'It's destructive to the sport' - Israel-Premier Tech owner hits out at WorldTour relegation and UCI

Sylvan Adams, the Israel-Premier Tech owner, has hit out at the UCI and the WorldTour relegation system, describing it as «destructive» to cycling. 20 teams have applied for a place and are competing for 18 licences on the 2023 WorldTour, the top tier of men's professional cycling, with Adams' team currently set to miss out on a guaranteed place in the peloton at the world's top races. Ad The places will be determined based on UCI points earned in the last three seasons, with Arkea-Samsic and Alpecin-Deceuninck expected to step up from the ProTour.

CyclingBlazin’ Saddles: The best riders and teams of the spring Classics – and biggest disappointments25/04/2022 AT 14:30 The relegation system has been heavily criticised, however, particularly given the impact Covid has had on the last three years, with reports suggesting that the UCI may be considering a rethink and allowing 20 teams to compete on the WorldTour in 2023. For Adams, this would be a sensible choice, with the Israeli-Canadian businessman reportedly ready to begin legal proceedings if the governing body press ahead with relegation. “I call it a b****** system that doesn't work," Adams told CyclingNews and VeloNews.

«It's a b****** system that destroys teams, that is destructive to the sport. »As [EF Education-EasyPost manager] Jonathan Vaughters said, relegation is death. It doesn't matter which of the teams end up being relegated, it’ll be a disaster because it's an existential problem.

«Why are we destroying rather than building? EF Education represents the United States. Don't we want to have a team there? BikeExchange represents Australia, Movistar leads Spanish cycling and my team represents Israel, a whole new part of the cycling world. »So to threaten our