March 18, 2008 – In order to let the riders concentrate on their racing, the International Cycling Union (UCI) opted to refrain from making any declarations during the Paris-Nice event.

The UCI is currently looking into the consequences that will apply to those who breached its rules. This evaluation will take into account the fact that Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), with the collusion of the French Cycling Federation (FFC), deliberately removed Paris-Nice from the organisational structure of the UCI, thus creating a problematic situation for riders and teams alike.

A disciplinary procedure will be opened against the FFC and its President, with a view to imposing sanctions commensurate with the considerable responsibility they bear for the development of the situation.

As far as the riders and their teams are concerned, the UCI will ask for measures appropriate to the situation. A meeting with riders has been scheduled for March 25, when any relevant information can be exchanged.

The UCI notes that ASO has refused to register Paris-Roubaix — an event regarding which the UCI and ASO substantially agree, e.g. in terms of the applicable participation rules — on the UCI calendar, as well as the Tour de France and Paris-Tours. ASO and the FFC are the only stakeholders to have taken this position, which contradicts the agreement made in Treviso between the UCI and the Presidents of the French, Italian, Spanish, Belgian and Luxembourg federations.

The Italian, Belgian and Spanish federations have honoured their commitment by securing from the organisers in their countries an agreement to register their events on the calendars agreed to in Treviso (Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo, Giro d’Italia and the Tour of Lombardy for Italy; the Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège for Belgium; and the Vuelta a España for Spain).

The Treviso agreement shows that the UCI and the other parties continue to act in good faith by seeking solutions that are in the best interests of the sport of cycling, its participants and its public.