Dimension Data remain in the dark as to whether they will be part of the WorldTour in 2017 but team boss Doug Ryder has backed the team to shine next season and remains hopeful that the UCI may reverse the reform to drop from 18 to 17 top-tier teams next season.
Dimension Data had a successful 2016 season, with five stage wins at the Tour de France courtesy of Mark Cavendish and Steve Cummings. However, they struggled for WorldTour points and ended the season bottom of the rankings. Although Tinkoff and IAM will fold in December, the emergence of Bora-Hansgrohe as a likely WorldTour team, Lampre remaining under a new title, and the formation of Bahrain-Merida, have put Dimension Data's position under threat. At present 18 teams are vying for WorldTour status, with one set to miss out under the current reforms.
"On the licensing side we've not heard anything. All the documentation has been submitted. Last year we only knew on the 20th of November so we've actually not heard anything. We've talked to the AIGCP [teams association] and the teams have stood together. There are 18 good teams with good sponsors looking to work together. There's a united stance within the teams. We've not heard any more from the UCI and I guess it would be out of sorts for them to talk to us," Ryder told Cyclingnews.
ADVERTISEMENT
The UCI are set to announce the WorldTour teams in November but there is pressure on them to reverse the decision to only have 17 teams next seasons. Given that the reforms, in their current format, were only signed off in June – halfway through the season – Ryder sees the idea of a compassionate reversal from the UCI as the best option.
"It has implications for us and our partners but our interpretation of the rule was that 16 teams at the end of this year would automatically qualify for the WorldTour and there are 16 teams with Tinkoff and IAM out. If you interpret it that way then we're okay and then the two new teams would fight for the 17th spot. I'm sure there will be 18 teams next year.
"I think they would like to [ed. have 18 teams] but the agreement with ASO over the bikes and the races and ASO wanting to go with less so that they have more choice in their events…. that's a discussion outside of us.
Transfer market
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/2eieFEl
No comments:
Post a Comment