No team is safe in 2003

The president of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), Hein Verbruggen, has announced significant changes to the selection procedure of teams for the three major Tours, the Tour de France, Italy's Giro and the Vuelta in Spain.

UCI World Cup leaders standings

Speaking shortly before the start of stage 14 of the Tour of Spain in Santander, Verbruggen commented that the number of teams automatically qualifying for a place will be reduced from 16 to 14.

The 14 will automatically include the top 10 in the UCI classification at the end of the previous year, while the 11th to 14th will include the team of the winner of the Tour in question, the winner of the team classification from that event, and the team of the winner of the previous season's World Cup.

If a team qualifies on more than one criteria, the next highest classified team on the UCI ranking will be chosen. A further four will be announced in early February, with the remaining four 45 days before the event, Verbruggen confirmed.

Team selection has caused considerable controversy over the past few years, with the Tour de France being accused of favouring French teams over foreign squads.