The combat to take care of, the opposite difficulty on the finish of the season

A posh and infrequently maligned system governs biking’s elite.

Some have been getting ready for it for months: the Highway Worlds, from September 18 to 25 in Australia, are an unmissable occasion.

Nonetheless, a number of main riders is not going to be there. Banned from touring by their skilled crew, which prefers to see them multiply one-day races and hunt for the UCI factors mandatory to remain among the many eighteen elite groups.

On the finish of 2019, the Worldwide Biking Union arrange a normal classification based mostly on the buildup of factors received in skilled races, from probably the most prestigious to probably the most modest.

On the time of the steadiness sheet, calculated during the last three seasons, the bottom ranked groups are demoted to the decrease degree, the ProSeries, for the following three years.

The stakes are excessive: being a member of the World Tour affords automated participation within the greatest races. Taking place exposes you to shedding sponsor contracts in addition to riders.

At this stage, Lotto Soudal and Israel-Premier Tech are crusing within the purple zone. Alpecin-Deceuninck and Arkéa Samsic, at the moment within the second division, are prepared to exchange them. Movistar, BikeExchange, EF Training and even Cofidis stay below risk.

“Sheer insanity”

On the finish of October, the decision will fall. And the strain rises, in addition to the criticisms in relation to a classification which obscures the constructions involved by a attainable descent.

Even when it means stopping their riders from going to the World Championships which actually distribute factors (600 for the winner, 475 for the second, and so on…) however mobilize the riders for no less than every week due to the journey and the time lag hourly.

Somewhat than search their fortune in Australia, these formations want to research the races, particularly in Europe, in entrance of a much less raised plateau more often than not.

That is this system that awaits, for instance, the chief of Cofidis, Guillaume Martin. “Cofidis is ready for me to be current to attain. A essentially lengthy journey to Australia, with the jet lag, dangers hurting my crew,” he advised the Bistro vélo podcast.

In the identical vein, the Belgian crew will probably be disadvantaged of riders from the Lotto crew on the World Championships and the Spanish coach regrets that solely two of the eight riders he had in thoughts can be found.

The venerable Alejandro Valverde, 42, might thus be disadvantaged of a last try for the rainbow jersey, to be able to assist his Movistar crew to make sure upkeep.

Eusebio Unzué, the supervisor of Movistar, expressed his exasperation in June: “It is pure insanity, we’ve to reform this method”, he advised the specialised website Cyclingnews.

On the coronary heart of the critics: the distribution of factors and the truth that second and even third degree races typically reward greater than a famend occasion.

Grocer’s calculations

If the Tour de France brings 1000 factors to the winner of the overall classification, a stage victory, as prestigious as it’s, thus brings “solely” 120 factors and a sixth place nothing in any respect (solely the primary 5 of the stage are rewarded). To be in contrast with the Polynormande, a one-day race of the Coupe de France, the place successful lets you pocket 125 factors and a sixth place one other 40 factors.

“Attempt to clarify that to supporters of different sports activities, it would not make any sense,” complains Unzué.

A number of runners don’t spare their criticism both, like Michael Woods who regrets that the load given to small races “encourages a weird approach of operating” with grocer’s calculations that may border on the absurd.

Some runners additionally deplore that the three-year rating has been maintained regardless of the Covid pandemic. Below these circumstances “jeopardizing the way forward for decades-old groups” is “merely not truthful”, lambasted Tao Geoghegan Hart, winner of the Giro in 2020.

However not everybody shares these criticisms. And discuss with the specter of a sclerotic closed league which discourages contenders for the rise and traders.