The number of teams competing in the men’s Grand Tours will increase for the upcoming season, following a ruling by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to allow a 23rd team in the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a España.
The decision, which was approved by the UCI Management Committee on Monday, follows a proposal made last week by the Professional Cycling Council (PCC), a group representing teams, riders, and race organizers, including Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France. The change means that race organizers will now be able to invite one additional wildcard team to participate in the three major races.
The UCI’s statement explained that the decision was motivated by the desire to support second-tier teams, or UCI ProTeams, and provide more opportunities for riders to compete in Grand Tours. It also aims to bolster the competition by strengthening the line-ups of these prestigious events.
Previously, the men’s Grand Tours featured 18 UCI WorldTeams, the two highest-ranked UCI ProTeams, and two other ProTeams selected by the event organizers. Now, race organizers can issue a third wildcard invitation, though the UCI has recommended that the extra slot be reserved for the third best-ranked ProTeam, keeping two wildcard spots available.
At the start of the 2025 season, Lotto and Israel-Premier Tech secured automatic invitations as the top-ranked ProTeams. This opens up wildcard opportunities for other teams, such as Tudor, Q36.5, Uno-X, and TotalEnergies. Historically, Grand Tour organizers have often favored inviting teams from their home countries, as seen with Polti Kometa and VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè at last year’s Giro d’Italia.
The Tour de France has already confirmed its wildcard invitations for 2025, naming TotalEnergies, Tudor, and Uno-X.
This isn’t the first time the UCI has allowed a 23rd team in the Grand Tours. In 2021, an additional wildcard was permitted to help ProTeams recover from the impact of Covid-19. The size of the peloton was also larger before 2017, with teams of nine riders. However, the UCI reduced the squad size to eight riders per team starting in 2018, shrinking the total number of competitors from 198 to 176. This move was made to improve safety for riders, spectators, and the race convoy.
For the upcoming season, 184 riders will be allowed to start in the Grand Tours.
Not everyone is in favor of expanding the peloton. Richard Plugge, CEO of Visma-Lease a Bike, expressed concerns about the extra team. He argued that the safety concerns behind the 176-rider limit could be compromised by adding a 23rd team. Furthermore, Plugge warned that allowing an additional wildcard could disrupt the WorldTour rankings, as it would enable ProTeams to score more points, potentially causing issues for lower-ranked WorldTour teams.
It’s important to note that the UCI’s decision does not impact the women’s equivalent races, including the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, Vuelta Femenina, and Giro d’Italia Women, all of which already feature at least five wildcard teams.
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