A more in-depth have a look at the UCI World Tour promotion and relegation contest for the lads.
When you’re in a rush, or to save lots of you a click on, XDS-Astana have jumped up the rankings and halved the hole to Cofidis of their quest to stay in World Tour however Dutch workforce Picnic-PostNL should be as nervous because the French workforce.
Plus whereas Lotto look set to qualify for the World Tour on factors now we have to ask if they’ve the funds subsequent yr to maintain this as a result of if not then they’re in a predicament.
Rule recap
Groups are ranked on the idea of the factors haul for 2023, 2024 and 2025 mixed which is itself primarily based on tally of the 20 finest scorers on every workforce. The highest-18 groups qualify for the World Tour.
Any WorldTeams in nineteenth place or under are relegated to ProTeam standing. Groups on this second tier are invited to take part within the high occasions. Extra element in The 2025 Factors Race.
The Rankings as we speak
The pink line is under 18th place and so groups above qualify for the World Tour in 2026-2028, under means relegation:
Relegation zoom chart
This is similar chart because the one above however cropped to zoom in on the relegation contest:
To date this season
This reveals the weekly scores, you possibly can see XDS-Astana on the up and in addition the hole nonetheless to shut.
Promotion, I
For a while the promotion of Israel-PremierTech and Lotto has been handled as a formality as a result of they’re up to now forward on factors, they give the impression of being certain to be within the top-18 groups by the top of the season. However let’s step again from squinting on the spreadsheets and glancing on the graphs as a result of final week Lotto scored zero factors. This doesn’t assist the factors tally after all however the level is the workforce is avoiding racing. If it doesn’t need to do a World Tour calendar now, who’s to say it needs promotion subsequent yr? Or extra pertinently can it afford promotion?
It’s misplaced a co-sponsor and so is having to chop again on racing to save lots of prices however that is marginal, wages sometimes take up 70% of a workforce’s funds so saving on gas, autostrada tolls and never hiring soigneurs on short-term contracts for every week is nearly symbolic for the funds. All this whereas rival groups are getting the pre-classics stage races which might be thought-about important. So if Lotto don’t get a co-sponsor who says they’re promoted anyway? They’ll apply however may discover the UCI says their funds is inadequate; it’s elective and to allow them to flip it down as a result of the duty to have a much bigger roster, to do all of the grand excursions and extra is past them. In the event that they have been to not make the World Tour then, every part else being equal, there can be 17 WorldTeams and so 5 invited groups to the grand excursions, of which Lotto would hope to function.
Computerized invites
If there are 18 World Tour groups subsequent yr then two groups stand to get computerized invites to the grand excursions primarily based on the 2025 rankings alone. Proper now it’s XDS-Astana on the high with the Swiss pair of Tudor (1,798 factors) and Q36.5 (1,656), with Uno-X in fourth place by solely a 15 factors. However can we assume Astana keep handle to remain within the World Tour?
Lotto are properly down on 654 factors for 2025, presently under Burgos-Burpellet-BH so relegation might be expensive for them as they’d danger being frozen out of invites to high races subsequent yr.
Relegation, I
XDS-Astana are relegation candidates however proceed to stand up the ranks. This week marks a big second as they’re now in nineteenth place, having jumped up two locations. They’re nonetheless 2,486 factors behind Cofidis which is loads. However they began the season in twenty first place and 4,720 factors in order that they’ve nearly halved the hole and it’s not even the top of March.
Relegation, II
Arkéa-B&B Motels look doomed. They appeared like this at first of the season given the poor tally of factors that noticed them begin in nineteenth place and a couple of,400 factors wanting 18th place and the exodus of riders over winter. Now they’re additional adrift. It’s not sure the workforce continues both, administration are attempting to safe sponsorship renewals or replacements.
Ideally the workforce continues as a robust ProTeam but it surely’s not sure and the jeopardy of relegation is all on show right here. Sponsors might not need to again a workforce that won’t experience the Tour de France subsequent yr; riders won’t need to keep or be part of both.
Relegation, III
Cofidis sit in nineteenth place so the closest risk for relegation. However they’re solely 190 factors behind Picnic-PostNL because the Dutch workforce is stalling. You may have a look at Picnic’s roster and see high quality however we’ve mentioned this for the final two seasons they usually didn’t rating, plus they’ve harm points with Max Poole amongst these out and each rider counts now. The 2 groups can be watching one another intently as XDS-Astana closes in.
Relegation, IV
We must also watch Intermarché-Wanty because the workforce sits on a cushion of factors from 2023+2024 however is faring badly this yr and if this continues – and they’re very reliant on Biniam Girmay – then they’ll be nervous concerning the late season too.
The put up UCI World Tour Promotion-Relegation first appeared on The Inside Ring.
