It is early in the season but every point will matter by the end of it. Team Arkéa Samsic and Lotto Soudal are two of the main teams that are currently in the battle for World Tour promotion and relegation respectively, and the battle was personal at the Tour des Alpes Maritimes.
Next season the World Tour licenses from 2023 to 2025 will be awarded and the 18 teams who have got the most UCI points accumulated from 2020-2022 will receive those licenses. Those are are below will race at Pro Teams division in 2023 (with the possibility of applying for World Tour in the 2024 season). With Alpecin - Fenix easily having that spot guarranteed unless something bizarre were to happen, several teams in the lower ranks are in an active battle to gather as many points as possible this year to stay, or be promoted to World Tour.
As you can see in the graphics below from Raúl Banqueri, you can verify that with the latest update in UCI points Arkéa Samsic is above the red line and overtaking several World Tour teams with the points from Nairo Quintana's win. Whilst Team BikeExchange - Jayco, Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux and Israel - Premier Tech are in a risky position, the pressure is on two teams specifically.
Both Cofidis and Lotto Soudal are below the red line and currently in position to be relegated to Pro Team status. The both have a gap of around 800 to 900 points that needs to be closed down or both teams face inevitable return, or in Lotto Soudal's case, the first time it will not be in the first division of cycling since the World Tour system was created.
At the three-stage race in France Nairo Quintana managed to attack the final stage and steal the overall from Wellens who had surprised and taken over the lead on stage two. This has allowed Arkéa to extend their current lead over Lotto Soudal and put the Belgian team into further trouble, with Guillaume Martin finishing third also netting important points to stay ahead for Cofidis.
With the season just barely started it will be an endurance race for the points, however the ones grabbed so far are not meaningless and put both World Tour teams that are below the red line under pressure. Wildcards apply for next season, meaning the first team below the red line will be automatically invited for all World Tour events, the situation Alpecin - Fenix is in this season.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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Update: Arkéa is on fire and even overtakes BikeExchange. Lotto and Cofidis have performanced well in France, but they are still far from the top 18. In the battle for the wildcards, TotalEnergies overtakes Cofidis and Uno-X thanks to Cristian Rodriguez's podium in Andalucía.
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