4Q McBoggy - Six Major Teams declared for P-N

PARIS, (Reuters) -- Six professional cycling teams say they will defy
the International Cycling Union (UCI) and compete in next month's
Paris-Nice race even though it has been dropped from the Pro-Tour
calendar.

Rabobank, the team of former world champions Oscar Freire,
Gerolsteiner, T-Mobile and France's Cofidis, Bouygues Telecom and
Francaise des Jeux have said they will be at the start of the
week-long race at Issy-les-Moulineaux in the Paris suburbs on March
11.

The UCI had written to all 20 teams on its Pro-Tour after a dispute
with the organisers of the Paris-Nice, Amaury Sport Organisation
(ASO), telling them that it no longer recognised the race and ordering
them not to enter.

The dispute dates back to January when the ASO, who also organise the
Tour de France, turned down the application of Swedish team
Unibet.com, a member of the Pro-Tour's elite.

Teams use the Paris-Nice as preparation for Pro-Tour classics such as
the Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, the Fleche
Wallonne and the Amstel Gold Race.

"Riders can't be the hostages of a political fight. We will contest
the Paris-Nice," said Cofidis team manager Eric Boyer.

Others teams said they were still hoping for an agreement between the
two bodies.

UCI officials asked for a meeting with ASO earlier this week to try to
settle the issue but no agreement has been found.

The UCI can refuse to send commissioners to the Paris-Nice but the
federations of France, Italy, Spain and Belgium have said they are
prepared to help the ASO with the race organisation.
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Le vent à Dos
Davey Crockett [No 4Q to reply]