World Tour Wild Cards 2025

[tobydawq]

It's about time they just went mask off and got rid of wildcards and just announced that teams will be invited to races based on the 23 who have the highest budgets, and everybody else can wither and die for all the UCI care. No need for pre-qualifying or any of that battle to be on the grid. Then everybody in the cartel can share all the money and people that aren't in those teams... they can go drive sportscars or touring cars or something. Who cares? They don't have as much money, so they don't deserve opportunities.

And if we stop them getting opportunities, nobody will invest in them so that they do have money, and we don't need to worry about somebody in the club getting their feelings hurt like Sylvain Adams ever again.

Yawn.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yawn.

Hey, it's not like I'm the only one to note this even in the last 24 hours in this thread. You know, maybe my criticisms wouldn't be so predictable and repetitive if the actions that precipitated them weren't so predictable and repetitive too.

 

[pastronef]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1908110571557249104

View: https://x.com/javiskimo/status/1908110571557249104


The Q36.5 invitation is the least questionable on the list, let's not be chauvinistic... Pidcock is more of a cyclist than the leaders of the 12 or 13 WT teams that will be going to La Vuelta.

 

[hrotha]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1908110571557249104

View: https://x.com/javiskimo/status/1908110571557249104


The Q36.5 invitation is the least questionable on the list, let's not be chauvinistic... Pidcock is more of a cyclist than the leaders of the 12 or 13 WT teams that will be going to La Vuelta.

I'm having flashbacks from all those Vueltas where they'd invite some foreign team just to get their big star in the race and then said big star would take it as a vacation and proceed to do nothing at all for a few days before withdrawing, and the rest of the team would naturally suck throughout the whole race. Looking at you, Savoldelli/Alexia

(I'm not saying I expect this to happen with Pidcock, I just find it funny)

 

[pastronef]

I'm having flashbacks from all those Vueltas where they'd invite some foreign team just to get their big star in the race and then said big star would take it as a vacation and proceed to do nothing at all for a few days before withdrawing, and the rest of the team would naturally suck throughout the whole race. Looking at you, Savoldelli/Alexia

(I'm not saying I expect this to happen with Pidcock, I just find it funny)

Savoldelli-Alexia FFS ahah I had forgotten. I remember the 2003 Vuelta when Cipollini just rode the prologue

 

[YavorD]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1908110571557249104

View: https://x.com/javiskimo/status/1908110571557249104


The Q36.5 invitation is the least questionable on the list, let's not be chauvinistic... Pidcock is more of a cyclist than the leaders of the 12 or 13 WT teams that will be going to La Vuelta.

But..will Pidcock really do 2 GT's?

 

[E_F_]

It's about time they just went mask off and got rid of wildcards and just announced that teams will be invited to races based on the 23 who have the highest budgets, and everybody else can wither and die for all the UCI care. No need for pre-qualifying or any of that battle to be on the grid. Then everybody in the cartel can share all the money and people that aren't in those teams... they can go drive sportscars or touring cars or something. Who cares? They don't have as much money, so they don't deserve opportunities.

The way all sports go... The only way to make it work is just to embrace it and franchise the damn thing. And then do your best to make every team as equal as possible. Any given sunday. NFL baby.

 

[hrotha]

Savoldelli-Alexia FFS ahah I had forgotten. I remember the 2003 Vuelta when Cipollini just rode the prologue

Hahaha. Better than that other time when he came, was an embarrassment for a couple days, punched someone right before stage 5 and was kicked out from the race. Man, those 00s Vueltas were really something

 

[Tim Cahill]

Sean Kelly did it at I'm thinking the Giro?

Came so his team could get in and just rode around Italy for a bit.

 

[ingsve]

Sean Kelly did it at I'm thinking the Giro?

Came so his team could get in and just rode around Italy for a bit.

Sort of like Froome has been doing the past few years.

 

[pastronef]

from the Spanish twitter, the Burgos Provincial Deputation has been committing to the Vuelta for years, as a backer too, getting a grand depart too. Spanish teams have money to buy their wild cards too

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Gotta say, Kern Pharma has been pretty quiet early season, perhaps even dull. Maybe they adopted the wt team approach and played everything nice and safe in the peloton with zero results or action. Not surprised they lost out.

 

[pastronef]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1908423359261552794

View: https://x.com/iamdlax/status/1908423359261552794

 

[pastronef]

from twitter

I even think the problem isn't Q36.5, who is probably interested in coming and showing off at #LaVuelta25. For me, the problem is other teams who are forced to come and will send a team simply to cover their expenses.

 

[AupaPyama]

Gotta say, Kern Pharma has been pretty quiet early season, perhaps even dull. Maybe they adopted the wt team approach and played everything nice and safe in the peloton with zero results or action. Not surprised they lost out.

As I remember from last year: the whole Vuelta team was preparing on the mountain peaking for this big race. In the spring they do had some results just like this year with Berrade and Uriarte.

 

[AupaPyama]

The Q36.5 Vuelta wildcard is crap and everybody knows it. From zero GT to 2 in 1 year. Why: because of Pidcock? I was never impressed by him. If ASO wants guys like Azparren, De La Cruz or Nizzolo at their race, fine but don't mention Pidcock as sole reason. Kern Pharma should have always been there after those 3 stages of 2024. Burgos and Caja deserve their place also after some attractive riding this year (mainly with the non-Spaniards). As I am not against a 23rd team in a GT; the world was better without Q36.5 in the Giro/Vuelta and Tudor in the Tour.

 

[pastronef]

The Q36.5 Vuelta wildcard is crap and everybody knows it. From zero GT to 2 in 1 year. Why: because of Pidcock? I was never impressed by him. If ASO wants guys like Azparren, De La Cruz or Nizzolo at their race, fine but don't mention Pidcock as sole reason. Kern Pharma should have always been there after those 3 stages of 2024. Burgos and Caja deserve their place also after some attractive riding this year (mainly with the non-Spaniards). As I am not against a 23rd team in a GT; the world was better without Q36.5 in the Giro/Vuelta and Tudor in the Tour.

that's a personal subjective view. it depends if one likes those teams or not. the fanbase is very wide and has thousands different fav and non-fav riders and teams. I agree Kern should have been there though, even though I like Pidcock and Q36.5. they already got the Giro wild card

 

[tobydawq]

I honestly don't get all this uproar. Q36.5 is a better team than all the Spanish teams. And I definitely think it's odd to be in favor of three Spanish teams getting wildcards to the Vuelta just because they are Spanish. THAT would be a decision with no sporting merit and I for one am glad that the new top 30-rule will soon be at play because it doesn't add anything to a race to have eight orange-clad Basques ride around in a Grand Tour, no matter how big a fan my dear countryman of whom you know I speak may be.

The issue at hand of course is the snubbing of EKP, who rode so well in the race last year, but it's the very rigid rotation of the Spanish teams by the organisers the critique should be aimed at, not the inclusion of a non-Spanish team.

That said, I also would like the organisers to have more wildcards to hand out and fewer teams automatically invited (20 are way too many) but that is a criticism aimed at the current system, not at the specific decision to invite Q36.5 which does make sense even if it's rooted in a belief that Pidcock is a bigger star than he actually is.

 

[Bolder]

I honestly don't get all this uproar. Q36.5 is a better team than all the Spanish teams. And I definitely think it's odd to be in favor of three Spanish teams getting wildcards to the Vuelta just because they are Spanish. THAT would be a decision with no sporting merit and I for one am glad that the new top 30-rule will soon be at play because it doesn't add anything to a race to have eight orange-clad Basques ride around in a Grand Tour, no matter how big a fan my dear countryman of whom you know I speak may be.

The issue at hand of course is the snubbing of EKP, who rode so well in the race last year, but it's the very rigid rotation of the Spanish teams by the organisers the critique should be aimed at, not the inclusion of a non-Spanish team.

That said, I also would like the organisers to have more wildcards to hand out and fewer teams automatically invited (20 are way too many) but that is a criticism aimed at the current system, not at the specific decision to invite Q36.5 which does make sense even if it's rooted in a belief that Pidcock is a bigger star than he actually is.

Maybe GTs should allow 4-5 unattached riders to just free-lance it?

I always like to see the local teams in GTs, even if they're only going to be in a bunch of no-hope breaks. On the other hand, what if we finally see GT Pidcock this year? That would be crazy.

 

[pastronef]

Moschetti (Q36.5) wind 2 stages in Hellas, beating Groenewegen twice

 

[Libertine Seguros]

That said, I also would like the organisers to have more wildcards to hand out and fewer teams automatically invited (20 are way too many) but that is a criticism aimed at the current system, not at the specific decision to invite Q36.5 which does make sense even if it's rooted in a belief that Pidcock is a bigger star than he actually is.

That sounds like you agree with my contentions about the invites and the locking off of the top tier almost entirely, then.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Look it's quite obvious the Vuelta organisation puts the Spanish PCT-teams on a rotating cycle. Last year Euskatel and Kern, this year Burgos and Caja.
Yes Kern rode a brilliant Vuelta, yes they deserve to be back based on merit but can't fault the Vuelta for giving equal opportunities to each spanish conti team.
And let's be honest. Euskatel had no business being there last year, both Caja and Burgos were much better.
I'm allright with this all 3 Wild Card teams can field a team just as good or better than that of Kern Pharma.

 

[pastronef]

on L'Equipe TV during the Pays de la Loire they talking about offers to Vauquelin for 2026 by a few teams. it feels like Arkea's future looks bleak

 

[Rockestar_33]

on L'Equipe TV during the Pays de la Loire they talking about offers to Vauquelin for 2026 by a few teams. it feels like Arkea's future looks bleak

Cofidis probably makes the most sense