André Greipel: WorldTour relegation system 'totally bulls**t'

The former pro cyclist talks UCI points, watching cycling as a fan, and the lack of sprint opportunities at the Tour de France

André Greipel
(Image credit: Getty Images)

André Greipel must be relieved to not be on the books of Israel-Premier Tech, his final team of his lengthy professional career, this year. The same goes for Lotto-Soudal, the squad where he spent eight seasons. This is not because he is tired of cycling - he still loves it - or because he doesn't have the form, but because of the pressures on this pair of teams in 2022.

Both are involved in a relegation scrap as WorldTour licences come up for renewal and face the prospect of dropping down to the ProTeam level where spots at the top races are not guaranteed. As this article was published, both Israel and Lotto remain in the red zone, hunting for UCI points in an attempt to secure their future in the WorldTour.

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