The professional riders’ association, the CPA (Cyclistes Professionels Associés) is ‘opposed in principle’ to the UCI’s decision to reduce the size of the men’s peloton from 2018, though it is waiting to assess the cited safety benefits.
Last week the UCI formally approved the reduction in team sizes in all international road races, with a maximum of seven riders – down from eight – for all races save for the three Grand Tours, which will now feature squads of eight, rather than nine.
The CPA represents the interests of professional riders and it fears the decision will lead to teams cutting the size of their rosters and so a reduction in the number of employed riders.
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“Our opinion is that there’s a danger that lots of people will lose their jobs. In principle we are against it,” CPA secretary David Chassot told Cyclingnews. “Maybe it’s better for safety, but our opinion is not favourable if it would mean people out of work.”
The push to reduce team sizes came from major race organisers, with ASO, RCS Sport and Flanders Classics coming together last year to announce the changes independently of the UCI. The UCI kept its regulations intact this season but it came as little surprise that the changes were enshrined by the governing body for next season.
The principal motive is said to be rider safety, though another factor is the notion that smaller teams make for less controlled – and consequently more exciting – racing. ASO’s Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme has spoken of the need to break the ‘catenaccio’ that has come to characterize the race under Team Sky’s command.
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