After reviewing the women’s invitations to the biggest races, the MPCC is now reviewing the wild cards granted for the men’s World Tour races.
Over the years, the MPCC has set itself the goal of presenting all its member teams competing at Pro Team level among the wild cards in every race of the men’s World Tour calendar. A 100% rate success would have several meanings: it would show that these teams, on the cusp of cycling’s elite, are committed on the long-term to the fight against doping and that the organisers of the best races in our sport are sensitive to the teams members of our movement and the values they defend.
At the end of the season, a total of 205 wild cards were granted in the 35 races that make up the World Tour calendar. Of these 205 invitations, 193 were going to MPCC member Pro Teams, representing an invitation rate of 94%, a slight increase compared to 2024 (92%). This figure can be explained mainly by the fact that all Pro Teams in the 2025 season, with the exception of one team, chose to be active in the fight against doping and in promoting credible cycling.
On the other hand, organisers such as Amaury Sport Organisation (owner of the Tour de France, Paris-Nice, Paris-Roubaix, La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Critérium du Dauphiné) and Flanders Classics (owner of the Tour of Flanders, the In Flanders Fields, formerly known as Ghent-Wevelgem, and the Amstel Gold Race, among others) have proven their determination to only invite MPCC team members for several seasons now, and we thank them for that exemplary stance taken against doping. However, a few races, including some held by RCS Sport (Giro d’Italia’s owner), are not yet following this line of conduct.
The MPCC therefore hopes that by 2026, all World Tour race organisers will choose to only invite teams that are committed to our movement. We also hope that the only non-member Pro Team in 2025 and the two teams that have obtained their Pro Team licence for the coming season will join us to consolidate the MPCC’s actions.