Four WorldTeams opt out of Tour de Romandie as race faces uncertain future

The organisers are actively looking for a new financial partner, but as yet nobody has come forward. And while the search continues, the start list has taken a hit of its own. Alpecin–Premier Tech, Decathlon CMA CGM, Lotto–Intermarché and Uno-X Mobility have all elected to sit the race out, each making use of a new UCI regulation introduced at the start of this year.

The rule change, which came into effect on January 1, allows WorldTeams to skip one WorldTour event per season, a relaxation of the previous requirement to attend every race on the calendar. 

There are guardrails; no more than four teams can participate out of the same event, and the exemption can only be used on a given race once in the 2026–2028 cycle, meaning all four are committed to returning to Romandie next year and the year after.

The organisers had the option of inviting additional wildcards to fill the vacant spots, but chose not to, leaving Tudor Pro Cycling as the sole non-WorldTour team on a fifteen-strong start list.

Meanwhile, on the racing side, the start list features a strong field including Tadej Pogačar, who is set to appear on the start list for the first time in his career, alongside Florian Lipowitz, Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Oscar Onley (Ineos Grenadiers), and Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious).

The race has also built an descent winners list in recent years, with names such as João Almeida, who won last year, Carlos Rodríguez the year before, and Adam Yates before that.