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"

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."