The main race organizers have signed an agreement to reduce the number of riders per race. In grand tours, the teams will have 8 riders instead of 9 while the number in other race will be reduced from 8 to 7. The goal is to make the races safer and provide more excitement.

Security in the peloton has been a hot topic this year. One of the suggested measures was to have fewer riders and this will be the case already next season. The three largest race organizers ASO, RCS Sport and Flanders Classics have made a decision to reduce the size of the rosters in their races.

Specifically, the number of riders per team will be reduced rom nine to eight in the grand tours. In many other races such as Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, the teams will be made up of seven riders.

"This decision responds to two-pronged objective: the first being to improve the safety conditions for the riders with a smaller peloton on roads equipped with more and more street furniture. The second, which is a fortunate consequence of the first, is to make it more difficult to dominate a race as well as enhance conditions for events to offer better racing for cycling fans," the organizers write in a statement.

This decision will go into effect for the 2017 season and the number of teams will remain the same.

Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme previously suggested to reduce team sizes following the dominant performance by Sky in the French race. Most teams have been opposed to the idea.

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