UCI Removes GC Points from Protest-Laden Ruta del Sol

A tough break for Lotto Dstny in their desperate hunt for points to claw their way back into the World Tour. Maxim Van Gils bagged the time trial victory over a mere five kilometers last week, snatching the crown of the entire Ruta del Sol, where several stages got the ax. Sounds like a goldmine of UCI points, right? Well, hold your horses.

Now, imagine this: 220 measly points are all that’s left out of the initial 20. The UCI, apparently, isn’t feeling the love for Maxim Van Gils and his Lotto Dstny crew. Initially, our Belgian lad was set to cash in on the full bounty for clinching the Ruta del Sol, a Spanish extravaganza of a race. That’s a cool 200 points in the bag, plus an extra 20 for his time trial triumph. Van Gils zipped ahead of Juan Ayuso and Antonio Tiberi by a slim 10 seconds over a dinky 5-kilometer course. But hold your horses; awarding him the full points in light of the circumstances seemed downright bonkers to the UCI.

Here’s the kicker: The organizers canned four other stages due to farmer protests. Because, you know, when farmers protest, they mean business, and the police have bigger fish to fry than herding cyclists. So, according to the UCI, this edition of the Ruta del Sol was less of a five-day stage race and more of a chaotic soap opera. Cue the dramatic music. They even skipped the whole general classification charade.

So, what’s the punchline? A hefty slap in the face for Lotto Dstny, who could use every scrap of UCI goodwill as they scramble for wildcard spots, desperate to reclaim their place among the World Tour elites. Back in 2023, they defied expectations with a ninth-place finish in the UCI WorldRanking. Arnaud De Lie was the hero of the hour, raking in a whopping 2,900 points and snatching 10 out of 21 stage wins. Oh, the glory days.