Cycling: The 2019 WorldTour season is over. Planning for the coming year is already in full swing. But first it has to be clarified which teams will receive a license for the highest league of cycling. David Lappartient has now announced some details for the first time.
Will Arkéa – Samsic not get a WorldTour license?
Eighteen teams have been part of cycling's top tier in recent years. This is likely to change in 2020. As UCI President David Lappartient announced at the UCI Cycling Gala in China, 19 teams currently meet the sporting criteria for a WorldTour license. In addition to the 18 teams already active in the WorldTour, the French team Cofidis is also included. Arkéa-Samsic does not appear on the published list. According to the UCI, Nairo Quintana's (Movistar) new team does not seem to meet the sporting criteria. This would represent an initial setback for the Colombian. In the new season, Arkéa-Samsic would thus be dependent on invitations from organizers, which, with only 19 guaranteed starting places for WorldTour teams, could prove quite challenging. The final decision regarding the awarding of licenses for the years 2020 to 2022 will not be made until December. David Lappartient also announced that only 18 licenses will be awarded for the WorldTour after 2022.
Almost certain: Cofidis will join the WorldTour as the 19th team
Cofidis team manager Cédric Vasseur is likely pleased that his team will probably be allowed to participate in all WorldTour races next season. The former professional cyclist has pulled off considerable efforts to secure the license. Among other things, top sprinter Elia Viviani (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) will be joining the team, which has existed since 1997, next year. Although Cofidis has never been among the most successful teams in its more than 20-year history, it can still look back on some achievements. David Moncoutie won the King of the Mountains jersey at the Tour de France several times while riding for the team. In 1998, Bobby Julich finished third overall, and Cofidis won the team classification. After the ProTour license was not renewed for 2010, Cofidis has always relied on wildcard entries for major races.
Total Direct Énergie & Wanty – Gobert enjoy a special status
The status of the Swiss cycling team Katusha-Alpecin is not yet definitively settled. The team, managed by Nils Politt and Rick Zabel, is currently in talks with the Israel Cycling Academy, which could potentially take over the team's license. Since the team appeared on the published list, the initial assessments seem to have been promising. Total Direct Énergie and Wanty-Gobert will not be granted a WorldTour license from 2020 to 2022. Nevertheless, we will likely see them frequently due to UCI regulations. As the most successful ProContinental team, Total Direct Énergie will receive an invitation to all races in cycling's top tier. As the second-best team, Wanty-Gobert can look forward to wildcards for all the Classics.