Picnic PostNL will also be part of the WorldTour in 2026, 2027, and 2028. The Dutch team secured enough UCI points to guarantee their spot at the highest level of cycling, although they briefly found themselves in the danger zone during the past season. Rider Nils Eekhoff and team director Pim Ligthart share in the latest episode of the WielerFlits Podcast how they experienced the battle against relegation firsthand.
"We really stuck to the plan we set from the start," said Ligthart. "We also deliberately didn’t add extra races. If we stick to our plan, just do what we do, then we know that at key moments we will be strong and score points in important races. We didn’t deviate from that."
Partly thanks to top performances from Oscar Onley in the Tour de Suisse (second place) and Tour de France (fourth place), Picnic PostNL secured their place well before the real autumn season. "At the beginning of the season, I was more concerned about it than later on," admits Eekhoff. "As a rider, you do start to feel the necessity at a certain point. But I think it was also a good contribution that the team always remained calm. They focused on: this is the plan and the points will come, hopefully, by themselves."
Strategy
Some teams choose a strategy in the fight for UCI points to aim for short-term results with multiple riders instead of going all out for the win with one rider. However, Ligthart questions whether that is wise. "Just look at the number of points you can get for a victory in a .1 or .Pro race and compare it to what you earn with fourth, fifth, and sixth place finishes. I still think it’s better to go for the win. Everyone has their own strategy, but I believe we made the right choice."
In the new WorldTour cycle 2026-2028, Picnic PostNL will continue on the same path. "No, we’re not going for a different strategy. At the start of the year, we look at the calendar, assess our strengths, and see where our finishers can score. We then make a plan based on that."
