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Crunch time for the World Tour with two groups going through relegation and two aiming for promotion. Right here’s a more in-depth have a look at the competition forward this 12 months. It’s not the largest story of the season however it’ll frequently have an effect on ways, race packages for groups and riders alike and so form the season. And might Lotto afford promotion?
The RulesTeams are ranked on the idea of their UCI factors for every of the 2023, 2024 and 2025 seasons. This annual rating is predicated on the entire of a group’s 20 greatest scorers. Any ProTeams from biking’s second tier within the top-18 are eligible for promotion. WorldTeams under 18th place face relegation.
There’s a secondary contest the place the perfect ProTeams, together with any relegated squads, are eligible for automated invitations to the highest races subsequent 12 months primarily based on the rankings of 2025 solely. If there are 18 WorldTeams, then the 2 greatest squads right here might be invited to the grand excursions just like the Tour de France and the three greatest groups get invitations to the World Tour classics.
There’s additionally an additional contest the place for 2026 groups wanting a wildcard invitation for a grand tour must be among the many top-30 groups on the planet, the brink strikes up from the top-40 and this implies the likes of Euskaltel-Euskadi and Staff Answer Tech-Vini Fantini want to attain to be eligible for the Vuelta and Giro; with out an invitation they may cease racing.
The factors scale might be seen right here: https://inrng.com/2025/01/uci-points-rankings-2025.
The standings todayDespite the essential nature of those rankings they’re not revealed by the UCI. So bloggers and group managers alike are left to compile them. The UCI updates the group rankings each Tuesday and this knowledge – not simply outcomes but additionally factors docked by commissaires – might be mixed with the rankings for 2023 and 2024 to regulate the promotion and relegation race. You’ll be able to see the complete standings above and the relegation race zoomed in under, the crimson line marks the relegation promotion line:
If right now was the top of the season:
Lotto and Israel-PremierTech are among the many top-18 and are eligible for promotion
Arkéa-Samsic and XDS-Astana are exterior the top-18 and face relegation
Automated grand tour invitations for Burgos-Burpellet-BH, Tudor; TotalEnergies for the classics… however we’re one week into the season for this
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What to search for…To date so prescriptive about promotion and relegation. However it won’t be so easy. Simply being above or under the top-18 doesn’t imply automated promotion or relegation, there’s additionally a assessment course of. However a group already registered and racing ought to be capable of clear this admin hurdle.
The difficulty is who applies as promotion is elective. Three years in the past Alpecin-Deceuninck have been eligible to maneuver up however they didn’t say out loud they’d obtained for it till nicely into the season. This left different groups guessing about their place within the rankings for a number of months.
Lotto are in the best place to get promoted and it’s been a acknowledged objective. However can they afford it? Already the roster has been pilfered, they’ve bought off Maxim Van Gils and so they’re chopping again on racing this 12 months to save lots of on prices. Solely promotion to the World Tour subsequent 12 months shall be costlier. The admin price in charges is small, as an alternative it’s the duty to race each occasion and have a roster able to that is the costly half. They may wish to be again within the World Tour however is the funding there? It’s one thing to look at as they seek for a co-sponsor and in addition know that their major backer – the state lottery – faces regulation requiring playing corporations to exit promoting and sponorship by 2028.
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As advised within the Predictions for 2025 submit Arkea-B&B Resorts face relegation but additionally danger shedding the sponsors. Will each renew, can the group discover new backers? If the group stops it’ll vanish out of the rankings. Administration have mentioned they gained’t string riders alongside and can make an announcement earlier than summer season.
XDS-Astana are far behind on the rankings after dire 2023 and 2024 seasons, greater than 4,500 factors wanting Cofidis and 18th place right now. However they’ve had a hiring spree and one week in already we are able to see their technique is paying off. Close to invisible within the World Tour’s Tour Down Underneath, they’ve scored large in decrease degree races in Spain final weekend. The arduous half for them goes to be retaining this up all 12 months, and that includes in World Tour races too for extra factors, and it’ll be attention-grabbing to look at.
Girls’s World TourTeams are ranked on the idea of their factors from 2024 and 2025 as a way to qualify for a World Tour 2026. Search for EF Schooling-Oatly to stand up and Roland to lose out; and if VolkerWessels preserve scoring they’ll get promoted whereas Uno-X danger dropping.
