The points system, which has already changed the market and the way of racing, will change the history of cycling. It is an already seen attempt, which in the past did not produce promotions or relegations, but It determined the participation of teams in major races and indirectly fueled the doping scandal. The UCI It will certainly continue on this path: we have rarely seen it retrace its steps, except following final sentences. However the environment has become aware that the system does not work like this and would have produced a request for reform, which came into possession of the Spanish daily newspaper Marca.
Classics vs. stages
The reasoning is simple and starts from a mathematical consideration. One-day races, even the smaller ones, award more points than those in stagesAnd it's true that winning remains the soul of sport, but why should the winner of a semi-classic be worth less than the one who takes home a general classification?
The calculation is easy. A category 1.1 classic race awards 125 points in a single day, while a stage of a five-day race in the same category awards 14. Moving up the ladder, a category 1.Pro race awards 200 points, while a stage of a five-day race in the same category is worth only 20. With this data in hand, teams plan the season and the market, in defiance of all sporting logic. Scoring points takes priority over building a solid project. Roberto Reverberi (who started with his VF Group-Bardiani team, which finished 30th in the UCI ranking, thus avoiding relegation) has repeatedly admitted that not having run as it should have been done, but as it was necessary.
Points riders
Teams are hiring riders capable of scoring points in the minor classicsClearly, this is a problem inversely proportional to the technical value of the teams: great teams score points with great riders and even their teammates race at a level unthinkable for the leaders of the smaller teams. From the mid-levels and down, there are plenty of riders who sprint without being sprinters, just to get into the top twenty and accumulate the points needed to negotiate the contract. In doing so, a modest result in a classic is worth more than a stage victory And this devalues the collective effort and devalues the calendar's historical heritage. It's almost as if accumulated fatigue, strategy, defending the leader, time trials, and the sporting narrative built on the accumulation of days no longer matter. It's no surprise that such a reasoned request comes from Spain, whose calendar has historically centered on stage races.
The connection between points and contracts has always been diabolical. In cycling in the 80s and 90s, a point was paid a million lire, and suddenly we found ourselves faced with domestiques who stopped being domestiques to earn more, resorting to doping. For now, the risk seems remote, but The sudden resurgence of anomalies in biological passports has not gone unnoticed which from August to today have determined the suspension of four athletes, after years of silence.
Rebalancing proposal
To rebalance the situation the proposal is born which would have arrived in the hands of the Spanish newspaper and which would lead, with the contribution of all the actors involved (obviously with the exception of the UCI which will have to evaluate it) to a more logical redistribution of points.
It's not about devaluing the classics, but rather preventing stage races from being penalized beyond their reasonable limits. The proposal is clear: Stage races should award 70 percent of the daily points awarded by a classic of the same categoryThere won't be complete parity, but organizing five classics will no longer be more advantageous than keeping a historic stage race alive.
And precisely on the stage race front, a redistribution of points has been considered. 50 percent would go to the general classification, 40 percent to the stages and 10 percent to jerseys and secondary classifications.. Thus, a longer stage race would bring more value than a shorter one, which incredibly does not happen today.
Renew and do not deny
The main WorldTour races are protected by their calendar and their prestige, but the lower levels are already feeling the effects. Races that were once symbols of regional identity are now they struggle to attract teams, which respond to scoring algorithms rather than sporting needsCycling is at a crossroads. It can dismantle the structure that has supported it for over a century or renew itself according to broader, more than just numerical criteria.
«Stage races – writes Marca – are much more than simple races: They connect regions, create fans, create memories and have built the emotional narrative of modern cycling.If the system continues to push them into irrelevance, not only will the competitions be lost, but also a way of understanding this sport. Finding a balance does not mean taking away, but protecting what gives meaning to the whole."
The reform will be presented to the Council of Professional Cyclists (CCP) and the Spanish Association of Cycling Race Organisers (AEOCC), the international body now chaired by Javier Guillén. The UCI will have to study it and make a decisionThe future of cycling is at stake.
