Lotto and Israel-Premier Tech decline Paris-Nice invites amid hunt for UCI points and promotion back to WorldTour

Lotto and Israel-Premier Tech have declined their invitations to race at Paris-Nice in 2025, race organisers announced on Tuesday, with both of the top-ranked ProTeams teams highly focused on earning a return to the WorldTour.

2025 will bring the final season of the current three-year WorldTour promotion and relegation cycle to a close, with teams already carefully curating their calendars to ensure they score efficiently. 

Lotto have been known to opt out of race invites despite being one of the two top-ranked second-division teams - who automatically get invited to every WorldTour race - since they were relegated in 2022. They've skipped the Giro d'Italia for the past two seasons and will do the same in May 2025.

After having to downsize due to losing a title sponsor in Dstny and key riders such as Maxim van Gils and Victor Campenaerts, Lotto will be looking to again punch above their weight in 2025. However, to do this best, they have to get their calendar right, as they have in 2023 and 2024.

Since going down, they've scored very well and look almost certain for a jump back to the WorldTour level in 2026, after ending last season as the ninth-ranked team, well above the 18th place they would have to finish to ensure they get promoted. 

They will focus on one-day races and smaller stage races to maximise their points gain and utilise their young squad best, with key leaders Arnaud De Lie and Lennert Van Eetvelt likely to score the majority of the team's points as they did in 2024. 

Alongside their racing focus, Lotto and their team manager Stéphane Heulot will be looking for a second title sponsor to come on board for their probable return to cycling's top division.

Israel-Premier Tech, also look set to get straight back into the WorldTour at the end of the cycle after ending 2024 sat as the 14th highest-ranked team, four spots above the minimum needed. 

They have big ambitions for the Grand Tours with the likes of Derek Gee and will be buoyed by their full 30-rider squad, which is much more than Lotto's 25-man squad that they have to operate within 2025. 

Taking the two top ProTeams' place at Paris-Nice will be Tudor, the new team of double world champion Julian Alaphilippe, Uno-X Mobility and French squad TotalEnergies. They'll race alongside the 18 WorldTour teams, with a 22nd invitee to be announced at a later date. 

The 83rd edition of the Race to the Sun will kick off from Le Perray-en-Yvelines on March 9, with the usual headline finish in Nice arriving on March 16.