FILE PHOTO: Riders cycle during the 110.5-km (68.6 miles) 20th stage of the 102nd Tour de France cycling race from Modane to Alpe d'Huez in the French Alps mountains, France, July 25, 2015. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini
(Reuters) - Teams will be reduced from nine riders to eight for next year's three Grand Tours while the 2018 Tour de France will start a week later to avoid clashing with the soccer World Cup.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) said in a statement on Thursday that its Professional Cycling Council (PCC) applied the change which would come into effect in 2018.
