UCI & sponsors call for Grand Tour 'peace talks'

After two days of meetings in Geneva on Wednesday and Thursday, the UCI, the ProTour teams and their sponsors have issued a joint declaration calling for peace talks between the UCI ProTour and the organisers of cycling's three major tours, the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana.

In a statement issued by the UCI, the organisation, teams and sponsors proposed, "a round table in which they would participate, as well as the organisers holding a UCI ProTour license, the representatives of the riders, the UCI and the organisers of the three major tours."

"The aim of this round table will be to put an end to the current conflict as of the beginning of the season and to organise together the development and the continuity of the UCI ProTour, to which the sponsors as well as the teams give their support."

While the UCI has enlisted the support of the teams and their sponsors for its ProTour series, it has been unable to convince the organisers of the grand tours to participate on its terms. Without them the ProTour would lack one-day Classics such as Paris-Roubaix and Liege-Bastogne-Liege (organised by Tour de France owner ASO) and Milan-SanRemo (organised by the Giro promoter RCS) and stage races such as ASO's Paris-Nice and RCS' Tirreno-Adriatico, as well as the three grand tours.

Cyclingnews' recent coverage of the ProTour-Grand Tours split

October 4, 2008 - New ASO chief to maintain values
September 26, 2008 - UCI declares peace, appoints new VP
August 30, 2008 - UCI re-signs five ProTour races
August 22, 2008 - ProTour: Bouncing back or lame duck?
August 19, 2008 - Stapleton analyses 'world calendar'
August 18, 2008 - Feedback on 'world calendar'
August 18, 2008 - UCI announces 'world calendar'

Cyclingnews' complete coverage of the ProTour-Grand Tours split