ProTour RIP

by lucybears on Jul 15, 2008 11:18 AM EDT

All teams decide to leave UCI ProTour series

The UCI's ProTour series appears to be officially dead after all 17 teams at the Tour de France decided to leave the series and not renew their licences next season.

"It has been decided unanimously not to renew the ProTour licences for the 2009 season," read a joint statement from the teams.

The only ProTour team not present at the Tour de France, Astana, is also expected to leave the ProTour. "If everybody decides so, I can't imagine Astana will not follow," Astana chief press officer Philippe Maertens told Reuters.

UCI President Pat McQuaid told Reuters that all the teams could face exclusion from the UCI. "We'll deal with that according to the regulations," said McQuaid. "They face exclusion from the international federation. It is something we are going to discuss."

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Now paging Rock Racing

Here’s your chance to join the Pro Tour.

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum."

by Drew Davis on Jul 15, 2008 11:29 AM EDT reply actions

McQuaid is so bad at bluffing.

It’s just sad having listen to someone of such authority say such stupid things.

by Ryan_Liles on Jul 15, 2008 11:34 AM EDT reply actions

right

his time he try to talk to the teams and ASo and find a solution together. McQuaid only want to does the things in his manner.

by semprenaroda on Jul 15, 2008 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah.

McQuaid has a big L on his forehead.

by ursula on Jul 15, 2008 11:39 AM EDT reply actions

"exclusion form the international federation"

Meaning what? No ENECO Tour for you? No Tour Down Under?

by Softie on Jul 15, 2008 11:52 AM EDT reply actions

ProTour

Let’s hope the new system is better, but I have serious doubts…

by King of Doping on Jul 15, 2008 12:11 PM EDT reply actions

A (not so) Brief Review

of the Pro Tour drama that led to this point.

by Sui Juris on Jul 15, 2008 12:38 PM EDT reply actions

McQuaid is drowning in his own BS

all the teams could face exclusion from the UCI

WHAT!!! Since when??! Will this include Garmin, Tinkoff, Barloworld etc?? How does not renewing a protour license lead to exclusion. Oiy gavult!

by Hons on Jul 15, 2008 12:45 PM EDT reply actions

What exactly does UCI do besides

weigh the bikes?

by Jimbo... on Jul 15, 2008 12:52 PM EDT reply actions

Nevermind

I found it

by Jimbo... on Jul 15, 2008 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions

I have to say

As silly as that Artistic Cycling looks they must have some serious bike handling skills.

Now if only they could do it at 50 kph.

by rocketpress on Jul 15, 2008 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions

that needs a linkey

Brooklyn Chewing Gum: Vlaanderens Mooiste

by Koppenberg on Jul 15, 2008 3:33 PM EDT reply actions

it's actually really cool...

You can see clips on youtube.

-Greg

by gregm on Jul 15, 2008 3:49 PM EDT reply actions

I really do hope

that this doesn’t screw up th ebiological passport programme too. It’s the one area where the UCI was really getting its act together

by Monty. on Jul 15, 2008 4:28 PM EDT reply actions

Who's in charge?

If the UCI is dead, then we need a central authority to fill the void and do things like running the bio-pass program. But I’m repeating myself again.

"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."

by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 15, 2008 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions

UCI dead? nah

I don’t see this as saying the UCI is dead as they do too much organizing the various levels of racing. Its just that they no longer have a say in the major decisions of the elite men’s division: how its run and so forth. They may still administrate it, we’ll see. Part of that administration is the bio-passport program.

by ursula on Jul 15, 2008 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions

funny bit

the merry pranksters at cyclismag.fr had a funny bit on this:
having been disavowed by “old Europe” who are refusing to play along with the pro tour, the uci is now considering leaving their headquarters in suisse. they are considering moscow and beijing. or maybe astana, the city, where they will be given a brand new castle. and it would be easier from there to launch missiles at the tour de france.

linkage

by Jen See on Jul 15, 2008 7:27 PM EDT reply actions

You have got to be effin kidding me...

After a hard day of watching a Tour stage, I like to unwind with Verbotene Liebe

by crashdan on Jul 16, 2008 12:10 AM EDT up reply actions

sigh...

i tried in the set-up to point to the fact that they were joking… sigh. i’m such a failure sometimes ;-)

psssst, crashdan, they ARE kidding!

by Jen See on Jul 16, 2008 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Crashdan

has never been known to have a sense of humor. Sad, really.

by ursula on Jul 16, 2008 11:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Pat McQuaid

The International Cycling Union (UCI) will seek financial compensation against nine of the teams withdrawing from the elite ProTour series, saying the teams are in breach of contract.
http://web.wcsn.com/article/news.jsp?ymd=20080716&content_id=68631&vkey=cycling_news&id=34009&dpre=
The ProTour, which started in 2005 under the jurisdiction of the UCI, guaranteed the top teams a place in the top races.
er, who is in breach of contract ???

by lucybears on Jul 17, 2008 4:29 AM EDT reply actions