A very important decision will be made by the UCI this Wednesday, March 26, and this concerns the Tour de France.
Revolution on the Tour de France and in the world of cycling. No, we are not talking about Tadej Pogacar who has just announced his participation in the legendary Paris-Roubaix race, but of a decision to widen the peloton which could make the business of Julian Alaphilippe and his Swiss team Tudor. She hopes to have an invitation for the next Tour de France. If the presence of French in the structure actually gives the training more luck to participate in the Grande loop, the addition of a team could facilitate the decision of the organizers.
This Wednesday, during the day, the UCI should confirm the decision to join a 23rd team in the three major towers this year (Giro, Tour de France and Vuelta). A decision that the organizers of the Tour of Italy are looking forward to, because the race begins on May 9 and the organizers still do not know if an additional Wild Card will be allocated.
A security problem and disputes?
After the vote of the professional cycling council, which is expected on March 26, it will then be necessary that the steering committee of the UCI will endorse the decision … “a formality”, according to certain sources. “We are not too worried,” said the director of the Tour de France Christian Prudhomme, who will vote himself, indicates AFP, “because the request is brought by the three official associations, representing the teams (AIGCP), the organizers (AICC) and the runners (CPA)”
If for some, this is good news, for others this decision is not in line with the evolution of cycling and risks causing security constraints with more people and less space on the roads. “We need more security in the peloton and there we are told that we would add eight runners, I find it amazing,” said Richard Plugge, the boss of Visma-Lease A Bike by Jonas Vingegaard. “For small teams, the big laps represent an opportunity to score points and enjoy a maximum TV exhibition,” said Thor Hushovd, the manager of UNO-X.