"We are fighting to get this invitation once more" - Uno-X face uncertainty over Tour de France wildcard against a fierce competition
Cycling
With Tour de France's grand route presentation over, we seem set to know nearly all key ingredients for next year's Grande Boucle... except which ProTeams will receive the wildcards. Lotto Dstny and Israel - Premier Tech are unlikely to give up their right to start, leaving only to spots open with at least three strong candidates in the mix. Among them the ever-ambitious Scandinavian formation Uno-X Mobility lead by a legend of Norwegian cycling Thor Hushovd.
"We haven't received the invitation yet, unfortunately. We want to meet ASO, meet the management, meet the organiser, talk to them and show that we are serious about this. Being present and just being visible is important," says Thor Hushovd to Norwegian TV 2.
In 2024, Uno-X were under the spotlight for vast part of the Tour thanks to the tireless Jonas Abrahamsen who led both Polka Dot and Points classifications at one point of the race. Eventually, no major result came out of their participation, but a strong positive feeling prevails over the presence of the Scandinavians.
"There were few great performances here. It shows that we take it seriously and we appreciate ASO as an organiser. We are fighting to get this invitation once more," says Hushovd.
Uno-X made a second appearance in a row at the Tour de France this summer, but there's still no certainty a third wild card is coming their way. The Norwegian team will have strong competitors for the invitation in traditional French team TotalEnergies and newly also the Swiss Tudor Pro Cycling with fan-favourite Julian Alaphilippe among their ranks from next season onwards.
Hushovd already went through the first round of talks with ASO and believes the chances of his team are still more than decent: "The gut feeling is still very good, but one must take seriously that Tudor has signed two extremely good riders with Hirschi and Alaphilippe. But at the same time, we have had a brilliant season," concludes Hushovd.
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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.
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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
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- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
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An incredible win today by @MagnusCort at @VenetoClassic after 175km in a breakaway!!🔥🇮🇹 📷: Alessio Pedervia
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