Team Corratec - Vini Fantini is the first victim of UCI's updated protocol on which teams can apply for Grand Tour wild cards. In order to even make it into the mix for 2025, the ProTeams must've finished at worst 40th in the UCI ranking, while next year, the criteria get even stricter with top-30 as a cut-off.
Team Corratec - Vini Fantini, which has been fighting to prove themselves as a worthy ProTeam ever since their promotion to the level in 2023, was unable to rack up enough points this year, losing to some of the continental teams including Development teams of Lidl-Trek (31), Israel - Premier Tech (36) or Alpecin-Deceuninck (40). It's the latter Belgian formation they lacked 33 points to pass after their last race. Therefore Corratec won't be making their second appearance at Giro any time soon.
For the Italian PRT team, this is a complication as the sponsors, naturally, love to see their team at the front of races. The bigger the better. With limited exposure, the management had tough time even putting together the budget for 2025, but luckily the fire was put out for now, it seems.
Following what emerged with the conclusion of the season, SpazioCiclismo contacted the team again and were told that "the team manager is working to set up the team and to find the necessary funds for next year". For this reason, "being in the top 40 is not a priority" for a team that currently has to face a major change, both in terms of personnel and sponsorships, given that the current main sponsor, the German bike manufacturer Corratec, will no longer be the team's first name.
Negotiations are therefore underway with old and new partners to complete the budget for next season. A situation that currently makes it "premature to talk about everything else". As can be seen from the presence of the team in the list released in recent days by the UCI, the team has nevertheless deposited its first contracts, the bank guarantee and the first names of the sponsors and has "all the papers in order" to continue its adventure with a professional license. Now the goal is to further increase the budget to be able to plan a successful 2025 that can allow it to enter the top 30 teams at the end of the season and be able to apply for the WildCard in 2026.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I wouldn't classify it as a gift because the nasty consequences of taking it from Sepp would have been great and would persist and he knew it.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. Tratnik's good and Red Bull's better so Tratnik may get what he wants.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. So just saying he wasn't enjoying racing anymore is some kind of explanation? Me saying I don't enjoy his explanation is more explaining than he did.flyer14-11-2026
- Buitrago, was he their best rider in 2026? He's the chief loss for them and Martinez and Tiberi (especially) have to step up or they will be overtaken by Bahrain's younger riders like Omrzel. I'm still somewhat high on Martinez but Tiberi, after showing signs of promise, has fizzled. Bahrain still has a good team but they need to improve and exceed expectations. I'd be happy if Mohoric could manage to return to his better form for maybe one last year at least.flyer14-11-2026
- Hmmm, "... I just gained 30 seconds purely off the bike. Because it's really a big, big improvement compared to the previous bike". Is that marketing for Specialized or serious valid hype, or something in between? Very likely the former.flyer14-11-2026
- Nothing revelatory or controversial. Why do we have to report on Bruyneel's or Armstrong's thinking. It's a shame and enough that the Move's on TV and that people watch it .flyer14-11-2026
- Makes sense that training from home is a big asset or advantage but it's still remarkable that he can put in three quality majors and not pay some heavy price for the exertion. I wish he would have won that tour stage that his crash while leading allowed Carapaz the win. He's a darn good rider and teammate.flyer14-11-2026
- Sounds like we all agree with the over under exaggeration: "The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. "flyer14-11-2026
- Seixas appears to be that good but if he isn't (an absolute rival to Pogacar) he would have plenty of company in rising stars that did not go on to fully meet the expectations of many. That Pogacar wasn't the greatest (as great) sooner can't be transposed onto another's development. It may be not that simple.flyer14-11-2026
- I agree that, for Evenepoel, the Euro championship is overshadowed by the slightly off Lombardia and Worlds. However, I disagree that "Ciccone also made a serious mistake at the European Championships" because I don't think he had a win in the bag although he could have won with a perfect bike throw. Guesswork about the finish is not evidence by me for some serious mistake. Sometimes you just barely lose - although Ciccone's sourpuss about it persona was serious.flyer14-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment