World Champs Qualification Quotas: Viva España

I'm very sorry. I wish we could do this World Championship qualification thingy without the maths, but it really can't be done. I'll try to keep it simple, but if I fail: blame the UCI.

PS - no, I don't know why the entire Vuelta falls outside of the qualification window.

On to: the rules.

RULE 1

The 10 first nations in UCI WorldTour classification by nation on 15 August 2014: each nation may enter 14 riders, with 9 to start.

That is, in order: Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Colombia, Australia, Belgium, Poland, Germany and Great Britain.

Addendum 1:

However, a nation with fewer than 9 riders classified in the individual UCI WorldTour ranking on 15 August 2014 shall start with the number of riders that are classified. A nation with 6 or less riders classified in the individual UCI WorldTour ranking can never the less start 6 riders. The nations that have fewer than 9 riders classified in the individual UCI WorldTour can complete their remaining athlete quota, by adding the places it would have received through their respective continental circuit – the UCI Africa Tour, UCI America Tour, UCI Asia Tour, UCI Europe Tour and the UCI Oceania Tour – but must not, however, exceed the athlete quota of 14 riders with 9 to start obtained in the UCI WorldTour classification by nation.

Confused? Yeah, I don't blame you.

Let's break it down. Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Australia, Belgium and Germany are fine and will get to send 9 guys via rule #1.

Colombia (8 guys on the individual WorldTour ranking), GB (8) and Poland (3) need to turn to the addendum.
Great Britain and Colombia need one single guy on their respective continental circuit to be able to send a full squad, and they do (Adam Blythe, 62nd in Europe and Fernando Gaviria Rendon, 12th in America). So they both get to send 9 guys via rule #1, addendum 1.

Poland only has three guys on the World Tour ranking (Flower, Majka and Niemiec). Which means that they get a six men squad, maximum, if they have three guys on the Europe ranking. Which they do. Ergo, six men team for Poland.

Colombia get 9 riders, thanks to being 3rd nation of the UCI America Tour (Rule 3) which would have allowed them to qualify 3 riders.
Poland get 9 riders, thanks to being 9th nation of the UCI Europe Tour (Rule 5) which would have allowed them to qualify 3 riders.
Great Britain get 9 riders, thanks to being 15th nation of the UCI Europe Tour (Rule 5) which would have allowed them to qualify 3 riders.

(Thanks Rolland)

RULE 2

The 3 first nations of the classification by nation of the UCI Africa Tour on 15 August 2014 excluding the nations qualifying via the UCI WorldTour classification: the 1st nation qualifying under this rule may enter 9 riders, with 6 to start (rank 1); the 2nd and 3rd nations may enter 5 riders, with 3 to start (rank 2).

First three nations of the Africa Tour: Morocco, Algeria, Eritrea

RULE 3

The 5 first nations of the classification by nation of the UCI America Tour on 15 August 2014 excluding the nations qualifying via the UCI WorldTour classification: the 1 st and 2nd nations qualifying can enter 9 riders, with 6 to start (rank 1); the 3rd, 4th and 5th nations can enter 5 riders, with 3 to start (rank 2).

First five nations on the America Tour: Venezuela, USA, Colombia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Argentina

USA! USA!

RULE 4

The first 4 nations of the classification by nation of the UCI Asia Tour on 15 August 2014 excluding the nations qualifying via the UCI WorldTour classification: the 1st nation qualifying under this rule may enter 9 riders, with 6 to start (rank 1); the 2nd, 3rd and 4th nations qualifying can enter 5 riders, with 3 to start (rank 2).

First four nations on the Asia Tour: Iran, Kazakhstan, Japan, Korea

RULE 5

The first 14 nations of the classification by nation of the UCI Europe Tour on 15 August 2014 excluding the nations qualifying via the UCI WorldTour classification: the first 6 nations qualifying can enter 9 riders, with 6 to start (rank 1); the nations ranked 7th to 14th can enter 5 riders, with 3 to start (rank 2).

First fourteen nations on the Europe Tour: Belgium, Italy, France, Spain, Ukraine, Netherlands, Russia, Slovenia, Poland, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Norway, Ireland, Romania, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia

RULE 6

The 1st nation of the classification by nation of the UCI Oceania Tour on 15 August 2014 excluding the nations qualifying via the UCI WorldTour classification: this qualifying nation may enter 5 riders, with 3 to start (rank 2).

First nation on the Oceania Tour that isn't Australia? Well, well, wonder who that might be.
(there's actually only two nations in the Oceania Tour)

RULE 7

Each nation in the UCI WorldTour classification which has not otherwise qualified but has:
- a rider among the first 100 in the individual classification of the UCI WorldTour classification on 15 August 2014: each nation may enter 5 riders, with 3 to start
- three riders in the individual classification of the UCI WorldTour classification on 15 August 2014: each nation may enter 5 riders, with 3 to start.
- two riders in the individual classification of the UCI WorldTour classification on 15 August 2014: each nation may enter 3 riders, with 2 to start.
- one rider in the individual classification of the UCI WorldTour classification on 15 August 2014: each nation may enter 2 riders, with 1 to start.

Not-yet-qualified nations with a guy in the top 100: Slovakia (Sagan), Canada (Hesj), Lithuania (Honeybadger), South Africa (Impey), Luxembourg (F. Schleck), Belarus (Huta)

Not-yet-qualified nations with three guys with WT points: /
Not-yet-qualified nations with two guys with WT points: /
Not-yet-qualified nations with one guy with WT points: /

Peter only gets to take two friends to Spain.

RULE 8

The following nations on the Continental Circuits not otherwise qualified:
- The African nations with a rider among the first 5 in the individual classification of the UCI Africa Tour on 15 August 2014: each nation may enter 2 riders, with 1 to start.
- The American nations with a rider among the first 20 in the individual classification of the UCI America Tour on 15 August 2014: each nation may enter 2 riders, with 1 to start.
- The Asian nations with a rider among the first 5 in the individual classification of the UCI Asia Tour on 15 August 2014: each nation may enter 2 riders, with 1 to start.
- The European nations with a rider among the first 200 of the individual classification of the UCI Europe Tour on 15 August 2014: each nation may enter 2 riders, with 1 to start.
- The Oceania nations with a rider among the first 5 of the individual classification of the UCI Oceania Tour on 15 August 2014: each nation may enter 2 riders,with 1 to start.

Not-yet-qualified African nations with a guy in the top 5 on the Africa Tour: /
Not-yet-qualified American nations with a guy in the top 20 on the America Tour: Ecuador
Not-yet-qualified Asian nations with a guy in the top 5 on the Asian Tour: /
Not-yet-qualified European nations with a guy in the top 200 on the European Tour: Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece
Not-yet-qualified Oceanic nations with a guy in the top 5 on the Oceanic Tour: theoretically impossible

Addendum 2:

* The places of the nations which have been qualified by the UCI WorldTour classification but are not allocated in regards of the particular dispositions will be reallocated to the nations from the 11th rank of the UCI WorldTour classification, with one supplementary place allocated by nation.

I... have no idea what this means.Rolland does! Poland gets all the spots, so there's nothing left to distribute.

Addendum 3:

If the outgoing Men Elite World Road race Champion or the outgoing Olympic Road race Champion comes from a nation which has not yet qualified, he may take part in the first World Championship after he wins his title. He may not be replaced by another rider.

Portugal's good, so addendum 3 is irrelevant.

Addendum 4:

If the nation responsible for organising the World Championship is qualified in the second rank of nations via the classification by nation for its continent, it may enter 9 riders with 6 to start.

Spain already has a full squad, so addendum 4 is irrelevant.

CONCLUSION*

9 guys: Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Colombia and Great Britain

6 guys: Poland, Morocco, Venezuela, Iran, Ukraine, Russia, Slovenia, Denmark, Austria, USA, Portugal

3 guys: Algeria, Eritrea, Brazil, Costa Rica, Argentina, Kazakhstan, Japan, Korea, Czech Republic, Norway, Ireland, Romania, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, New Zealand, Slovakia, Canada, Lithuania, South Africa, Luxembourg, Belarus, Switzerland

1 guy: Ecuador, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece