UCI president, Pat McQuaid, told a news conference that development followed talks requested by the owners of the Tour de France, the Amaury Group, under the auspices of the International Olympic Committe (IOC) and the mediation of former ski champion Jean-Claude Killy.
"As a result of the discussions that have been going on, we can today announce an initiative for professional cycling that has been agreed by the Amaury Group," McQuaid said.
Under the new plan, the current road cycling calendar will be retained, with the UCI Pro Tour on the one hand and on the other the Historical Calendar, which regroups the monuments of cycling like the big Tours and the oldest one-day classics. Results in both calendars will award points in a new ranking system, which will be used from 2011 onwards to determine the 17 teams automatically qualifying to take part in the Tour de France.
