French race organisers erupted in anger on 10 December after the Ligue Nationale de Cyclisme (LNC) confirmed an “eight‑joker” system for 2026 that will let top French WorldTeams such as Groupama‑FDJ (Groupama‑FDJ) and Decathlon CMA CGM (Decathlon CMA CGM) skip selected domestic events.
The mechanism, reported by L’Équipe, flows from recent UCI amendments to participation rules, notably articles 2.15.127 and 2.15.191. For 2026, France’s leading teams will share a pool of eight jokers that authorise non‑participation at home races for reasons including WorldTour clashes, training camps or staffing crises.
Only one joker can be used per event, a race cannot be skipped two years in a row by the same team, and no more than three jokers can be spent on ProSeries races abroad. Administration of the system has been handed to AC 2000, which represents professional teams.
Yannick Guéguen, former president of the Grand Prix du Morbihan, told L’Équipe the decision was “a big nick in the moral contract, a dagger in the back”, warning that volunteers and sponsors would feel betrayed if French WorldTeams disappeared from start lists. Former Paris‑Camembert director Guy Brien feared some events could become “empty shells”.
LNC president Xavier Jan has framed the rule as a temporary, pragmatic response to a denser WorldTour calendar that leaves less informal flexibility.
AC 2000’s Yvon Sanquer criticised the word “joker”, preferring a more neutral “authorisation of non‑participation”, but accepted the coordination role. Groupama‑FDJ manager Marc Madiot insisted the team would use jokers only in genuine crises, while pointing to the need to chase UCI points abroad.
The clash highlights a wider faultline between globalised WorldTour demands and fragile national races that depend on marquee French teams for crowds, sponsorship and volunteer motivation.
With events elsewhere already folding for financial reasons, as we reported after the 2026 Tour of Norway cancellation, French organisers fear the joker system could accelerate erosion of their calendar.
How often the eight jokers are actually used in 2026, and whether the LNC successfully reshapes the 2027 programme, will determine whether this remains a one‑year fix or a lasting shift in power away from local events.
