Prior to the final stage of the Tour de France, race director Christian Prudhomme has said that reducing the number of riders per team would help to revive interest in the race.
“More than ever, we need a rider less per team,” Prudhomme told L’Equipe. The current team size in the race is nine riders whereas in some other races in which World Tour teams take part in, team sizes can vary between six and eight riders.
Prudhomme feels that Team Sky have been too dominant in the mountains and reducing team sizes to eight riders would help to level the playing field.
He said that the team of the yellow jersey have “overpowered and locked out the race in the mountain passes.”
However, he feels that not all team managers will be in agreement with this suggestion. “Most of the big teams do not want to hear about that,” he said. “But perhaps they will understand that this is the best interests of cycling.”
Reduced team sizes may help reduce accidents as well in the congested stages, just a thought.
…and double more motorbikes to cover the race!
and add another team or two to replace those?
they have to do something…so boring this year and the year before…and I love watching cycling
Just coz sky are finishing with all 9 this year
While I agree with Prudhome, I think it has more to do with the way cyclists are ranked. They race conservatively to maximize the points. Even more importantly is that Sky just outspends everyone else by millions. Two of Froome’s key domestiques should have been leading their own teams, or at least going for stage wins.
A more controversial opinion, which I’m not sure of but I think it’s worth mentioning, maybe the riding was more exciting when they doped more?
I think they need to make all grand tours the same level as the tdf. Froome won’t be a legend until he wins them all in his career.
They could go to 6 and we’d get some seriously exciting racing!