Organisers of some of the world's biggest cycle races are to call upon the European Commission over the running of cycling's elite calendar, the Pro Tour.
The Pro Tour was introduced two years ago by former International Cycling Union (UCI) president Hein Verbruggen.
However its introduction was met by a lot of resistance from race organisers, some of whom have since been marginalised.
The biggest current gripe of race organisers is that the current format of the Pro Tour - which consists of having the biggest teams racing in an elite calendar of over 20 races per seasons - is too restrictive.
In a statement issued here Friday, the AIOCC, the international association of cycling race organisers, voted 81 percent in favour of appealing to the European Commission.
"We have decided to consult the European Commission to show our opposition to what we believe is a closed system of competition in the ProTour," said the statement.
Eighty-seven race organisers from 12 countries participated in the meeting in Paris.
Among its many roles the European Commission regulates competition in the European Union. It vets all mergers with Community-wide effects and initiates proceedings against companies which violate EU competition laws.
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