Picnic's WorldTour registration slowed by bike sponsor bankruptcy as Jayco confirm 2027 WorldTour ambitions

Domestique understands that Picnic PostNL and Jayco AlUla are working to secure WorldTour status for their men's and women's teams for 2027 despite failing to submit all the essential documents for the 15 October registration deadline.

The UCI announced that 48 WorldTour and ProTeam teams have submitted a registration request for 2027. That is five less than the 53 teams for 2026.

Euskaltel-Euskadi and TotalEnergies are missing from the list of 14 men's ProTeams but are likely to complete their registration before the final November 1 deadline. Equipo Kern Pharma and Flanders-Baloise are not on the list and are expected to disappear from the sport after losing vital sponsorship.

TotalEnergies are still searching for a title sponsor to cover much of their reduced €10 million budget and said in a statement they have submitted their  bank guarantee and are doing the "ethical, financial and administrative work necessary to close its 2027 file."

Picnic PostNL were given just a one-year WorldTour licence for 2026 and have reportedly accumulated increasing debts in recent years, with a number of key riders and staff leaving.

The team told Domestique they are completing the WorldTour application process and revealed they still need to "provide information relating to the finalisation of a partnership with a technical partner for the coming season, following the bankruptcy of the current partner's company."

Picnic raced on Lapierre bikes in 2026 but the French brand is fighting for its future after parent company Accell Group started insolvency proceedings. It is unclear which bike brand will sponsor Picnic for 2027. 

The Australia Jayco AlUla and Liv AlUla Jayco teams missed the October 15 UCI deadline last year due to bank guarantees and sponsorship issues but eventually secured WorldTour status.

The team told Domestique they have similar problems this year. They are undergoing ownership and sponsor changes after Gerry Ryan confirmed he would step back and become only a minority stakeholder in 2027.

"This is purely due to a technical transfer process that will be resolved very soon," Jayco told Domestique via a statement.

"Processing the bank guarantee required by the UCI involves cross-border financial operations that sometimes can encounter delays. 

Teams had until October 15 to submit their registration files, bank guarantee and 10 signed rider contracts.

The UCI will now study each team application with assitance from external audit firm PwC, considering key ethical, financial, and administrative criteria. The UCI Licence Commission offers a final chance of appeal. WorldTour teams that are refused registration are then considered for ProTeam status.

The UCI will publish the final list of teams registered for the 2027 season at the end of the registration procedure on 8 December.