After a series of drug scandals in the sport of cycling which has been unleashed in the past, it is now time for the cycling world to take its course once again. Thursday marked an era of unity among cycling professionals when they launched a race calendar that categorized group elite events into a world ranking system for riders and teams.

The world calendar that constitutes a total of twenty four races will be focused on three major tours specifically of France, Italy and Spain as well as ten stage races, including the season-opening Tour Down Under in Australia; and a series of eleven one-day classics in Europe. This calendar was drawn up by a UCI-led working party that included race organizers, teams and the professional riders’ union, the CPA.

A deal between the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the Amaury Sports Organization was recently completed after years of extensive argument and negotiations over the sport’s future direction – if there is eve any.

According to UCI president Pat McQuaid, “Unity and harmony have been greatly achieved when it comes to cycling. This sport has experienced a very severe conflict over past recent years and it has caused the sport considerable harm,” he further stated.

“The world calendar represents the successful outcome of a genuinely collective effort,” McQuaid said. “It takes into account the heritage of our sport as well as the legitimate ambitions of the global development of our sport.”

Jean-Francois Pescheux, ASO representative on the working group, said the creation of the world events calendar was perfect for cycling.

“The creation of a world calendar was more of like a dream and was very much impossible at the time of the war between the UCI and the organizers,” he said. “The best solution has already been found now.”

Sixteen best teams will race at all the top events as guaranteed in the calendar to all race organizers, sponsors and broadcasters worldwide. Riders and teams will collect points for finishing positions in races and individual stages which will count toward the world rankings.

The rankings will be restricted to teams and riders participating in and helping to fund the $68 million biological passport anti-doping setup.

About eight hundred fifty riders submitted a series of blood and urine samples that were used to create an individual body chemistry profile; a pilot passport anti-doping method that was created by the UCI and World Anti-Doping Agency.

Rankings in the sport are created to be very much like the system used in tennis and the UCI hopes to spread its word on this venture by publishing the new standings each Monday after a race.

The rankings will be used to decide which among the teams can take part in the Tour de France, cycling’s signature event and this will be on from 2011. Starting Jan. 20, the working is set to meet with the Australian race to modify the world calendar for the year 2010.

“Now is the time for cycling to make its mark in the world of sports. We think it is a very timely venture despite the difficult financial times our economy and the whole world is experiencing at the moment,” McQuaid stated.

“The world calendar is indeed very timely,” he said. “People believe in cycling as a sport and believe it to be a very stable and solid sport at present. It offers a lot of opportunities in terms of marketing and advertising.”

According to Cedric Vasseur, CPA president, “rankings are crucial in building and bringing the best riders into stardom and popularity, and must come with prize money by 2010.

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