.
well but Arkea won't have a WT license in 2026, so Tudor cannot buy it in 2026
 
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Samamba

Samamba

May 10, 2015
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Netserk said:
If Astana makes the top-18, then the one of Cofidis, (B)DSM and Intermarché that gets relegated will also likely end up 4th among the PT teams this year (okay, Cofidis will probably surpass Q36.5).
Click to expand...

Too early imo, I don't really believe in Q36.5 unless Pidcock has an absolutely insane season.

And honestly with the WCs all those teams would just get a WC for the Tour (cofidis is obviously secured). Giro and Tour are obviously harder.

Of course you are right that for DSM and Intermarché it's a bit worse than for teams like UNO X. But I think they will all pass Q36.5 eventually.

ingsve said:
Short term it looks pretty stable yes. Though you don't really know over time if more projects like Tudor shows up that suddenly grows much stronger and pushes other PT teams down. Not to mention the Chinese takeover of Astana.
Click to expand...

Imo there should already be rumors about that if that would be a thing in the next 3 years. You don't just build a team better than those mentioned in a year. Even Tudor needed a few years. And well, they could just add another WC you know, doesn't seem like they care about amount of teams anyways.
 
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