Tinkoff-Saxo's General Manager, Stefano Feltrin, has called on the UCI to step-up the pace surrounding their WorldTour reforms, and deliver a workable and detailed strategy or abandon them entirely before teams vanish from the sport.
The UCI reforms that centre around the WorldTour are due to come into effect in 2017 but have faced a series of stumbling blocks with the UCI and teams encountering resistance from ASO earlier this year. Despite the UCI announcing in September that reforms, in principle, had been agreed upon, Feltrin believes that the sport’s governing body needs to flesh out the proposals as a matter of urgency, with a number of teams’ futures up in the air until concrete reforms have been rolled out.
“We’re running out of time and we need to know exactly what it’s going to be like in 2017 and 2018, and what basis licences are going to be issued on,” Feltrin told Cyclingnews at Tinkoff-Saxo’s recent training camp in Croatia.
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“It’s very scary when you ask if I’m confident for 2017. If things are like this then it’s going to be difficult for all the teams and race organisers.”
The UCI’s proposals involve the issuing of three-year licences for the WorldTour teams, a ranking system, and a modified WorldTour calendar. However, a number of leading teams, including Tinkoff Saxo and BMC Racing have their licences and sponsorships deals up for renewal at the end of next season. The UCI have talked about phasing in some of their reforms next year but haven’t announced which ones. While Feltrin, like the UCI, is seeking stability, he has called on the governing body to do more, and help push forward new revenue streams for the sport.
“It’s important to realise that teams aren’t fighting against race organisers. If we use this old model though it’s not helpful for anyone. It’s not about sharing revenues because the revenues that are there aren’t enough. If we say to the organisers, give us more of what you have, that’s a possibility, but it’s only applicable for a couple of bigger races like the Tour de France and maybe the Giro d’Italia,” Feltrin said.
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