The potential blockbuster merger between Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-QuickStep, should it come to pass, would have wide-ranging consequences across the cycling world.
Beyond the immediate sporting implications at the top level, potential star moves, and numerous other riders and staff suddenly entering the transfer market, a union between the teams would open up another spot in the WorldTour.
As seen in recent years with the folding of Katusha and CCC, a WorldTour team ceasing to exist – Soudal-QuickStep in this case – should see their licence go up for sale. A scramble for a sought-after space at pro cycling’s top table would surely ensue, with teams including recently relegated Lotto-Dstny and Israel-Premier Tech likely to be among the interested parties.
Representatives from ProTeams – Israel-Premier Tech, Uno-X and Q36.5 – have commented on the possibility of buying a vacant licence, though there are, of course, complications with any potential buy-out.
Israel-Premier Tech, up until this year a part of the WorldTour after buying Katusha’s licence at the end of 2019, told Cyclingnews that “it’s no secret” that the team has ambitions to move back up.
“It is no secret we would like to return to the WorldTour, so if a WorldTour licence were to become available, then Israel-Premier Tech would be interested in obtaining the licence,” the team stated.
One complication in buying Soudal-QuickStep’s licence comes in the form of UCI regulation 2.15.044, which reads: ‘A licence may only be transferred after two years (from the date of its award)’. Buying the Belgian team’s licence a year after it was awarded is seemingly not possible, though UCI regulations are never quite set in stone.
UCI regulations regarding WorldTour licence applications also stipulate that teams hoping for a licence have to meet the sporting criteria, ranking top 18 in the world, though recent licence buyouts – Israel-Katusha in 2019 and Intermarché-CCC in 2020 – were successfully carried out by teams lying outside the top 18.
While Israel-Premier Tech confirmed their interest in replicating their purchase of Katusha, at Uno-X, general manager Jens Haugland said that doing so would be complicated, even if the team is ready for the WorldTour.
Haugland told WielerFlits that his team is interested in moving up, but only on their own terms. With 29 riders under contract for 2024 and an established staff and structure in place, the team wouldn’t be interested in navigating the complexities…
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