Ion Izagirre's performance at the recent Itzulia Basque Country has proved to be a crucial result for Cofidis as the team surges clear of Israel - Premier Tech and Lotto Soudal in the relegation fight.
With Alpecin-Fenix and Team Arkéa Samsic showing no signs of slowing down, the fight for the 18th World Tour spot for the 2023-2025 period is to be settled between several World Tour teams. Israel and Lotto Soudal are currently in a bad position according to the last update on the 11th of April by Raúl Banqueri. In the last update, both teams are now over 1000 points behind Cofidis who have also taken an important win at La Route Adélie de Vitré.
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Lotto Soudal are currently over at the Tour of Turkey where Caleb Ewan has returned to his winning ways, however the team is still placed last amongst the World Tour teams.
The most complicated situation however is that of Israel - Premier Tech who not only find themselves in a complicated situation to retain their World Tour position, but due to their lack of points this season, they risk not benefiting from the UCI's new Pro Team wildcard system.
If the season were to end now, Alpecin and Arkéa would be promoted to World Tour level, whilst Israel and Lotto would be relegated to Pro Team. The automatic wildcards for all World Tour events would be given to TotalEnergies and Lotto Soudal as the 2022 points are superior to all teams who are provisionally set to be at Pro Team level in 2023 with 2416 and 2316.
Israel - Premier Tech though only carry 1233, far below the line as they've been struggling with underperforming and injuries within the team. In this position they would have no automatic invites, although they can of course obtain them for several World Tour events.
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)...
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Relegation battle update: Cofidis moves away from the relegation zone and is now more than 1000 points ahead of Israel and Lotto. Israel is also more than 1000 points behind Lotto and Total in the fight for the 2023 WT wildcards. Their situation is critical. Full analysis 👇
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