According to Cyclingnews, the planned reduction of the WorldTour from 18 to 16 teams has been postponed until 2019. Initially, the number of licenses was set to be limited to only 17 already in 2017 but earlier this week  Radsport News reported that that the planned reduction is unlikely to be brought into plane.

The intention is good news for Dimension Data which was in the danger zone. Reportedly, the UCI and ASO have reached an agreement to keep the WorldTour at 18 teams in 2017 to avoid legal action from Dimension Data, Bahrain Merida and Bora-Hansgrohe that have all threatened to take the case to CAS if the UCI refused to grant them a WorldTour license. The three teams were set to fight it out for the final two spots in the elite division but with the new decision, there will be room for all three of tehem.

When the reduction will be carried out for 2019, points scored in 2018 will determine which teams will get a license. There will be no obligation to attend the ten new WorldTour races and the results will also not count towards the rankings.The intention to reduce the number of teams comes at the insistence of ASO. The organizer of the Tour de France has firmly pushd for a system of promotion/relegation.

The association of cycling teams AIGCP has asked the UCI to skip the reduction. A final decision on the issue will be taken on November 9 when the Professional Cycling Council meets.