British rider slams UCI points system over difficulties to get a contract: "Winning a race or scoring points is very hard when you're always up against Pogacar or Vingegaard"
CyclingThursday, 24 October 2024 at 11:05
The UCI points have in the past year become more and more important as teams battle for maintenance and/or promotion to the World Tour. Cofidis is one of the teams involved in the battles and this system harms the riders who score little according to Briton Harrison Wood, whose role is to support his teammates in doing that.
The 24-year old is a rider for Cofidis since 2023 but is now in contract year, and still with no deal agreed on for 2025. "It's annoying. I feel let down because they showed at the beginning of the season that they want to keep me. I can understand it as if they don't score points, and they won't be WorldTour, but it's not my problem if you tell me not to score WorldTour points and I don't," Wood said in words to Rouleur. "We get to August, and you say I've not scored points, it's weird."
Wood is a victim of a rhetoric that has become more common over recent years, and now faces consequences of fulfilling his role within the team instead of focusing on his own results: "If we eliminated the system, there would be a lot of riders the same age as me who would have another year or two to develop and improve. However, because the teams are so stressed and worried about the situation, they are signing a 35- or 36-year-old at the end of their career who can help save them with some points instead of signing a younger rider."
Wood is a rider who has found his way into the top of the cycling world in a World Tour structure, but as is the case with most riders, it is very complicated to obtain results in a peloton that is in constant evolution and sees performances better than ever and records being broken now consistently too. The demands are very high even for the riders who are away from the spotlight and Wood is clear in phrasing what this means fully:
"I'm not complaining about riding these big races, but winning a race or scoring points is very hard when you're always up against Pogacar or Vingegaard," he argues. "I've done well in these races and improved a lot, but I'm not sure I've improved enough for Cofidis, which is a shame. If I had a chance to go for my results in smaller races, I'm certain I have the ability and level to have done that".
His career at the time being is legitimately at risk, with the British scene not looking too bright, and him not having a contract now at the end of October still. "It's looking like there's not going to be a place for me. If I knew in April, I'd have raced differently, put myself first, try to get results for myself. So it's a little bit frustrating that I'm getting to the end of the year having done a good job but will probably be told I can't stay," he admits. This is a problem which other riders can relate to.
Wood believed he was doing what was best for his career, but faced against a system that prioritize UCI points over other attributes at times. "There's no point beating around the bush: we're playing with our careers in terms of the results we get, and I've only been doing the job that was asked of me. At the same time, the work you do within a smaller team isn't as beneficial or as well seen as the work done by domestiques within Visma or UAE," the Briton argues. "These teams have the top leaders who win races, so if you ride on the front and do a job for them, people see it. With the smaller teams, fewer people see what you're doing."
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- so sad...
maria2024202410-05-2025 - ahahahha.. but I think Roglic will be very happy to give you back the pink jersey (less interviews, less ceremonies, more time to rest).maria2024202410-05-2025
- Bummed for Wout. I hope he bounces back big tomorrowmij10-05-2025
- His manner of speech is that of someone who's totally laid back, not the nervous kind.
KerisVroom10-05-2025 - wow, Isaac Del Torro can TT. I am betting that he can surpass Ayuso in the future.KerisVroom10-05-2025
- van Aert will be happy if he can stay with the front group in that last climb. Pedersen will win stage 3 :-)
DareDevil10-05-2025 - Not good for Landa. Whole season gone already.DareDevil10-05-2025
- This one is for Primoz!!DareDevil10-05-2025
- Now I know Mads Pederson is a very talented hairstylist. I should have gone for this sort of hairstyle just for fun.KerisVroom10-05-2025
- Its everyman for himself at UAE if no Pogi. This was the case since last 3 yearsabstractengineer10-05-2025
It's nothing new. The points scoring system hasn't changed. This is how a competition works - the strong teams finish at the top and the weak ones at the bottom.
This specific issue is his team needing to budget and cut because they are unfortunately one of the weaker teams.
It's easy for me to say in hindsight, but sometimes you need to speak up and say this stage suits my ability and I want to try a breakaway to win it. Just like in any workplace where you want to progress in your career, you need to speak up. If this did happen but the team denied him the opportunity, then he needs to raise that point with the team.
I think he feels that’s pointless because he’s either seen them to be inconsistent in decision-making or fears they will be ejected and this is kind of free advertising to let the cycling industry know he’s available for a transfer ;-)
He has a few points but it will be hard to change things above team level.
Probably the UCI figures that by limiting the number of race days any top rider can ride they give the others enough chance to win other races but I don’t think they expected to have such a large bunch of top riders who not only cannibalise all the top spots but also do very well to avoid each other too often, i.e. spread themselves across most of the races.
Perhaps more points should be awarded for the lower placings?
Give more points to lower placings and the same teams will be near the bottom. The only real way around this is a luxury tax on big teams that would help fund the small ones.
If a big 6 is participating, nobody else wins and the responsibility of the chase is upto their team and not other teams. If you are a domestique on a team that is low in strong leaders, it is bound to happen that your points will be extremely low and your work prior to the finale where the other team chased will be unnoticed. Its not the fault of the points systems since it is the same for everybody
The funding gap between teams is the main driver for these problems