Pro Tour leader suggests reducing length of races

PARIS – Reducing the length of major races such as the Tour de France could be one way to help the fight against doping in cycling, the leader of the Pro Tour said Wednesday.

“If the UCI audit shows that the length or the difficulty of the major Tours is identified as a factor (in doping), the UCI will not hesitate to act,” Pro Tour manager Alain Rumpf said after meeting with members of the International Association of Professional Cycling Teams (AIGCP).

Tour de France champion Floyd Landis is accused of doping during July’s race. The American faces a two-year ban and being stripped of his title. Critics suggest the torturous nature of the three-week race could encourage riders to use performance-enhancing substances.

Organizers of the Tour, Spanish Vuelta and Giro d’Italia are in conflict with the Pro Tour. They wish to be excluded from the Pro Tour calendar and race separately.

All three events, however, are included in the 2007 Pro Tour schedule.

Before the start of the 2006 Tour de France, several riders were kicked out after being linked to Spain’s blood-doping investigation “Operation Puerto.”