No way, says Tour boss Christian Prudhomme.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Tour de France lasts three weeks, four weekends, and that\u2019s perfectly fine,\u201d Prudhomme told RMC Sport<\/a>.<\/p>\n Prudhomme said he\u2019s not interested in trimming cycling\u2019s biggest race as proposals to shorten grand tours have kick-started a larger debate over the sport\u2019s crowded calendar.<\/p>\n Speaking just days ahead of the unveiling of the 2027 Tour route, the Tour director defended its current format.<\/p>\n \u201cThat question concerns certain grand tours,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n If the Tour vetoes any attempt to tweak the three-week format that dates back to its founding, that leaves the Giro d\u2019Italia<\/a> and Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a<\/a> squarely on the chopping block.<\/p>\n But the bosses of cycling\u2019s other grand tours aren\u2019t buying into the idea to lose a weekend, either.<\/p>\n UCI mulls radical calendar makeover for 2029 The debate comes as the UCI maps out potential reforms to professional cycling that could be rolled out by as soon as 2029.<\/p>\n Its \u201cAgenda 2030<\/a>\u201d consultation drew 55 submissions from teams, riders, organizers, federations, sponsors, manufacturers, and broadcasters.<\/p>\n Unveiled during the Montr\u00e9al road worlds, the outline covers a broad range of issues that are on the table, including the calendar, cycling\u2019s economic model, fan engagement, rider safety<\/a>, and the integrity of results via doping controls<\/a>.<\/p>\n Other ideas include a budget cap, sharing some commercial revenues, and improving broadcasting and marketing to reach today\u2019s social-media savvy audience.<\/p>\n The UCI has since appointed Deloitte as a strategic adviser and the initial reform proposals are due to be presented in December, with the first measures potentially arriving in 2029.<\/p>\n One ideal outcome for backers of shorter grand tours is that the biggest stars like Tadej Poga\u010dar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel might race all three rather than just obsessing on the Tour.<\/p>\n Right now, everything is on the table, and no firm proposals have been made.<\/p>\n Giro boss says week 3 is essential But one of the most contentious ideas is to squeeze the grand tours into three weekends instead of four.<\/p>\n Some are floating the idea of shortening the Giro and Vuelta to 16 or 17 days, but keeping the Tour at 21 stages.<\/p>\n That idea is not without its supporters.<\/p>\n Some see the Giro and Vuelta dragging on too long sometimes, and the argument is that those extra days\u00a0could free up some space on the calendar and help some races like Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico from overlapping.<\/p>\n The other grand tour bosses are having none of it.<\/p>\n New Giro director Luca Guercilena pushed back during an interview with Domestique<\/a> at Il Lombardia.<\/p>\n \u201cGrand tours must remain grand tours and the Giro d\u2019Italia isn\u2019t going to change. All three grand tours must be the same length,\u201d the Italian said. \u201cThere can be no differences.\u201d<\/p>\n The three-week grand tour format is one that grew organically over time. The first Tour in 1903 stretched across 19 days with just six monster stages averaging more than 400km, separated by rest days.<\/p>\n The Giro and later the Vuelta followed, and the grand tours settled into the now-familiar 21-stage, three-week rhythm.<\/p>\n For Guercilena, the brutal third week is the essential ingredient to what decides a grand tour winner.<\/p>\n \u201cCycling is an endurance sport, and it\u2019s over three weeks that you can truly see if athletes are endurance riders,\u201d he told RMC Sport<\/a>. \u201cWe have no intention of changing that. I understand the UCI and its president, David Lappartient, who believe that overlapping races aren\u2019t good for anyone. But the grand tours must remain three weeks long.\u201d<\/p>\n Vuelta also opposed to shorter race days
\n![\"Lappartient](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GettyImages-2296494740.jpg\"\/)
UCI president Lappartient is spearheading a reform effort that could change pro cycling by 2029. (Photo: ANDREJ IVANOV \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\n![\"Sepp](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SP207753.jpg\"\/)
Giro officials say defending the third week of grand tour is essential. (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/p>\n
\n![\"Movistar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cyclingimages-vuelta26-stage-21-834815.jpg\"\/)
Movistar won the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a 2026 with Enric Mas. (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/p>\n