Tadej Pogacar in the crosshairs of the UCI

Untouchable in 2024, Tadej Pogacar has disgusted many of his competitors. The Slovenian did not shine alone, however, with much help in his triumphs on the big tours – the Giro and
the Great Loop – through dedicated training and teammates in tune. A UAE Emirates team looking like a scarecrow on the circuit.

Obviously, international Cycling authorities are aware of the limits of such hegemony. The boss of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, testifies to this. “IThere is a reflection carried out by the UCI, with the organizers, the teams, on the fact of perhaps having a maximum budget. Because in fact, with the capital coming in particular from Arab countries, the match is a little unbalanced. It's an understatement to say it », Says the former journalist, relayed by Midi Libre.

The UCI has been working on the salary cap since 2018

The concern for dominant teams is not new for the UCI, whose president David Lappartient, already in 2018, entrusted the salary cap project. “ The idea is that we can have good riders in each of the teams. That we do not have a concentration of resources in a single team. And make sure that we have leaders in each team and that the race is more interesting. That's the objective. It's not about bothering so-and-so. »

And added at the time: “ It's fair to say that if a team is able to buy the ten best riders in the world, then there is no longer any interest in the sport. The overall salary cap does not prohibit paying an athlete very expensively, but in this case it will be necessary to regulate with the rest of the workforce. There you go, then it’s a team strategy. »