ASO pulls Tour de France from UCI world tour

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fimm

Veteran
Location
Edinburgh
http://road.cc/content/news/173484-aso-pulls-tour-de-france-uci-worldtour

"Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) has announced that it is to withdraw all of its races from the UCI WorldTour from 2017....In a press release, ASO said it had registered its events on the UCI hors catégorie calendar for 2017, arguing that recent WorldTour reforms constitute a ‘closed sport system’.... Hors catégorie events cannot feature more than 70 per cent of WorldTour teams, which means a maximum of 15 for a 22-team event such as the Tour de France. As the WorldTour comprises 18 teams, moving down to hors catégorie level would mean some missing out. "
 
It's been coming hasn't it. Far enough away to just be manoeuvring whilst they get their own challenger in for the UCI presidency. Personally I'd call their bluff.
 

HF2300

Insanity Prawn Boy
Wow.

"ASO ...[argued] that recent WorldTour reforms constitute a ‘closed sport system’. “More than ever, ASO remains committed to the European model and cannot compromise the values it represents; an open system giving first priority to the sporting criterion.”... A major issue appears to be the decision to grant three-year WorldTour licences, rather than the one-year licences on offer up until 2016.

Mind you, owning the number of big European races that ASO do is quite a bargaining chip. Clearly they have manoeuvring room, but calling their bluff will depend how brave UCI are feeling...
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
I tried to figure out a list of ASO cycling events. I came up with: Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Flèche Wallonne, Paris-Tours, Paris-Nice, Critérium du Dauphiné, Vuelta a España, Tour du Faso, Tour of Qatar.

Can someone clever explain what the real implications of this are?
 

HF2300

Insanity Prawn Boy
It probably depends on ASO's motivations, and whether it's a genuine threat or just sabre rattling. It has happened before e.g. in 2007 - 2009, and they found a fudge to let everything carry on. Also I guess depends whether it's ASO guarding their territory or whether they've got Cookson and Velon in their sights.
 
I think I read before that there are implications for doping controls as well as all the other stuff about world tour points, team selection and the fallout for sponsorship, if it goes that far.

In the short term this is manoeuvring for control of the UCI and the breakup of Velon, who's influence they fear.
 

oldroadman

Veteran
Location
Ubique
Money and politics. ASO seem to want UCI run their way (in their favour and to make them more money) and will push as much as they can to get it. It does nothing to help the sport or teams get good sponsors on board. They just want to control everything at Pro level and leave the UCI to look after the rest. back to the old days of FIAC and FICP. What a shambles that would be, and all because of greed and ego.
 
If they are no longer under UCI, will the helmet compulsion and regulation on equipment and design still stand?

Could lead to some interesting bikes next year
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
If they are no longer under UCI, will the helmet compulsion and regulation on equipment and design still stand?

Could lead to some interesting bikes next year
They're still under the UCI, they've just not entered them as World Tour events. ASO have entered them as Hors Classe events.

Not that I understand what any of that really means, mind.
 

oldroadman

Veteran
Location
Ubique
They're still under the UCI, they've just not entered them as World Tour events. ASO have entered them as Hors Classe events.

Not that I understand what any of that really means, mind.
Event classifications:
World Tour Top races, GTs, Classics
Hors Categorie Second level (e.g. Tour of Britain)
.1 Third level, many good races which don't reach/want to be second level
.2 Fourth level, which includes large numbers of races with fields that include regional/amateur/semi-pro teams, a start point in UCI level races.
 

oldroadman

Veteran
Location
Ubique
It's hard to say that ASO would be worse at running things that the UCI... :whistle:
One is an international governing body with links to all countries and federations and is trying to develop the sport under a new regime.
One is a business which is focussed on running professional racing for profit.
Which would be better at running the whole sport?
 
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