Tour de France organiser Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) have hit back in the power struggle with the UCI for control of professional cycling by informing the international governing body that its races will not be part of the UCI’s WorldTour programme in 2017. Instead, ASO’s races, which include the Tour de France, Paris-Nice, Paris-Roubaix and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and the Vuelta a Espana, will be listed in the lower HC category, which are not affected by the more stringent WorldTour rules.
ASO and the UCI have been butting heads recently over the proposed reforms for the WorldTour, which are due to be introduced in 2017.
The French race organiser’s stance is a clear threat to Brian Cookson’s role of UCI President and the reform process he has supported. It could also weaken his role as head of the sport and his chances of being elected for a second term as UCI President in 2017.
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The power struggle will also divide the teams and other race organisers. The French teams have generally supported ASO, while the Velon teams have backed the UCI. RCS Sport, which organises the Giro d’Italia, has also backed the reforms and tried hard to find consensus between the ASO, the UCI and Velon. The uncertainty of a drawn out dispute and question around the future of professional cycling could also cause potential sponsors to decide not to invest in professional cycling.
ASO has threatened to pull its races from the calendar on several occasions but this is the first time that they have made their position public.
“Amaury Sport Organisation has informed this day Union Cycliste Internationale it has opted for the registration of its events on the Hors Classe (HC) calendar for season 2017,” a statement emailed to the press on Friday morning said.
“UCI has actually recently adopted, from season 2017, a Reform of the World Tour calendar characterized by a closed sport system.
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