Giro d'Italia boss believes not all teams want to race three grand tours: "There are too many teams that ride all the big tours"

Few topics in cycling have sparked as much debate in 2025 as Grand Tour wildcards. The issue, which has been simmering since the winter, has become even more pressing as high-profile riders like Julian Alaphilippe and Tom Pidcock have joined ProTeams, making wildcard selection even more competitive. The controversy revolves around whether Grand Tours should expand to 23 teams or if the current system, which allows only 22 teams of eight riders, should remain unchanged.

Currently, each Grand Tour hosts 22 teams, each made up of eight riders. A few years ago, race organisers reduced team sizes from nine to eight in an effort to increase safety and make the races more unpredictable.

The 18 WorldTour teams are guaranteed a place in every Grand Tour, while the two highest-ranked ProTeams from the previous WorldTour relegation cycle (Lotto and Israel-Premier Tech) also receive an automatic invitation. However, Lotto has chosen to forgo their place at the Giro, leaving three open wildcards for race organisers to distribute.

That will certainly have got Pidcock and Alaphilippe’s attention.

Traditionally, wildcard invitations are split between strong Pro Continental teams and domestic teams from the country hosting the Grand Tour. In the Giro d’Italia, this has typically meant a place for Bardiani, in the Tour de France, TotalEnergies, and in the Vuelta a Espana, Burgos-BH.

This year, the situation has been further complicated by top-tier talent dropping down to ProTeams. The presence of riders like Alaphilippe, Pidcock, and Marc Hirschi in the Pro Continental ranks means that demand for wildcards has skyrocketed, leading to unusual delays in their distribution. As a result, the cycling world has been divided on whether the sport should allow 23 teams to start Grand Tours to accommodate more of these star riders.

The proposal has gained traction among some race organizers, but it faces strong resistance from key figures in the sport. Visma | Lease a Bike boss Richard Plugge has been one of the loudest critics, refusing to support the expansion of team numbers. His stance is rooted in the belief that reducing team sizes was meant to make racing safer and more dynamic, and that increasing the number of teams would contradict that objective.

Yet, the fundamental question remains: Does a smaller peloton actually make races safer, or does it just make them less predictable? While Plugge’s position is understandable, the reality is that the current system now forces race organizers to exclude high-profile riders who would significantly boost public interest.

Giro d’Italia race director Mauro Vegni has thrown another perspective into the debate. Instead of focusing solely on expanding the race, he has questioned whether all WorldTour teams even want to participate in every Grand Tour.

"There are too many teams that ride all the big tours, while they may not even want to," Vegni recently told Sporza.

Vegni wonders whether teams like Cofidis or Groupama-FDJ, for example, would actually choose to race if they weren’t required to. If teams lack a clear leader or strategic focus on a particular Grand Tour, should they be forced to participate?

The idea of allowing more flexibility for WorldTour teams to opt out could create additional wildcard spots without needing to increase the total number of teams. However, this would challenge the traditional notion that Grand Tours must feature all WorldTour squads as the highest-ranked teams in cycling.

For now, the Professional Cycling Council is set to meet on March 26 to discuss the issue, leaving riders like Pidcock, Alaphilippe, and Hirschi uncertain about their Grand Tour schedules.

“All the big organizers are asking for extra wildcards. I see a great opportunity here to let more smaller teams compete against the top teams,” Vegni said.

However, he has yet to reveal his own decision on wildcard selections for the 2025 Giro.

"It would indeed be a shame if Pidcock were not there. But you can say the same about teams that train young riders, like Bardiani."