"We are simply busy with preparations for 2027" - Picnic PostNL denies rumours of giving up on WorldTour license
Cycling
Team Picnic PostNL is in a situation that cannot be described as comfortable. The Dutch WorldTour team is scraping for a spot among the top-30 in UCI Team Ranking, and is set to lose even more firepower in the coming season. Thus, the reports by Velo.fr earlier this week of the management considering a step down to ProTeam level came is unsurprsing - but the team claims that no such change to their structure is planned at the moment!
At the end of 2025 season, Team Picnic PostNL secured a rightful spot in the WorldTour as the 17th team on the three-year UCI ranking. However the governing body only granted the Dutch formation a one-year WorldTour license, in contrast to the "normal" three-year version.
Immediately, speculations arose that the team might find itself in an uneasy financial situation, a theory which was well-supported by Picnic's transfer window ahead of 2026 season as they lost Tobias Lund Andresen, Kevin Vermaerke and the retiring Romain Bardet with no real replacement. And then the hardest blow landed when Netcompany INEOS paid out the last year on Oscar Onley's contract.
A year where nothing works out
On paper, the situation was already complicated with the roster comprising mostly of a mix of unproven riders and domestiques, but Picnic could still hope for Max Poole, Pavel Bittner and Casper van Uden to lead the team points-wise, while a miraculous return of Fabio Jakobsen was also on the cards.
But nothing worked out. Poole completed only six race days in 2026. Bittner, despite a solid season with 906 UCI points, had to write off most of this summer due to a crash in Dunkerque, and neither Van Uden, Jakobsen, Nils Eekhoff or veteran John Degenkolb were a factor in 2026.
As such, Picnic PostNL therefore resides in 28th spot of the UCI Teams Ranking at the start of October, almost 7,000 UCI points off the (currently) 18th NSN Cycling Team. That means that no less than 10 ProTeams rank better than Picnic PostNL in the on-going season.
Pavel Bittner has been the only reliable leader at Picnic PostNL
Rumours of the team looking into a possibility to step down to the ProTeam level for the upcoming season therefore did not come as a complete surprise, but they are not true, the Dutch team responds.
"That is not true," a Picnic PostNL spokesperson told WielerFlits. "We are simply busy with preparations for 2027 as a WorldTour team for men and women," the Dutch WorldTeam emphasizes. With this, the team emphatically refutes the rumors about a possible step back.
Pragmatic choice, rather than a logical one
It's not as though Picnic PostNL would suddenly aspire to replicate XDS Astana's iconic 2025 comeback. Neither do they stand in the position to do so, nor do they have the resources and quality necessary.
The team's biggest star Pavel Bittner has already committed his future at Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team for next two seasons, and don't expect another big name to step in his place.
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Although Picnic has only officially communicated two new arrivals for 2027 so far (development team riders Mees Vlot and Milan De Ceuster), many of their other transfers are already kept a public secret.
The most exciting new names are two other development team riders Matteo Vanhuffel and Jorgen Zomermaand who have both built a solid reputation in the under-23 ranks.
Furthermore, a late-season revelation Daan Depuydt is scheduled for a professional debut with Picnic PostNL. Finally, the "headline signing" is French sprinter Paul Penhoët who finished third in the final stage of this year's Giro d'Italia.
It's a roster packing a lot of potential, but clearly not comparable to the other WorldTour teams in quality (yet).
The decision to continue to operate as WorldTour can therefore have only reason; the access to all biggest WorldTour events and related publicity. Otherwise, the "mid-pack ProTeam" that Picnic PostNL has been in 2026 might have a hard time earning any invitations to GrandTours and Monuments at all...
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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- exactly! He does nothing the rest of the year!frieders309-10-2026
- what I don't understand is how do we know the photo --Line of pixel capture, is actually lined up with the finish line on the road? in this case even a couple inches either way could have made for the difference.jad2909-10-2026
- Yes, question is, why is Ineos so easy to convince ?Mistermaumau09-10-2026
- Or maybe they’ll just abandon the sport and focus on RE, unless they can revive MU. Maybe it’s all just about budget adjustments in preparation for takeover by the new sponsor who might have no use for some people in their idea of a projectMistermaumau09-10-2026
- Sounds like management did their job pretty well then ;-)Mistermaumau09-10-2026
- Tour down under awaits... and nothing beyond that
Rafionain-Glas09-10-2026 - God, what a crowd gathers in these comments. You post a quote from a true champion—a quote that has nothing to do with his tragic accident (on the contrary, with his very passion)—and people interpret it however suits them.MajorPayne09-10-2026
- What needs to be understood? That you're linking a single statement to his death? Could it get any more stupid?MajorPayne09-10-2026
- Are you saying that statement led him somewhere related to religion? Could it get any more stupid?MajorPayne09-10-2026
- A broken contract by mutual agreement is perfectly fine. The problem is if one side does it without the other agreeing which isn't the case in this situationvappaxbipmv09-10-2026
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