SPORTS
French fed wants national teams back at Tour de France
Baku, February 7 (AZERTAC). The Federation French Cycling (FFC) said on Wednesday that it is in favor of a Tour de France contested by national teams, a “revolutionary project” according to its president, David Lappartient.
“The [Lance] Armstrong case gave the project more strength and more news,” said Lappartient during a press conference in Rosny-sous-Bois, during which he also announced the project to create a professional team of high-level multi-discipline riders, which he dubbed “the French Sky.”
In its draft, 25 teams of eight riders, of all continents, would participate in the Tour.
The Tour`s national-teams format, which helped revive the Tour in 1930, was abandoned in the late 1960s.
Lappartient said he had submitted his project to Tour organizer ASO.
“The organizer has listened carefully; I have not been back to the moment,” he said.
Lappartient also said he has given the proposal to the UCI president Pat McQuaid.
Lappartient, who has denied any attachment to cycling`s sordid past, also announced his candidacy for the presidency of the Confederation European cycling (UEC). Former Moldovan rider Andrei Tchmil has also announced that he will run.
The Frenchman did not exclude a possible candidacy in September to the presidency of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), but has refrained from targeting McQuaid, criticized by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) over his handling of the Armstrong case.
“I do not stand either for or against the president McQuaid. In the context of developing our sport, we must eradicate doping,” said Lappartient.
The Frenchman`s ambitious professional team program, which he hopes will “eventually be the first team in the world,” will have a budget of 20 million euros.
Specialists in five disciplines (road, track, mountain bike, BMX, cyclocross) would be included in the team, with a total of 60 riders, including men and women.
Lappartient said he would decided in June whether the team will launch in 2014, as he desires, or 2015.