UCI Releases World Tour Invitations

No surprises but plenty of disappointment (and in other circles, relief) as the UCI confirmed its World Tour team licenses for both the Men’s and Women’s competitions in 2023. The big news concerns the demotees:

• Israel-Premier Tech (men’s and women’s)
• Lotto DSTNY (men)
• Uno-X Cycling (men)
• Ceratizit - WNT (women)
• AG Insurance (women)

On the women’s side the vacancy created by Israel-Premier Tech’s demotion will be filled by Fenix-Deceunink. [FYI, Deceunink left Quick Step for the former Alpecin-Fenix, while Quick Step latched on to Soudal for its main sponsor, so the game of Belgian title sponsorship musical chairs was lost by Lotto.] Team Arkea-Samsic is the most notable beneficiary of IPT’s demotion, as the long-running continental squad are officially in the World Tour.

Also note that UNO-X men will remain pro-continental while their women’s team remains in the World Tour. Ceratizit and AG Insurance’s failed applications also just means that they are status quo for the women’s Continental level. Oh, and while DSM is in the World Tour for now, it’s only for this season. Licenses were issued for the 2023-25 seasons, but for DSM to continue after 2023 it will need to produce more financial information than it has so far.

Finally, Jérome Pineau’s effort to recue the B&B Hotels team from dissolution have been unsuccessful, as he related to team members a week ago, and as a consequence the UCI did not grant any license at any level to the placeholder application noted as “Paris City Cycling.”

The full list of Men’s World Tour teams is as follows:

• AG2R CITROEN TEAM (ACT – FRA)
• ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK (ADC – BEL)
• ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM (AST – KAZ)
• BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS (TBV – BRN)
• BORA – HANSGROHE (BOH – GER)
• COFIDIS (COF – FRA)
• EF EDUCATION – EASYPOST (EFE – USA)
• GREENEDGE CYCLING (BEX – AUS)
• GROUPAMA – FDJ (GFC – FRA)
• INEOS GRENADIERS (IGD – GBR)
• INTERMARCHÉ – CIRCUS - WANTY (ICW – BEL)
• JUMBO-VISMA (TJV – NED)
• MOVISTAR TEAM (MOV – ESP)
• SOUDAL QUICK-STEP (SOQ – BEL)
• TEAM ARKEA – SAMSIC (ARK – FRA)
• TEAM DSM (DSM – NED)
• TREK – SEGAFREDO (TFS – USA)
• UAE TEAM EMIRATES (UAD – UAE)

The full list of Women’s World Tour teams are:

• CANYON//SRAM RACING (CSR – GER)
• EF EDUCATION - TIBCO - SVB (TIB – USA)
• FDJ-SUEZ (FST – FRA)
• GREENEDGE CYCLING (BEX – AUS)
• HUMAN POWERED HEALTH (HPW – USA)
• LIV RACING TEQFIND (LIV – NED)
• MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN (MOV – ESP)
• TEAM DSM (DSM – NED)
• TEAM JUMBO VISMA (JVW – NED)
• TEAM SD WORX (SDW – NED)
• TREK – SEGAFREDO (TFS – USA)
• UAE TEAM (UAD – UAE)
• UNO-X PRO CYCLING TEAM (UXT – NOR)

Most of the coverage will be about Israel-Premier Tech, as Premier Tech’s Sylvan Adams has threatened to sue or pull his sponsorship rather than rely on a potential wild card selection to the Tour de France and other grand tours and major events. Plenty of teams have survived and even thrived as ProTeams, but for a team whose lineage is rooted in Israel and money in Canada, this is a dicey arrangement. The ball is now officially in Adams’ court.