Despite the riders union (AIGCP) claiming all WorldTour teams have agreed to boycott the UCI World Team Time Trial in Qatar, the UCI themselves have said they are confident all teams will turn up to ride the event that has been dominated by BMC in recent seasons.

The reason for the agreed boycott is that the UCI isn’t providing a bursary t help the teams get al of their bikes to Qatar, fly out staff and are not doing anything to help cover costs.

“The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is of course disappointed with such a statement and we continue to expect excellent participation in this year’s UCI Road World Championships Team Time Trial,” a UCI statement given to Cycling Weekly read.

“The UCI Road World Championships is a celebration for the whole cycling family and the UCI, as a non-profit organisation, reinvests any surpluses in the development of the sport of cycling.”