UCI bans teams from racing Paris-Nice
February 23rd, 2007 by Ricky Blayney
If you thought the professional side of our sport was already killing itself with all the drug scandals over the past year or two then you ain’t seen nothing yet. You think the first priority for the sport would be to get back into the media for the right reasons but they continue to shoot themselves in the foot. The problem this time surrounds the Paris-Nice race and the involvement of the Pro-Tour teams. The UCI is at loggerheads with the big event organisers ASO and it’s continued to throw one of the most popular races with the fans on the calendar into doubt all winter long. It’s the last thing this sport needs and we certainly don’t want a split to take us down the road of such sports like boxing with more than one federation running different events.
Here’s the latest:
AIGLE, Switzerland (AP) — The international cycling federation banned all ProTour teams from competing in next month’s Paris-Nice race.
The UCI said Thursday it had sent letters to all 20 ProTour teams reminding them that Paris-Nice is now a national event and under ProTour rules teams are forbidden from competing in the event scheduled for March 11-18.
The UCI and big tour organizers are at odds over UCI’s 27-event ProTour and who can issue licenses for teams to take part in the elite tours.
The UCI has clashed with organizers of the Tour de France since setting up the ProTour in 2005. Tour organizer Amaury Sports Organization was dismayed to pay for the right to host a race that dates back more than 100 years.
Organizers for the three-week French race and the sport’s two other main stage events — the Giro d’Italia and Spanish Vuelta — insist that only they can determine which teams can ride in their races. The UCI has retaliated by announcing it will file a formal complaint with the European Commission for anticompetitive practices.
The UCI’s latest move comes just two days after president Pat McQuaid met with ASO chief Patrice Clerc in Lyon in an attempt to resolve disputes between the two sides. But the meetings were unsuccessful and UCI then accused Tour de France organizers of attempting to seize control of the sport.
The Tour, the Giro and the Vuelta held their events separately from UCI’s calendar last year.
For more on all the stories surrounding the ProTour - Grand Tour split, click here
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