Italian team managers slam UCI points system as battle for Grand Tour wildcard qualification intensifies

Team managers of VF Group-Bardiani CSF Faizanè and Solution Tech Vini Fantini have criticised the UCI's team ranking points system that forces teams to chase ranking points worldwide to secure the chance of potential Grand Tour invitations next season.

The battle for the crucial 30th position in the UCI team rankings, a different ranking to the 2023-2025 cycle that will decide the WorldTour relegation battle, has reached its final stages, with Italian teams fighting for points that could determine their Giro d'Italia participation next year. By UCI rules, only the top 30 teams can receive invitations to Grand Tours in the following season, and the rankings are based on the points of each team's best 20 riders currently under contract.

VF Group - Bardiani CSF Faizanè have a rich history with the Giro d’Italia, with their most recent appearance in 2025, being their 43rd participation at the Italian Grand Tour, a record as no other team has done so more often in the race’s history. In that time, the team has picked up 27 stage wins, with their last coming back in 2016 via Giulio Ciccone, now of Lidl-Trek.

Meanwhile, Solution Tech Vini Fantini were not invited in 2025, and their last appearance at the Giro was in 2024 when the team was known as Corratec - Selle Italia.

VF Group-Bardiani CSF Faizanè currently occupies the coveted 30th spot with a slender lead of under 180 points over Solution Tech Vini Fantini, with both squads competing in the Veneto Classic on Sunday to gain valuable ranking points.

Speaking to SpazioCiclismo, Roberto Reverberi, team manager of VF Group-Bardiani CSF Faizanè, expressed frustration with the current system. "It's a situation that doesn't benefit anyone, because we're here fighting for a place, racing all over the world," said Reverberi.

"This forces you to race poorly, even tactically: it forces you to focus not on the final victory but on placings and points, just like the World Tour teams are doing to secure a spot next year."

Reverberi questioned the fairness of the points distribution across different race categories. "The points are unfair and poorly distributed: it's more important to win a 2.2 in Asia than a stage in a Coppi e Bartali, which is a 1.1 and important. This rule should be reviewed and discussed in the winter."

While both Italian teams are racing the Veneto Classic, Solution Tech Vini Fantini entered the Japan Cup Road Race in a last-ditch effort to close the gap to 30th place. Ukrainian rider, Kyrylo Tsarenko, was the team’s highest place finisher in 25th, with Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victorious) taking the win.

Serge Parsani, team manager of Solution Tech Vini Fantini, shared similar concerns about the ranking system. "It's undoubtedly an anomalous ranking. Rankings are created when all teams can compete on a certain calendar,” said Parsani to SpazioCiclismo.

"We were excluded from races where we could score points, and we had to travel to other countries like Japan and the United States to do so,” said Parsani.

Parsani also highlighted how missing out on the Giro d'Italia this year has compounded their challenges. "Not competing in the Giro penalised us significantly, but unfortunately, that's the UCI's rules, and we have to abide by them."

Even team mergers and dissolutions won't change the situation for whoever finishes 31st. Reverberi confirmed this, stating, "The rule says you have to be in the top 30 at the end of the season. Everything that happens the following year doesn't matter. We checked with the UCI, and they confirmed that this is the case."