UCI takes steps to form 'Champions League' for cycling

Mark Cavendish wins final stage, Tour de France 2012, stage 20

Cycling's governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), confirmed over the weekend that it signed an initial agreement with private investors to begin a new professional cycling league. It said it is close to announcing a deal, which has the potential to reshape the cycling calendar in under three years' time.

Team Omega Pharma-QuickStep owner Zdenek Bakala and his Dutch business partner, Bessel Kok held a press conference on Friday to explain their plan. They said they gathered initial investors to create something similar to football's Champions League: the top teams competing in the top races. Bakala said that he is willing to invest €10-20m [€8-16m] of his own money.

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Gregor Brown

Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.