2008 PROTOUR DATES UNVEILED

UCI ProTour

published 28 September 2007

Union Cycliste Internationale president Pat McQuaid unveiled the organisation's 2008 ProTour calendar at a press conference during the World Championships in Stuttgart.

McQuaid and the UCI have created a new ProTour calendar for 2008 that begins with the Tour Down Under on January 22 and ends with a one-day final race on October 5. An organiser for this race has still to be found.

According to the 2008 ProTour calendar (see below), there will be a total of 70 days of racing. The dates avoid most clashes between ProTour races and historic races organised by the 'big three' - the organisers of the Tour de France (ASO), Giro d'Italia (RCS) and Vuelta a Espana (Unipublic). The only clash comes in September when the Vuelta (Aug 30-Sept 21) coincides with the Tour of Germany (Aug 29-Sept 6) and the Hamburg Vattenfall Cyclassics (Sept 7).

?There?s huge potential to develop cycling. We?re in contact with the Chinese government to create a legacy event for the Olympic Games and they?re really interested in a Tour of China and are ready put big money and big sponsors behind it. It?s the same in Russia. Vladimir Putin himself is the one who?s instigated for a ProTour team and event in Russia. We should respond to that and work with people who want to work with us.?

?The Giro and Vuelta wanted free selection of the teams for their races and so let them do it. There?s no desire to make problems for anybody. We would hope they?ll accommodate us and we?ll accommodate them. There?s no conflict or desire to damage races. Our interest is to create calendar for cycling. The ProTour teams have their choice. They ride the ProTour races they are committed to and then they ride other events they want to ride. There are overlaps there always are but there won?t be purposely built overlaps with strategic events to try and bury the other events. We consider we?re being pragmatic.?

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2008 PROTOUR DATES UNVEILED

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