UCI to reduce team size in GTs to 8 starting in 2018

[Red Rick]

Can't believe there's no thread fort his

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-reduces-grand-tour-teams-to-8-riders-for-2018/

 

[Ricco']

It's a good opportunity to allow 3 more teams to take part on the grand tours and to give more attractives for sponsors to enter the sport and back second tier teams, increasing competitiveness between the first and the second tiers.

Unfortunately, that's not gonna happen.

All hail the World Tour.

 

[deValtos]

More interestingly they are raising the time gap for a "split" to occur from one second to three seconds in an effort to reduce stress in bunch finishes.

Edit: Even more interestingly this will actually be trialed in this years TDF, I just assumed it was next year!

 

[King Boonen]

Re:

It's a good opportunity to allow 3 more teams to take part on the grand tours and to give more attractives for sponsors to enter the sport and back second tier teams, increasing competitiveness between the first and the second tiers.

Unfortunately, that's not gonna happen.

All hail the World Tour.

It really isn't though. The number of riders is the least of the worries when deciding team numbers. Support staff, cars, trucks, drivers and a myriad of other staff mean that adding more teams further limits where can hold a start or finish.

 

[jmdirt]

I like the idea because it could result in less controlled racing.
I don't like the idea because it could result in tentative racing.

8 riders per team in GTs
176 total riders in all UCI races.

Ricco, those number don't allow for more teams (unless they go to 7 or even 6 riders), nor would that be a good idea. They are trying to unclog the road, and putting even more riders plus 12 more team cars in the platoon will not accomplish that.

 

[TheYouyou7]

Re:

More interestingly they are raising the time gap for a "split" to occur from one second to three seconds in an effort to reduce stress in bunch finishes.

Edit: Even more interestingly this will actually be trialed in this years TDF, I just assumed it was next year!

The best solution to reduce stress in bunch finishes is to neutralize time for GC at 3-5k to go

 

[ClassicomanoLuigi]

Ochowicz was saying he did not believe this would happen because "we have jobs for 9 people on a team" - he thought of it as a standard structure which could not easily be changed. Therefore the solution would be to have fewer teams invited to GT races.
Like, cutting it from 22 invites at 9 riders per team (198 starters) to 20 invited teams would reduce it to 180 starters in a GT

The purpose of reducing the number of riders is not going to be for inclusion of more teams to raise sponsorship money, it's mostly for safety. To reduce crashes. Because things had been getting out of hand between the combination of tactics, spread-out formations, new road surfaces and 'road-furniture' causing unpredictable constrictions, etc.

Seems that Ochowicz was wrong, I also find the move to fewer riders per team surprising

What tactical effects will this have ... 'more tentative'? Maybe yes, because of reluctance to commit an extra rider to any given effort. If there are fewer total 'watt-hours' to expend on the race, then DS logically might be less-likely to expend resources. Smaller teams also makes the impact of losing riders through bad luck, crashes and abandons more severe.

What do you think, what's the tactical analysis

 

[Leinster]

Ochowitz has jobs for all 9 riders but he's literally just named a team where 1 guy is free to go chasing stages.

 

[ClassicomanoLuigi]

Re:

Ochowitz has jobs for all 9 riders but he's literally just named a team where 1 guy is free to go chasing stages.

Good point, or good example regarding GvA

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

More interestingly they are raising the time gap for a "split" to occur from one second to three seconds in an effort to reduce stress in bunch finishes.

Edit: Even more interestingly this will actually be trialed in this years TDF, I just assumed it was next year!

This is amazing news! Finally UCI is good for something

 

[Matteo.]

I would have been more radical: reduce to 7.
But it's a good start

 

[the asian]

Certainly a good start.

 

[latino]

Finally something happening in UCI.
Good measures, but still a little conservative.
We'll see how it pans out.

Also the cap at 176 riders per peloton won't allow many more teams to join in, max 22.

 

[Escarabajo]

Don't care if we don't have more teams. At least 2 more.

 

[Pantani_lives]

I remember Walter Godefroot was opposed to this because with Telekom they rode for yellow and green with Ullrich and Zabel, so they needed seven helpers. However if it reduces the number of crashes and the likeliness of one team smothering the race it could have good effects. For the helpers it will be even harder to make the selection.

 

[Leinster]

Maybe if they'd rode 100% behind Ullrich the way Sky does for Froome Telekom would've won a few more Tours.

I don't know if reducing to 8 will reduce the stranglehold of a team like Sky on the Tour or if we'll get down to the heads of state quicker, but it has to be worth at least trying out. I wouldn't go much lower because teams need to have enough guys to last 3 weeks.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Maybe if they'd rode 100% behind Ullrich the way Sky does for Froome Telekom would've won a few more Tours.

I don't know if reducing to 8 will reduce the stranglehold of a team like Sky on the Tour or if we'll get down to the heads of state quicker, but it has to be worth at least trying out. I wouldn't go much lower because teams need to have enough guys to last 3 weeks.

I don't think that would have been the case, Armstrong was just that much better than Ulle in those years. I vaguely remember they tried something like that in 05, not selecting Zabel, and that didn't pan out any different. Armstrong was just completely superior, with or without team/teams.

 

[Squire]

Re: Re:

Maybe if they'd rode 100% behind Ullrich the way Sky does for Froome Telekom would've won a few more Tours.

I don't know if reducing to 8 will reduce the stranglehold of a team like Sky on the Tour or if we'll get down to the heads of state quicker, but it has to be worth at least trying out. I wouldn't go much lower because teams need to have enough guys to last 3 weeks.

I don't think that would have been the case, Armstrong was just that much better than Ulle in those years. I vaguely remember they tried something like that in 05, not selecting Zabel, and that didn't pan out any different. Armstrong was just completely superior, with or without team/teams.

This is true. One or two more rouleurs working for Ullrich would've made no difference. It's not like they left out the best climbers on the team to support Zabel. As long as Ullrich could put 20 seconds into Armstrong on a good day, and Armstrong could put two minutes into Ullrich on a good day, he was always going to lose. Anyway, I think the importance of really strong teams is overrated as long as you don't defend a lead.

 

[deValtos]

The one chance Ulle had was in 2003 when he wasn't in T-Mobile

Maybe that could've made a difference though I think his team could TTT well at the very least.

I'd love to see team Bianchi back.

 

[Chomsky]

Sadly the people that get hurt here are sprinters. Better to do this in the Vuelta which has essentially eliminated bunch sprints.

I hate the change. It would be better to increase the team size to 10 and eliminate two teams if they we're actually worried about safety.

 

[kingjr]

Re:

Maybe if they'd rode 100% behind Ullrich the way Sky does for Froome Telekom would've won a few more Tours.

I don't know if reducing to 8 will reduce the stranglehold of a team like Sky on the Tour or if we'll get down to the heads of state quicker, but it has to be worth at least trying out. I wouldn't go much lower because teams need to have enough guys to last 3 weeks.

No. He was outclassed on every level by a better rider. No team in the world could have helped him win these Tours.

 

[DBotero]

I don't think this is a good idea.The teams will be even more focused than ever.The small teams affected by injuries or illness during a GT will become even more useless now.
Avoiding the overlapping of TDF with the Russian WC is a good move.

 

[Red Rick]

More useless teams = more better.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Finally a step in the good direction! Reducing team size is the most obvious and sure way to increase the likelihood of more open racing.

 

[Captain_Obvious]

This is good.