The UCI ProTour will be undergoing change next year, possibly big change. Or it may fade away and become a virtual non-entity. But whatever it will be, it will be without the three Grand Tours. According to Agence France Presse (AFP) Pat McQuaid, head of the UCI, has given up and surrendered to the demands of the organizers of professional cycling’s three biggest races. They will no longer be a part of the ProTour.
“We’ve sent proposals to the organizers of the grand tours before September 21,” the Irishman told AFP. “We have agreed to meet their demands, which consist of no longer being part of the ProTour. We’ve been at loggerheads for the past three years and it can’t go on.”
The organizers of the three Grand Tours have fought with the UCI over the ProTour, and its format, since the beginning. One criticism of the current format is that unlike professional soccer, there is no system in place that allows teams to be promoted or relegated. Some smaller races may have gone by the wayside, according to the AFP article. Cyclingnews.com adds this:
In a recent interview with Cyclingnews, Patrice Clerc, president of Tour de France organisers ASO (Amaury Sports Organisation) said: “Since the beginning, we don’t want to be part of [the ProTour], and ask to find a different solution – they don’t want to. Every time we found some acceptable common grounds, it was put in the trash. Now, if the UCI changes its opinions, its government, its direction – maybe then things could be different.”
At this point, it appears that the ASO and their fellow organizers will be getting what they wish. McQuaid indicated that the UCI still wants to promote professional cycling throughout the world and that a new version of the ProTour, focusing on races around the world, may emerge from the ashes of the current system. Details of the proposal sent to the organizers of the Tours of Italy, France and Spain have not been published. Patrice Clerc, of the Tour de France’s parent company Amaury Sports Organization, is said to be “worried” about impact of the proposal on professional cycling’s future.
“They are extremely worrying as regards the future of cycling,” said ASO chief Patrice Clerc.
As the old saying goes, “Be careful what you wish for — you may get it.”
Meanwhile, Back At The Square …
Decision watch in the USADA vs. Floyd Landis case continues. Currently, Peloton Jim at Endless Cycle is reporting that smoke from the chimney is still black, but a shift in mood appears to be happening amongst those who are carrying on the vigil. It is now 120 days since the public hearings at the Pepperdine University School of Law adjourned, and the eighth day since the hearings formally closed.
In talking with other reporters around the square, all are prepared for the news of an announcement during the next two days. Many have already written the leads to their stories. The question is: Will the decision that arrives fit the stories written, or will those articles need to be rewritten? No one knows, and at least a few reporters are hesitant to write anything before the actual decision is released.
And so it goes. Weather on the square today is supposed to be partly sunny with a high temperature of about 72F/22C. A good day for an announcement. The current forecast for tomorrow calls for a series of intense thunderstorms, real wrath of … well … you get the idea.
One of the things that I have been educated about (at least with regards to ASO) is the different races that they sponsor. I do not know if that is also true for the Giro or Vuelta organizers but it would appear, from this side of the poind, that the UCI Pro Tour was going to be the death knell for some of these smaller races that are aligned with the ASO. So from a generalists point of view, the irishman’s retreat should be a good thing and perhaps order and priorities can be put back into the system.
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Some of you must know better than I, do the Giro and Vuelta also sponosr/control smaller regional races as well as the grand tour event?
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Friday, 4:30 eastern, 3-0. Floyd gets bubbly on Friday.
jbsmp,
Unipublic, the promoter of the Vuelta a Espana, also promotes a number of other pro cycling races (and other sporting events, too). RCS Sport is a division of RCS MediaGroup, and the Giro appears to be the only bike race they promote. They have a broad range of businesses built around the publishing industry.
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We’ll see if your prediction holds. That would be just in time to hit the news cycles, but just barely.
I wonder if this means an end to the hostilities between UCI and ASO or will McQ & co. continue to make potshots? The idea of a season-long competition is a good one, one which has been going on in various forms for quite some time, if only in an unofficial capacity. Seems to me I recall back in the 60s, Pernod ran some sort of season-long program, based on points earned for top placing in various races.
I guess this means that ASO will be able to choose what teams they want in the Tour. How that shakes out, time will tell.
As to the smoke, I won’t make a specific prediction. But I’d bet if it doesn’t change to white sometime tomorrow, we will have to wait until Sunday or even Monday to hear the results. (Monday meaning they inform Landis/USADA of the decision on Sunday, with public release delayed until Monday.)
I would hope that if the decision does go Landis’ way, that USADA etc. takes a good long look at the evidence and whether an appeal is really warranted.
William,
Should Landis be exonerated, let’s also hope that before they launch an appeal to the CAS, the UCI and/or WADA take a good, hard look at the evidence and the decision. The man has suffered enough. It’s time to let him get back on the bike and compete.
Understand the verdict is in and not good. Anyone know how the vote went? 3-0 or 2-1?
2-1 against Floyd – with Campbell dissenting. Anyone have access to the “document”?
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prettiest piece of ignoring I’ve seen yet – dismissing the Landis case as being all flash and no substance…even better then not letting Landis attorneys cross examine witnesses – or for that matter running a character assassination job disguised as prosecution.
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Can’t wait to see the outcome of the “white-flag” Pattie McQuickie supposedly has thrown to the ASO – Am I the only one who sees it a bit differently? – if the UCI can tell a rider where he can or cannot race – ASO is left with a race with possibly “farm team riders” doing it. But hey – I could be wrong – I thought I understood enough of the Landis case to expect a different outcome – Sorry Rant – it looks like justice didn’t prevail on this day – neither has character or ethics…