UCI reduces maximum team sizes for races

[May0maniac]

It could make a difference in a race like MSR.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

It's hardly a given that making the team one man less will mean that it's the one who's off that isn't selected. If they were to only pick 8 this year, Thomas would still have been selected.

Obviously, and crashing now means you are down to 7 instead of 8. But in the case of Sky, they will bring the 3 super hybrids Thomas, Moscon and Kwito to the Tour along with Kiriyienka. Those guys are so extremely versatile I hardly think it will matter, maybe they will even be better off.

 

[Ricco']

Re: Re:

It's hardly a given that making the team one man less will mean that it's the one who's off that isn't selected. If they were to only pick 8 this year, Thomas would still have been selected.

Obviously, and crashing now means you are down to 7 instead of 8. But in the case of Sky, they will bring the 3 super hybrids Thomas, Moscon and Kwito to the Tour along with Kiriyienka. Those guys are so extremely versatile I hardly think it will matter, maybe they will even be better off.

Don't forget Castro.

After a 6-year reign of mountain droids, the hybrid revolution has arrived.

 

[Gigs_98]

I don't like the whole "sky will dominate anyway" argument. It's right that they dominated this years tour while basically only having 8 riders on all meaningful mountain stages but that doesn't mean they couldn't have been even more dominating if Thomas had ridden for that team as well. The fact that the domination was boring doesn't mean that it can't be even more boring.

 

[Escarabajo]

To improve the safety of the riders, spectators and the race convoy, the UCI Management Committee decided to limit the peloton size to a maximum of 176 riders in all events on the UCI International Road Calendar. Therefore, a maximum of 7 riders will now be allowed per team in all men’s road races (except Grand Tours, 8). In the UCI Women’s WorldTour, there will be a maximum of 6 riders per team in one-day races, 7 in stage-races.

http://www.uci.ch/pressreleases/the-uci-announces-extensive-modernisation-regulations/

My two cents: this measure will NOT improve the safety of anyone involved, but in the long term will cost some riders their job as overall team sizes will likely shrink.

This.
They just killed a bunch of jobs if no more teams are allowed to compete.

I thought they were doing it for the competition. Oh well.

 

[the asian]

A step in the right direction.

Hopefully in a couple of years they will reduce one more rider for a race. Six man teams & 7 for GT's semms about right.

 

[Kazistuta]

This is what ASO,RCS and the Flanders Classics wanted for this season,so I guess the teams should have been aware of the change looming in the shadows.
I like to see the effect of this change before judging it.

 

[samhocking]

All the teams have been aware of this going to happen for months. It was first announced by UCI as happening for 2018 back in June iirc so it's not actually new news or will be affecting team signings. PCC, AIOCC, AIGCP all seem in agreement and Bobbie Traksel (Riders rep) & Gianni Bugno (CPA) are members of PCC.

 

[SKSemtex]

Finally.

Sport is not here to make some people - sportsmen happy and rich, it is here to entertain people first of all.
The more people are entertained the happier are race owners, sponsors, team owners and last but not least - the riders.

It does not necessarily mean a lost of cycling jobs in long-term. Teams can send better riders to minor races, that could become more attractive to fans, sponsors etc. We will see in few years.

I think it should be lowered to 6 / 7.

Radios and power meters must be the next step.

 

[FilipeFD]

agree with the team size reduction, not the peloton size reduction.

they could easily accomodate one or two more pro-cont teams, and still reduce peloton. these teams are the ones that bring something outside the box in those boring stages

 

[hrotha]

Re:

agree with the team size reduction, not the peloton size reduction.

they could easily accomodate one or two more pro-cont teams, and still reduce peloton. these teams are the ones that bring something outside the box in those boring stages

Not "easily". More teams means more team cars and more hotel reservations.

 

[Echoes]

peloton size reduction is a necessity. In the seventies, 176-man pelotons was standard in classics, on an average. We should get back to that.

 

[jsem94]

Excellent.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Re:

peloton size reduction is a necessity. In the seventies, 176-man pelotons was standard in classics, on an average. We should get back to that.

http://www.museociclismo.it/content/corse/corsa/459-Milano-Sanremo/edizioni/70/814.html

Not all classics. 264 partenti, jesus...

 

[Echoes]

Yeah Milan-Sanremo sometimes had an insane field, quantitatively (denounced by journalists at that time) and on a few edition, Tour of Lombardy was pretty poor quantitatively speaking when the season had been long and exhaustive for anyone. That's why I said on an average. It usually ranged from 150 to 180 riders. Many claim that back then pelotons only consisted of 100 to 120 riders. That was only true for the GT's and Worlds, not really for the classics.

 

[Tonton]

Smaller teams could mean more good riders available in "lesser" races, hence promoting the sport. Growing the sport. Pinot doing the Tour de l'Ain this year may have saved it. Food for thoughts...

 

[Bot. Sky_Bot]

Re: Re:

It's hardly a given that making the team one man less will mean that it's the one who's off that isn't selected. If they were to only pick 8 this year, Thomas would still have been selected.

Obviously, and crashing now means you are down to 7 instead of 8. But in the case of Sky, they will bring the 3 super hybrids Thomas, Moscon and Kwito to the Tour along with Kiriyienka. Those guys are so extremely versatile I hardly think it will matter, maybe they will even be better off.

Don't forget Castro.

After a 6-year reign of mountain droids, the hybrid revolution has arrived.

I can assure you: The Reign of Skyborgs/Skydroids will be continued..

 

[Echoes]

Smaller teams could mean more good riders available in "lesser" races, hence promoting the sport. Growing the sport. Pinot doing the Tour de l'Ain this year may have saved it. Food for thoughts...

Yes that's why Madiot advocates for it in his book. When there's the London Classic, San Sebastian and Poland, you also have the Polynormande. How could you race the Polynormande if you also need to race those WT races at the same time?

But of course Madiot is now disregarded as a horrible Fascist by globalists on some other boards.

 

[veji11]

Finally.

Sport is not here to make some people - sportsmen happy and rich, it is here to entertain people first of all.
The more people are entertained the happier are race owners, sponsors, team owners and last but not least - the riders.

It does not necessarily mean a lost of cycling jobs in long-term. Teams can send better riders to minor races, that could become more attractive to fans, sponsors etc. We will see in few years.

I think it should be lowered to 6 / 7.

Radios and power meters must be the next step.

Same, when riders and DS understand that lively races from afar, not dull overcontroled affairs until the last 3/4 ks (hello GT mountain stages and Ardennes type classics) or overstrong peloton meaning 100% certainty of sprint if a race isn't really bumpy, are the way of the future success for their sport, things will be a lot easier.

less riders per team means weaker collectives and in relative terms stronger individual athletes. Give more chances to the individual athletes to express themselves than well oiled collectives.

There is a reason why olympic races have proven so much more fun to watch than other races, with smaller teams making for wilder and more unpredictable racing.

 

[veji11]

Smaller teams could mean more good riders available in "lesser" races, hence promoting the sport. Growing the sport. Pinot doing the Tour de l'Ain this year may have saved it. Food for thoughts...

Yes that's why Madiot advocates for it in his book. When there's the London Classic, San Sebastian and Poland, you also have the Polynormande. How could you race the Polynormande if you also need to race those WT races at the same time?

But of course Madiot is now disregarded as a horrible Fascist by globalists on some other boards.

There should never be more than 2 WT races at the sameish time, each WT team should have time to focus some of its energy on its local calendar. It's also what makes this sport great, mixing up of competition levels between a WT event and a 1.1 or 2.1 race with conti teams. It's important that the WT teams participate in those as well, Cannondale and BMC are needed on the US tour, FDJ and AG2R are needed on the french races, etc...