WorldTour Week: 15 years of trying to reform cycling

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This week, Cyclingnews takes a deep dive into the UCI's WorldTour and the global reforms of professional cycling first introduced in 2005, and the impact it has had on the sport. First, we looked at the history of cycling's other series. Here we recap the formation of the WorldTour and its challenges. Later this week, we will examine the impact the global reforms of the sport have had on teams, races and riders, and the globalisation of the sport of cycling.

In 2003, at the Road World Championships in Hamilton, Ontario, the UCI announced its intent to revolutionise the cycling calendar with the creation of the ProTour – these days it is known as the WorldTour – with a seemingly simple concept: create a calendar of the sport's most prestigious events and a league of cycling's top teams, then ensure that those teams compete in the calendar.

It was intended to create more stability for cycling, but despite numerous attempts to create a meaningful season-long 'narrative,' the UCI is still fighting the same battles it began well over a decade ago.

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ASO, the organisers of the Tour de France, have been a consistent thorn in the UCI's side, with ample leverage thanks to the importance of their events to the teams and a lack of a strong riders' union.

It has been a long-running power struggle between the governing body and the Grand Tour organisers, who have railed against the reforms from the outset: they objected to being told which teams they must invite, took issue with the multi-year licences which they insisted had no chance for promotion or demotion of teams based on performance, and they felt that the UCI was trying to act as organiser, owner and judge of professional races.

The ProTour also was met with resistance from team managers who were suddenly faced with the requirement to field teams in three Grand Tours and over 140 days of racing during the season. It meant more riders, more buses, cars, equipment and much bigger budgets would be needed.

The ProTour show goes on

The WorldTour is born

What are we left with?

Key moments in WorldTour history

• October 11, 2003 - the UCI announces the concept of the ProTour at the Road World Championships in Canada and the addition of five Continental Circuits to be put into place for the 2005 season.

• April 23, 2004 - the UCI approves the ProTour for 2005 with 18 teams for the first year. It includes shifts to the racing calendar to reduce overlap, and is met with immediate resistance from races not included in the series.
• May 20, 2004 - A letter circulates among teams racing the Giro d'Italia protesting the requirement for teams to compete in all races, a move that demands increased team sizes and budgets.
• September 25, 2004 - On the eve of the gala launching the ProTour, the Grand Tour organisers suddenly withdraw from the series. A letter outlines four main reasons, saying the rules have not yet been defined, that it places more importance on financial aspects "to the detriment of sporting considerations", the four-year licences "do not allow for demotions and promotions, and in organising the series "the UCI acts as both parties, that is the organiser and owner, and as the judge".
• October, 2004 - UCI abandons the gala intended to launch the ProTour, instead using it to roll out the new Continental circuits, but vows the ProTour will go on in 2005. UCI names 20 teams to the first ProTour
• December, 2004 - Grand Tour organisers back in ProTour after addition of ethical charter signed by AIGCP (Teams)

• March 6, 2005 - The first ProTour event, Paris-Nice, starts
• September 23, 2005 - Pat McQuaid elected as UCI president
• October 15, 2005 - Danilo Di Luca wins the first ProTour overall
• December, 2005 - Grand Tour organisers announce intent to withdraw from ProTour again

• May, 2006 - Operacion Puerto case blows up
• August 15, 2006 - Phonak team to stop after Floyd Landis doping positive in Tour de France, reducing ProTour to 19
• December, 2006 - Grand Tour organisers threaten to withdraw unless only 18 teams are licensed in 2007, further reduced to 16 in 2008.

• UCI awards ProTour license to Unibet team, filling Phonak's vacant spot, then awards Astana the 20th ProTour licence for the 2007 season, setting off another year of battles with Grand Tour organisers
• January-February, 2007 - ASO excludes Unibet from Paris-Nice. RCS Sport excludes Unibet from Giro d'Italia. ASO says it will run Paris-Nice under French Federation, UCI tells team they are prohibited from competing in a non-UCI sanctioned race
• March, 2007 - UCI puts Paris-Nice back on ProTour calendar, races go on, but Unibet continues to be excluded and tensions simmer
• September, 2007 - Tour Down Under added to ProTour. All ASO, RCS Sport and Unipublic races off ProTour calendar

• January, 2008 - UCI threatens European federations with excluding any country that sanctions an ASO, RCS Sport or Unipublic event from the World Championships
• February, 2008 - Astana, High Road not invited to Giro d'Italia
• March, 2008 - Teams pressure UCI to reach an agreement with ASO as Paris-Nice approaches, but talks fail, UCI threatens teams with sanctions if they compete. Teams vote to race anyway. Paris-Nice runs under FFC.
• June, 2008 - ASO confirms Tour de France to run under FFC, buys 49 per cent stake in Unipublic. UCI suspends FFC, removes consideration of bids of France to host various world championships.
• August, 2008 - IOC president Jacques Rogge calls a meeting with UCI president, ASO owners (Editions Philippe Amaury) mediated by Jean-Claude Killy. UCI then announces new "World Calendar".
• September, 2008 - UCI declares peace, Patrice Clerc removed as president of ASO

• "Breakaway league" plans form as competition to WorldTour, with Rothschild, Gifted Group lending weight
• September, 2013 - Brian Cookson elected UCI president, Breakaway league plans die off
• October, 2013 - Cookson's plans for reformed WorldTour announced.

• Details of WorldTour reforms hashed out in multiple talks
• June, 2015 - ASO threatens to pull its races over reforms, resulting in a power struggle where UCI management committee member David Lappartient joins with Prudhomme in voting against the reforms, which move forward anyhow.  The ASO announces it will now withdraw its races from the 2017 calendar.
• June, 2016 - UCI reduces the number of WorldTour teams, expands calendar
• October 12, 2016 - Teams warn UCI over WorldTour reforms
• November, 2016 - Grand Tour organisers announce intent to reduce team sizes, UCI says they cannot. Organisers then promise to keep team sizes the same for 2017.
• January 12, 2017 - UCI revamps WorldTour rules, making new races optional
• September, 2017 - UCI approves reduced team sizes
• September, 2017 - David Lappartient elected as UCI president

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