Jayco AlUla changes tactics due to points system: "In danger zone, points matter more than three wins"

In response to why no one seems capable of stopping Tadej Pogacar's solo attacks, Matthew Hayman, team leader of Team Jayco AlUla and former Paris-Roubaix winner, offered a surprising answer. "It doesn't concern us. It has nothing to do with us," he told CycloWired. In other words, when Pogacar is at the start, the first place is already conceded.

This year, four of the five Grand Monuments were won solo. Mathieu van der Poel won with undeniable supremacy in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, while Pogacar managed to complete solos of tens of kilometers in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia almost in the same way. The rest were unable to follow. In Strade Bianche, everyone knew Pogacar would attack in that particular spot, and although everyone was in his wheel, no one even tried to follow. He was just too good.

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Jayco uses other tactics: "Constantly under pressure"

In an interview after the Japan Cup, Hayman shared how and why some riders stopped trying to follow Pogacar. His explanation was, "Want to know the secret? UCI points. If riders focus entirely on a win, they cannot accumulate enough UCI points. In Montreal, for example, I instructed riders not to focus on getting the lead group back but that we would rely on UAE to do the work. We were going for multiple top 10 places rather than victory." The idea behind this strategy was that achieving multiple top-10 finishes earned more UCI points, which is crucial to Jayco AlUla's position in the UCI Ranking.

This approach allows Jayco AlUla to adjust its strategy annually to fit the situation. "Teams like UAE, Visma | Lease a Bike, and INEOS Grenadiers don't have to worry about anything but winning. But for us, it is essential to keep collecting points. We are constantly under pressure from sponsors. UCI points are more important than three wins if we are in the danger zone for relegation. The difference between the top ten in the world and a team in the relegation zone is huge, especially regarding sponsorship deals. Companies want to see their name associated with the Tour de France."

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The current system is destroying cycling

So, it should be no surprise that Hayman is not a fan of the current system. "It is destroying cycling. If Pogacar rode at Soudal Quick-Step or EF Education - EasyPost, he would still win everything, even without the relegation and promotion system," Haymen believes. He means that the current UCI points system indirectly reinforces Pogacar's dominance and forces other teams to change tactics and focus more on winning points than winning races. And that, according to Hayman, affects the competitive spirit of the sport.

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