Two weeks on from our ultimate relegation watch checkup, XDS Astana’s upward momentum within the 2023-2025 UCI Crew Ratings has stalled, with the group lacking podiums in the entire contemporary main races. Within the first month of the season, the group had just about halved their issues hole to the highest 18 however have now not made up as a lot flooring this month.
Best the highest 18 groups within the 2023-2025 UCI Crew Ratings will meet the carrying requirement towards a WorldTour licence for the 2026-2028 seasons. Astana had been trailing because the starting of the present three-year cycle, having completed the 2023 season in twentieth and ultimate 12 months in twenty first.
Because the get started of the 2025 season, XDS Astana have made giant good points in wiping out a 4,720-point hole to 18th-placed Cofidis, however the French group have thus far held off their problem.
From January 25 to February 25, XDS Astana received 1,322 extra issues than Cofidis, in large part due to the result of Christian Scaroni. From February 25 to March 25, the Kazakh group earned best 755 greater than their French opposite numbers, with Scaroni injured in a crash in Strade Bianche.
Alternatively, their season reasonable issues a week nonetheless have XDS Astana ultimate extra briefly at the best 18 than opponents Arkéa-B&B Lodges and Uno-X Mobility. XDS Astana are ranked 2d this season at the back of UAE Crew Emirates-XRG whilst Cofidis are a far off seventeenth.
Vivid spots for XDS Astana in contemporary weeks come with Clément Champoussin’s and Harold Tejada’s best 10s total in Paris-Great, Scaroni’s 2d position in Trofeo Laigueglia, and a trio of riders within the best 10 at Faun-Ardéche.
The group suffered some unhealthy success in contemporary weeks, with Cees Bol and Sergio Higuita being knocked out of festival with damaged bones.
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Relegation risk for Arkéa-B&B Lodges, Picnic-PostNL
The French group Arkéa-B&B Lodges have relied closely on Kévin Vauquelin for issues this season – he is received a 3rd in their 1,057 issues this 12 months. Jenthe Biermans and Raul Garcia Pierna are the next-best scorers.
The group’s marquee sprinter Arnaud Démare has best scored a few degree podiums, and the lack of Champoussin and Vincenzo Albanese in low season transfers has left the group weakened.
At twenty fourth within the present season ratings and losing from nineteenth to twenty first within the three-year ratings, reported monetary worries for the French outfit have additional darkened their hopes of last within the WorldTour.
Picnic-PostNL had been simply slightly forward of Cofidis, completing seventeenth in 2023 and sixteenth ultimate 12 months. They are method at the back of in twentieth this 12 months and are at risk of being handed through Cofidis within the coming weeks if each groups proceed scoring the similar.
A victory from Nils Eekhoff in Nokere Koerse and 3rd within the Koksijde Vintage helped stall their downward spiral, however the group should struggle for each level to steer clear of being relegated as they have got however 103.58 issues over Cofidis as of March 25.
Promotion potentialities
Lotto, these days tenth within the three-year ratings, and Israel-Premier Tech, in 14th, appear to be relatively protected potentialities for regaining their WorldTour standing after shedding out within the first promotion/relegation cycle in 2022.
Alternatively, the Belgian group misplaced a slew of sturdy riders together with Victor Campenaerts, Maxim van Gils and Florian Vermeersch within the switch season. Worse, their superstar rider Arnaud De Lie has struggled since taking the group’s best 2025 win thus far at Etoile de Bessèges in January.
They are method down in twenty fourth position within the 2025 ratings, and whilst they have got an extended technique to fall to fail to notice the WorldTour, a few disastrous Grand Excursions may just harm. Alternatively, they might must lose virtually 8,000 issues relative to Cofidis over a higher seven months to drop out of the highest 18.
Israel-Premier Tech are in a more potent place, having stored maximum in their core group within the transfers. They are sitting in sixteenth for the present season and 14th within the three-year ratings with a buffer of virtually 3,500 issues over Cofidis.
As of the March 25 ratings, Uno-X Mobility are forward of XDS Astana and Arkéa-B&B Lodges within the three-year ratings, having closed extra of the distance to Cofidis. They sit down in nineteenth with an opening of two,350 issues to the French group.
Magnus Cort’s 6th puts in Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo in conjunction with Tobias Halland Johannessen’s eleventh position in GC and a degree win through Fredrik Dversnes in Tirreno-Adriatico are the latest boosts to the group’s fortunes.
Sadly for newbies Tudor Professional Biking and Q36.5, their somewhat vulnerable totals over the 2023 and 2024 seasons will in all probability make it unimaginable for both to achieve the WorldTour in 2026. Tudor have 9,487 issues to make up and Q36.5 a whopping 11,228.
Any rider apart from Tadej Pogačar, who scored 11,655 issues ultimate 12 months between his Giro d’Italia, Excursion de France, 3 Vintage and International Championship victories, would fight to boost both group to the WorldTour.
