The World Tour promotion and relegation topic ought to be simple with the top-18 teams on the rankings making the cut… but it turns out to be a lot more complicated. For starters there are no official rankings, the rules are spread across disparate few paragraphs inside a 200 page PDF tucked away on the UCI website and more, no wonder people are confused.

I get regular comments about the promotion relegation system in the comments, by email and over on Twitter and if some are asking, a lot more must be wondering. With this in mind, here’s some of the frequently asked questions and a go at the answers.

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An update on the promotion and relegation standings with Lotto-Soudal closing in on that crucial 18th place while Israel are making emergency mid-season signings to help win points.

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Le Tour de France Côté Verso, by Jean-Louis Pagès

The Tour de France is a travelling circus and while all eyes are rightly on the riders and landscapes, it requires a shadow army of workers, many of whom work overnight. They put up barriers, lay cables, paint finish lines and more. For over 30 years Jean-Louis Pagès was part of this and eventually in charge of it all. This book explains much of the behind-the-scenes work that makes it all happen.

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Dylan Teuns has moved from Bahrain to Israel-PremierTech. Pro cycling has a mid-season transfer window from 1-15 August and a move is possible if both teams agree and the UCI approves. He can help in their relegation battle but he’ll have to win big and often.

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BikeExchange-Jayco have had a good week and climb from 18th to 17th, with Movistar slipping to 18th having begun the season in 15th. There’s a close four-way battle to avoid 18th place but four teams involved here have a buffer on Lotto-Soudal and Israel-PremierTech who are struggling to score.

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Annemiek van Vleuten rides solo on Stage 7. Having attacked the field on the climb of the Petit Ballon, only Demi Vollering could or would follow her and she then went clear on the Platzerwasel. She started the day a minute and a half down on GC and took the stage, the yellow jersey and a lead of over three and half minutes. This was the moment the race was won. She triumphed and so did the relaunch of this race.

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You don’t need a spreadsheet to know which teams had a great Tour de France and which ones had a rough time but here’s a look at the latest UCI points situation and the data show BikeExchange-Jayco thrived. The weekly updates are back…

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The Col du Granon marked the decisive moment in the race when Jonas Vingegaard attacked and Tadej Pogačar cracked. Jumbo-Visma used their collective force to dismantle the UAE team and pressure Pogačar into covering attacks and on the final climb Vingegaard was able to ride away, take time and race lead. This was the moment the race was won.

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The Champs-Elysées await, the prestige sprint finish that has encouraged several sprinters to stay in the race. It’s a day of triumph and melancholy, joy for the winner but a wistful air as the race comes to an end, but now there’s no time for the post-Tour blues as the Tour de France Femmes starts this afternoon and we’ve got an extra week of racing to savour.

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A time trial to settle the top-10 overall. Only a feverish imagination could see the podium changing but places among the top-10 can be won and lost. Plus there’s the battle for the stage, a chance for the specialists who have been hauling themselves over the Alps and Pyrenees.

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