I've been thinking about the ProTour vs Big Tours and how they could go about making some changes. The UCI insists that each ProTour be invited to the Grand Tours due to the fact that they are part of the federation's premier tour. I can see their point in that these teams are putting big money behind their teams so they would like some sort of garunteeee for the investment. On the other hand the Grand Tours have taken years to build up to where they are today so they are not going to simply give away places in a race where they are limited to the number of teams they can host. So where do you find the compromise. Well I suggest a system similar to the soccer league over in Europe. There are various divisions and then their is the Champions League. A team needs to qualify for the Champions League and only a few teams from the top of each make it through. The ProTour could be this league where the top 5 contenders are given a place in the Grand Tours and the rest are up to the various organizers to invite who they feel should be invited. Even this could take the form of a pre-race where the teams not gaurenteed a place race against each other for a place in the final Grand Tour. Just a something I wanted to get out there.
