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Follow us on GoogleXDS Astana did themselves a huge favour on Wednesday when it comes to UCI points. After a fierce battle for the 18 WorldTour licences for the 2026–2028 period, every team has started from zero again — and Astana added well over 1,000 points in a single day thanks to several top results. The big question is: is this really what the sport should want?
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Although UAE Team Emirates–XRG have collected more UCI points so far in 2026, Astana moved into a strong second place after Wednesday’s racing, according to the new ranking. The Kazakh team, led by Alexandr Vinokourov, have totalled 2,417 points to date — and just under half of that came on Wednesday 11 February.
How did that happen? Well, Christian Scaroni completed a double at the Tour of Oman (2.Pro) by winning the final stage to Green Mountain and sealing overall victory at the same time. Teammate Cristián Rodríguez finished second on the stage and also second overall. Diego Ulissi did not feature among the very best on the final day, but still ended the race 11th on GC.
Continue reading below the daily results with standings in Oman!
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Astana strike huge points haul in Asia
Scaroni picked up 275 points in Oman through his wins (250 for overall victory and 25 for the stage), while Rodríguez added another 185 (170+15). That alone meant a return of 490 UCI points on the final day of the Tour of Oman. And the other half? For that, we have to look to Asia.
The Asian Continental Championships took place this week: a race programme including a time trial and a road race for riders from Asian nations. With XDS Astana employing riders from China and Kazakhstan, it is no surprise they were strongly represented at the front. The road race results were telling: Yevgeniy Fedorov took the title, China’s Haoyu Su was second, and Nicolas Vinokourov finished fourth.
Continue reading under results of the Asian Continental Championships!
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Astana scored more points than Vingegaard
The UCI points return was enormous: 250 for Fedorov, 200 for Su, and 125 for Vinokourov — and the trio had already collected points earlier in the week in the time trial and the mixed relay. Add up the road race points alone and you get 1,065 points. Astana rider Henok Mulubrhan added three more points by finishing 31st overall at the Tour of Oman, bringing the total to 1,068.
1,068 points — from a 2.Pro stage race and a continental championship. On its own, that is not necessarily “wrong”, but it becomes uncomfortable when you compare it with the biggest races in the world. In the Tour de France, Tadej Pogačar earned 1,300 UCI points for overall victory, while Jonas Vingegaard received 1,040 for finishing second in Paris.
Of course, Pogačar and Vingegaard also score points via stage results — but the comparison is still striking. Vingegaard’s overall win at the Vuelta a España, for example, was worth 1,100 points: just 32 more than what Astana collected on 11 February. Dutch journalist Thijs Zonneveld summed it up bluntly on X: “This system is so broken.” And Michael Matthews recently launched a wide-ranging critique of the UCI points set-up as well.
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026