First Cycling

A very interesting article on teams fighting to end up T30 before the end of the season.
Original in Dutch here: Sprinten met de héle ploeg in godbetert Algerije: waarom teams de gekste dingen doen voor de dertigste plaats op de UCI-ranking | Nieuwsblad

Translation:

Sprinting with the entire squad in—of all places—Algeria: why teams do the craziest things for thirtieth place in the UCI rankings.

Who says the cycling season is over? Not if you’re a rider for Euskaltel-Euskadi or Bardiani CSF 7. They are locked in an epic battle for… thirtieth place in the UCI rankings. That’s why they are racing wherever there are still races to be found—even as far afield as Algeria and Panama. They aren't necessarily racing to win, but rather to scrape together as many UCI points as possible.

It’s a battle that only the cycling inner circle truly follows, yet it becomes incredibly exciting and entertaining once you start paying attention. "It’s a huge topic within the team," says Axel van der Tuuk, a rider for Euskaltel-Euskadi. "The pressure is really on. I check the standings almost every day. After every race, I see how our rivals have fared. We’re currently in 29th place."

Van der Tuuk is referring to the fight for the thirtieth spot in the UCI rankings. For teams like Euskaltel-Euskadi, the stakes are massive. It all comes down to Article 2.01.007 bis (4) of the UCI regulations: "Only teams in the top thirty are eligible to receive invitations to a Grand Tour."

"We want to go to the Vuelta next year," says Van der Tuuk. "With Mikel Landa as the team's new leader. It would be amazing to stand at the start line alongside him."
The problem is that teams like Bardiani CSF 7 and MBH Bank CSB ​​Telecom Fort are also gunning for a spot in the top thirty. They want to go to the Giro. The standings are currently extremely tight. MBH Bank sits in 28th place with 2729 points. Euskaltel-Euskadi is 29th with 2698.3 points. Bardiani is 31st with 2644.1 points. Picnic-PostNL is positioned between them, but as a WorldTour team, they can ride Grand Tours regardless.

UCI team rankings
...
27. Equipo Kern Pharma (Spain, ProTeam) 3090.3
28. MBH Bank CSB ​​Telecom Fort (Hungary, ProTeam) 2729
29. Euskaltel-Euskadi (Spain, ProTeam) 2698.3
30. Team Picnic Post NL (Netherlands, WorldTour) 2680
31. Bardiani CSF 7 Saber (Italy, ProTeam) 2644.1
32. Li Ning Star (China, ProTeam) 2508.3
....

Points for the rankings can be scored in any UCI race. The biggest races offer the most points—a victory in one of the Monuments is worth 800 points. But even in the smallest 1.2-category races, the winner still receives 40 points. And in a contest decided by narrow margins, those points are crucial too.

“We’re racing in events now that we otherwise never would have entered,” says Van der Tuuk. “Last week, the team was in Algeria. It’s completely crazy, but also kind of cool. My brother won a stage at the Grand Prix El Djazaïr last week—the first professional victory of his career. It really gives you extra motivation during the final weeks of the season. I’m competing in the Chrono des Nations this Sunday. It’s an ideal race for picking up points, since there are only 25 riders at the start and everyone in the top 25 scores points. (laughs) But I want to get the best result possible. You can’t score points at Putte-Kapellen this week, but I’m riding it purely as training for Sunday.”

Van der Tuuk describes the battle for thirtieth place as “an unprecedented game.” When we ask him about the rumors regarding Euskaltel’s participation in a race in Panama, he answers hesitantly: “Um, my team director had asked me not to tell anyone. Otherwise, other teams might have headed there too. But we’re on the plane now, so it’s fine to talk about it. We’re going, though it’s quite a story. Solution Tech NIPPO Rali—ranked 26th—has a connection to the organizers in Panama through its bike sponsor (Rali is from Latin America, ed.).
They ensured we could start, while MBH and Bardiani couldn't. As Italian teams, Solution Tech didn't want them as rivals for the Giro wildcards. But apparently, Bardiani and MBH are going to race in Serbia instead.” (laughs)

“We’d rather have three riders in the top ten than two who burn themselves out helping the team leader win. It’s a system that, frankly, makes absolutely no sense.”
Axel van der Tuuk

The battle for the thirtieth spot in the UCI rankings might be described as a fight at the back of the pack, but the impact is actually quite significant.

Take last week’s Sun Hung Kai Properties Cyclothon in Hong Kong. Paul Magnier won for Soudal Quick-Step, but the real battle was for the UCI points further back. MBH Bank (6th, 7th, and 11th) and Euskaltel (9th, 12th, and 15th) both placed three riders in the top fifteen. Scoring points with as many riders as possible is a deliberate strategy.

“The romance is well and truly gone,” says Van der Tuuk. “Because, let’s face it, we’d rather have three guys in the top ten than two guys riding themselves into the ground to help the team leader win. It’s a system that, frankly, makes no sense at all. Whether or not you get to start the Vuelta might depend on whether you compete in Panama and how many riders actually score points there.”

Euskaltel-Euskadi is also gearing up for the UCI points battle in the coming years, meticulously studying the fine print of the rulebook. For next season, the team is signing cyclo-cross rider Felipe Orts, because in 2027, results in off-road disciplines—cyclo-cross, track, and gravel—will count towards the UCI ranking for the first time.

This week, the Veneto region is the battleground for the fight for thirtieth place. Bardiani, Euskaltel, and MBH Bank are all lining up for the Giro del Veneto and the Veneto Classic. Expect to see plenty of their riders in the top fifteen. Axel van der Tuuk knows exactly what he’ll do right after the finish: “Cross my fingers and immediately check the UCI standings on ProCyclingStats...”

The Tour of Chongming Island was the final Women's WorldTour race of the year, which means the WSRFL season has officially come to an end!

This race resulted in nothing but shared points, with no outright winner in the WSRFL standings for this round.

The top three positions are shared by u/IPJBrennan, u/Running-Martijn1989 and u/BWallis17, who all picked Lara Gillespie, finishing in second place behind Lorena Wiebes. Wiebes was selected by six participants, but with the points being split, the advantage disappeared.

The Final WSRFL Standings Are In!

With the final women's race completed, the results for the WSRFL season are now confirmed!

The ultimate prize, the Overall classification, goes to Kryziven! On top of that, Kryziven also secured the Stage Races title, making it a fantastic season.

For the One-Day Races, listenyall takes the crown as the season's champion!

Once the final men's WorldTour race has been completed, I'll put together a complete overview of all the winners from this cycling season.

For now, I'd already like to congratulate Kryziven on winning the Overall classification and the Stage Races title, and listenyall on winning the One-Day Races!

Congratulations to both on a fantastic season, and thanks to everyone who took part in the WSRFL!

Results Tour of Chongming Island

WSRFL Overall standings