Should we favor UCI points or the number of victories? What strategies to adopt for teams?
In recent years, UCI points have been taking an increasingly important place in the peloton. With the establishment of a classification totaling the points over three years and allocating the World Team licenses to the first 18, certain teams swear by these points, to the point of placing the victories in the background. Rightly or wrongly? This is the question we will answer in this article.
At the bottom of the table, priority to points
At the top of the table, the largest teams and the majority of those in the middle of the table are at the start of a race for one thing: victory. But not everyone has the opportunity to target only victory, at the risk of losing everything. The table bottom teams, which are fighting to maintain or climb in World Tour, will have a much more prudent approach, perhaps also less offensive. Although victory remains an objective and an ambition, certain training courses do not forget that there are UCI points in the key and that they are of great importance, in particular since the establishment of a classification over three years to determine the 18 teams which will evolve at the highest level.
Credit: Alula Tour / Charly Lopez
Since the start of 2025, the XDS Astana Team team has been focused on these points to give itself a chance to stay in World Tour. With five victories including none in World Tour, an honorable, but not exceptional assessment for the Kazakhe team. Despite everything, the formation of Alexandre Vinokourov Point in third place in the UCI classification by team since the start of the year. With a strategy focused on UCI points, XDS Astana Team reduces the gap on the training which is ahead of the period 2023 – 2025 and could well maintain if it continues on its momentum.
“Only victory is beautiful”
Some teams run the old, tradition. We are fighting above all for victory, the very essence of the competition. This is the case of the Groupama-FDJ and a desire for his manager, Marc Madiot. Thibaut Pinot, the team’s flagship runner between 2010 and 2023, had as a tattoo: “Solo la Vittoria è Bella” (Only victory is beautiful). This quest for victory is also explained by the desire to show the jersey, so that the sponsors are seen, not only to bring UCI points. The Picnic Postnl training, although it evolves at the back of the ranking, focuses on victory. But will this quest continue until the end of the season, if the teams that work it reduce the gap and that she finds herself in danger?
Credit: Tour of Oman
Generally, the victory over one day races, in particular causes big points so one led to the other. The question arises more on UCI Pro Tour or Pro Series (14 and 20 points). On these races, isn’t it better to focus on the general, who pays 125 or 200 points to the winner? Some teams may be tempted to place several runners to play the general classification and thus not focus on the stage victory.
With: To summarize, all the teams want to win, it is the essence of sport and competition. On the other hand, faced with a stronger adversity and faced with teams that have become real juggles in the consequent budget, certain training courses, in particular, focus more on UCI points, which have become essential to maintain or access the World Tour level.
