A possible merger between Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step could potentially free up a WorldTour license. Several teams are eligible for it, including Norway’s Uno-X team, which has Danish influences. Team manager Jens Haugland confirms to the Dutch website WielerFlits that he is interested in acquiring this license.
He is closely monitoring the situation. “My answers are hypothetical. I haven’t seen an official announcement yet, so I don’t want to speculate. But it’s certain that our ambitions are in the WorldTour.”
Haugland believes that his team is ready to take a step forward. “100%. Last year we already applied for a WorldTour license. The only reason we didn’t get it is that we hadn’t achieved enough points in the UCI rankings for 2020, 2021, and 2022. But we passed all other audits, financial, ethical, administrative, and organizational, with flying colors. Honestly, I also think we are already operating at the WorldTour level. Just look at our Tour de France.”
License only on Uno-X’s terms
“But on our terms. We only take the license without any obligations. We don’t want to take over a team that already has a structure of riders and staff. We have our own system, our own structure that we have built ourselves. We will never risk changing our identity based on an available license. But the WorldTour was and is our ambition.”
Other teams are ahead in this race
The Norwegian team manager is open to a WorldTour license but also believes that other teams have an advantage over Uno-X. “I would be surprised if Lotto Dstny and Israel-Premier Tech give up the available license. Their ambitions to return to the highest level still exist. Besides, there are structures in other teams like Tudor Pro Cycling and Q36.5 Pro Cycling. Just like our ambitious projects, each in its own way. We’ll see, there are many unanswered questions.”
