Chris Froome is the latest high-profile rider to criticise the WorldTour relegation system in professional cycling, while suggesting that Israel-Premier Tech's fate is not yet decided.
With only the top 18 teams over the 2020-2022 ranking cycle earning top-tier WorldTour status, Israel-Premier Tech, who placed 20th of the 21 applicants, are set to drop to second-division ProTeam status in 2023.
Given their poor 2022 ranking, they don't even have the safety net of automatic invitations to WorldTour races as one of the top two ProTeams, which leaves them scrambling for invitations to the biggest events, including the Tour de France.
Froome, however, does not see it as case closed at this point in time.
"There's a lot still up in the air at the moment with the whole relegation system and for us there is nothing guaranteed," the four-time Tour de France winner told reporters, including Cyclingnews, at the Singapore Criterium.
"With the whole relegation system, I don't see a definitive answer quite yet. The relegation hasn't actually happened yet," he added.
Relegation will be made official later this year if and when the UCI approves the top 18 teams' applications for a WorldTour licence, which is also a matter of administration, ethical and financial checks. Teams have to provide a bank guarantee, proof of sponsorship and rider contracts.
"We're all waiting for that," Froome said. "Things will be a bit more clear after that happens."
Even if, as appears highly likely, Israel-Premier Tech are forced to drop a division, that might not even be the end of the matter. In an explosive interview last month, billionaire team owner Sylvan Adams blasted the system and vowed to mount a legal challenge against the UCI.
UCI president David Lappartient shut down reports of a placating WorldTour expansion, but it's unclear whether Adams still plans to follow through with the threats he made.
"I'm not privy to the details of that, so it wouldn't be right for me to comment," Froome said.
Flaws in the system
In any case, Froome echoed his boss' dissatisfaction with the relegation system, albeit in much softer terms.
"It definitely needs to be refined further, there are definitely some flaws," Froome said.
"First and foremost, with it being a three-year system, that's a death sentence for a lot of teams. A lot of teams are living literally year-by-year and if you have to say to a team you're potentially not going to be in the Tour de France for the next three years, a lot of teams will just close their doors.
"Personally, I'd love to see that changed to a one-year system. If you're relegated, that's a bit of a wake-up call, to get yourselves back there, but if it's three years out, you could be losing two teams every time that happens."
Froome also joined the chorus of dissenters regarding the allocation of UCI points at various races, which has been branded 'madness' by one team boss.
One-day races - even at lower levels - carry greater relative weight to stage wins in major races, with victory at School Sels Merksem and third-place at GP de Fourmies both worth more than a Tour de France stage.
"We won two stages at the Tour this year but when you actually look at how many points we got, it can be equal to having two guys in the top 10 of a French cup race. Those two things, in terms of achievements, don't stack up," Froome said.
"The way the points have been allocated is the same for everyone but it needs to be refined for it to be a better representative model of professional cycling."
If all goes ahead, Froome will head into 2023 unsure whether he'll be able to return to the Tour de France next years as he continues his dream of a record-equalling fifth title.
If all licences go through, Israel-Premier Tech will have to earn one of ASO's two discretional wildcard invitations, with three others expected to be in the frame; B&B Hotels, who are set to sign Mark Cavendish; Euskaltel-Euskadi, who would be the home team for the Basque Grand Départ; and Uno-X, the Norwegian team who have also applied for a WorldTour licence.
"Every team hopes to be in the Tour de France, us especially," Froome said, making his team's case.
"We had great a great Tour this year. We won two stages of the race, most notably the cobbled stage, which was a really big stage. We'd love to be back at the Tour next year."
