The UCI presents the 2009 World Calendar
Professional Cycling enters a new Era of Unity & Peace. Presidents Address.
"...cycling has now regained its unity and harmony. There are no winners or
losers, but rather a reciprocal respect of the role and importance of all the
stakeholders."
- 16 top teams at all new calendar events
- Establishes a new points system for World Rankings
- Rankings limited to teams participating and funding the Biological
Passport
- ProTour continues without conflict with the mew UCI rankings system
- New world calendar - 24 races including: Three Grand Tours Tour de France,
Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana. 10 stage races and 11 one-day classics in
Europe.
- The working group will continue through the next year
UCI Press Release: The International Cycling Union presented the
regulations that will govern the new 2009 World Calendar in Geneva today. The
World Calendar brings together the biggest road cycling events in the world.
The UCI President, Mr Pat McQuaid, said that he was delighted that the new
structure had been approved by all the stakeholders in professional road cycling
(organisers, teams and riders) and that its launch marked a new start for
cycling. The UCI President said that the new structure would allow cycling and
everyone involved in the sport to return to a calm, stable environment that
would favour the global development of cycling.
Mr McQuaid thanked the management of Editions Philippe Amaury (EPA) for their
contribution to establishing the new formula and also expressed his gratitude to
the Working Group that drew up the regulations for the 2009 World Calendar. This
Working Group brought together representatives of all aspects of professional
road cycling. Mr McQuaid also said that he was delighted that all the season’s
major events could now coexist harmoniously within the new World Calendar.
The UCI then presented the details of the regulations for the 2009 World
Calendar. The World Calendar brings together UCI ProTour races and Monument
Events. The World Calendar will have individual, team and national
classifications.
Annexe: Regulations for the 2009 World Calendar (World Classification,
Professional Continental Teams classification and rules for participation in
World Calendar events) and the Address by the UCI President.
UCI 209 World Calendar
Final classification of Events:
- Tour de France - Hors Categorie
- Giro d’Italia - Vuelta a España - Hors Categorie
- Stage Races & Classics
Tour Down Under
Paris-Nice
Tirreno-Adriatico
Milano-Sanremo
Tour of Flanders
Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco
Paris-Roubaix
Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Tour de Romandie
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
Tour de Suisse
Tour de Pologne
Eneco Tour
Tour of Sochi
Giro di Lombardia Gent
- One Day Classics
Gent Wevelgem
Amstel Gold Race
La Flèche Wallonne
Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian - San Sebastian
Vattenfall Cyclassics
GP Ouest France - Plouay
Address by the UCI President Pat
McQuaid
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to Geneva and thank you for coming here to take part in this press
conference. Today we will announce very significant innovations for the future
of professional road cycling.
Cycling has experienced a very severe conflict over recent years which has
caused it considerable harm. But I now have the privilege and pleasure of
presenting the details of the structure which will once again bring together all
the stakeholders in professional road cycling.
Despite the unfavorable conditions of recent years, cycling as a whole has
continued to develop. However, I will not try to claim that the problems
encountered, of which you are all aware, have not affected the stability and
calm background that our sport needs.
The structure that we will present to you is born of the need, shared by all,
to return to a calm, stable environment.
The tensions that affected cycling peaked during the 2008 Tour de France and
we found ourselves in a rather sad situation for our sport. Fortunately, these
difficulties were the catalyst for us all to realize that it was no longer
possible to continue in this way.
I would like to thank the executives of Editions Philippe Amaury (EPA) for
their efforts and their time in resolving the conflict into which cycling had
plunged.
The UCI took up its responsibility, enshrined by its mission statement, to
find a solution. The solution was only possible with the contribution of all the
parties concerned. In this respect, the structure that is about to be presented
to you represents the successful outcome of a genuinely collective effort.
I would ask you not to place too much credence on talk of problems still to
be overcome that you may hear today or in the coming weeks. There are still
points of disagreement, that is clear, but these are of a completely different
nature to those that were tearing cycling apart just a few months ago.
The structure that my colleagues (Alain Rumpf and Philippe Chevallier) will
present to you in detail is the result of the considerations of the Working
Group. Some of the Group's members (Jean-François Pescheux, Richard Chassot,
Patrick Lefevere and Cédric Vasseur) are with us here today and I would like to
sincerely thank them.
The World Calendar that we are presenting today is the synthesis of the needs
of all those involved in professional cycling. It takes into account the
heritage of our sport as well as legitimate ambitions for the global development
of cycling. These two components can from now on coexist harmoniously within the
World Calendar (UCI ProTour – Monuments Calendar).
Beyond the designations, structures and regulations, the hard work of the
last few months has produced a formula that will allow races to take place
within an appropriate framework, allowing the riders and teams to compete in the
biggest races in the world and cycling fans to witness the highest quality
events.
What is important is that cycling has now regained its unity and harmony.
There are no winners or losers, but rather a reciprocal respect of the role and
importance of all the stakeholders.
But perhaps a winner does actually exist; the winner is the sport of cycling.
Neither component of the World Calendar will dominate the other. The UCI
ProTour is not in competition with the Monuments Calendar. The UCI ProTour is
rather a vision that has won over the teams and organizers because they realize
that it is good for cycling.
In conclusion, I would like to express a desire. My wish is that cycling
retains its unique nature in a calm environment, an environment that encourages
growth, under the banner of the International Cycling Union.
I will now pass you over to Mr Philippe Chevallier and Mr Alain Rumpf, who
will unveil the details of the 2009 World Calendar.
Additional Comments
Amaury Sports
representative in the working group, Jean-Francois Pescheux was pleased calling
the agreement the best solution at the moment, "It was not possible while there
was a war between (the UCI) and the organizers," he said. "I think we have found
the best solution now."
CPA president Cedric Vasseur
Commented that the new rankings would help to build the star quality to the best
riders in the sport and must be supported by prize money by 2010. "If we
want cycling to come back we have to have the big stars again, we need everybody
waiting for the rankings every Monday."
UCI President Pat McQuaid
"The world calendar has come just at the right time. People are looking at
cycling as a sport which is much more solid and stable.We have got a lot to
offer in marketing and advertising."
McQuaid also said the first cases using information gathered in the passport
scheme would be opened against riders "in the coming days and weeks. There will
not be many... We would hope that with the improvements coming with the
biological passport that doping is something the fans will be reading a lot less
about."
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