TOUR DE FRANCE: NO CUTS IN TEAM SIZES IN 2017

Contrary to the recent wave of information that the 2017 tour the France will feature a reduction in team sizes, Flanders classic and RCS sport, together with the current leading race organizers of the tour have all accepted that the decision to implement any cut in team sizes for the new season should be put on hold.

They agreed that such decision that will affect the outing at the tour will have to first be approved by the UCL’s professional cycling council that takes all major decisions and is responsible for setting and implementing the rules of the competition.

Before this agreement was reached, the assembly of international association of cycling race organizers (AIOCC), The RCS sport who owns the Giro d’Italia competition, and the amuary sports organization that co-runs the vuelta a spania and owns the Tour de France had proposed to put a limit to the number of riders that make up a team in field races.

An announcement had been made after the meeting that they would reduce the number of riders in the grand tour teams from nine riders to eight, and that all other events will now feature just seven riders as opposed to the eight formerly used. This had caused quite a bit of a scuffle as the new arrangement was proposed to be put into plan from the 2o17 season and most teams had already completed their rosters for the upcoming season and had prepared their race strategies and plans.

The organizers of the raced hoped that that fewer riders will augur for more safety for the riders and will provide an event so difficult to dominate thereby bringing about a better experience for the fans.

However, the UCL has overruled this decision during a seminar in Mallorca saying that: “Any changes to the regulations governing men’s professional road cycling must be agreed by the professional cycling council (PCC), on which the race organizers are fully represented.”