If the major organizers ASO, RCS and Flanders Classics get things how they want, there will only be 9 riders in the grand tour teams in 2017. In classics like Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders, the number will drop from eight to seven per team.

Yesterday the biggest organizers introduced the rule for safety reasons after a meeting of the International Association of Organizers (AIOCC). The peloton in the most important races will be reduced by up to 25 riders. The organizers hope to kill two birds with one stone: less teammates also means less control and more excitement. Tour boss Christian Prudhomme gets things how he wants them but that is against the will of most of the teams.

"I am categorically against it," manager Patrick Lefevere (Etixx-Quick Step) told Het Nieuwsblad. "No one was consulted, teams or riders union. They could start by finding safer roads instead of small, old roads. And not do like in the Tour of Switzerland with a finish place fifty meters after a sharp turn. Is that safe? Why should we again have thirty riders per team in 2018? Then you can go on with less five riders per team. Then there are one hundred additional riders on the market at the end of 2017. Plus twenty-five soigneurs because they are no longer needed. "

The race director of the Tour of Flanders, Wim Van Herreweghe, has a different approach. "The real underlying motive is the safety of the riders. That should concern everyone: organizers, riders, teams and the public. On the other hand, one less rider per team allows the teams to ride on multiple fronts simultaneously. Hence, they may find it easier to go to interesting national races. Note: this is a statement from the organizers about safety to be submitted to the International Cycling Union (UCI) in December.”

“However, the press release from the three major organizers is clear: this rule will be in place in our races from 2017. We won’t change the number of teams.”

The chairman of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Geert Penez, added: “This is a wish of the great organizers. In the technical regulations, an organizer can determine the number of riders per team. For one-day races, it is between five and eight. Our race is held at the end of February. I'm trying to go with eight riders per tea as the UCI regulations say today. "