This year, the fight for the wildcards seems more intense than ever. Traditional French team
TotalEnergies are always in with a shout. The
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team were also in the mix after signing Tom Pidcock although have since seemingly distances themselves from the fight. According to Andersen though, the most serious competitors for Uno-X Mobility's spot at the Tour de France are potentially the
Tudor Pro Cycling Team.
"Tudor has bought in well. Alaphilippe is a double world champion and French, so it's a bit of a mouthful. At least we'll have a fight to the finish there," Andersen analyses of their ambitious Swiss rivals. "But we are not masters of anyone but ourselves. We have done and are doing what we can, and then we must hope that it is enough."
There is even talk that an extra team could be invited this year, raising the eyebrow of the Uno-X Mobility DS. "If 23 teams come, I have no doubt that we will come. If 22 teams come, I have a little more doubt. But we of course believe in our possibilities," he says, insisting the Tour de France isn't the team's only goal. "We really want to race two grand tours, but our challenge is that there are many Italian teams vying for invitations to the
Giro d'Italia, and both Tudor and Q36.5 are very Italian. And for the Spanish teams, riding the
Vuelta a Espana is almost about survival. I think it will be really difficult."
So ultimately, Uno-X must prepare for the possibility of a worst case scenario and having no Grand Tours to ride in 2025. "Basically, it will be bad for us, and we will be really sad about it. It will be, roughly speaking, shit. But it's not like our world is going to completely end," Andersen concludes.