What place do Pro Continental teams have in the WorldTour peloton?
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Steven Cummings of African team MTN-Qhubeka wins stage 14 of the Tour de France on Nelson Mandela day.
Bora-Argon 18 relies on Wild Card entries to the biggest race and have shown themselves worthy with its Giro Del Trentino TTT win reason for invitation (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Daniel Teklehaimanot and MTN-Qhubeka were a feel good story at the Tour de France in 2015(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Cofidis are regular Wild Card entrants to WorldTour events(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Omar Fraile of Caja Rural has shown Wild Card entry teams can mix it with the WorldTour teams at the Vuelta with an early stint in the KOM jersey(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The biggest races on the cycling calendar regularly feature numerous wildcard entrants, whether they be Pro Continental, Continental or national teams. Although BMC Racing general manager Jim Ochowicz questioned the place of wild card teams at cycling's top level, arguing that their inclusion can create safety concerns, these smaller teams often outshine their WorldTour counterparts.
Stephen Cummings' stage 14 victory over Romain Bardet and Thibaut Pinot, two rising stars of French cycling, at the Tour de France for MTN-Qhubeka was the icing on the cake for the South African Pro Continental team, which had already enjoyed a week in the king of the mountains jersey via Daniel Teklehaimanot.
Pro Continental teams Cofidis and Bretagne-Séché Environnement have received wildcard invitations to the Tour in recent years and to the majority of ASO's races throughout the season, a situation that suits both team's budgets. Stepping up to the WorldTour level could be detrimental to both outfits, and as our inCycle panel discusses, the sport needs several layers of team sponsorship to fully function.
Watch the video below to find out how our inCycle panellists see the tiered structure of the sport and how to find a balance to keep all parties happy.
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