ASO, organizer of the Tour de France, has announced that six stages this year will implement the UCI's "3km rule" for extended finishing distances.

The "sprint zone" rule modification, UCI Article 2.6.027, commonly known as the "3km rule," was officially introduced at the UCI Management Committee meeting in Aigle, Switzerland, in early June.

The rule change was one of four measures recommended by the SafeR project, an independent group that analyzes risks and provides safety advice regarding UCI WorldTour, Women's WorldTour, and Pro Series races.

This year's Tour de France (June 29-July 21) will test extended sprint zones in three 4km stages and three 5km stages. The 3km rule will apply to all eight stages, including the opening two days.

"Feedback has shown that the majority of riders want the 3km rule extended to reduce stress in the hectic final stages of the race," Hansen said in June.

The original "3km rule" was implemented in 2005 and applied to riders who were unable to reach the finish line in that section due to "duly noted incidents" such as crashes, mechanical problems, punctures, etc. Prior to 2005, to negate this type of incident umbrella distance was only 1 km.

"In the event of an accident occurring in the last 3km of a straight stage, the rider concerned will be credited with the time of the rider present at the time of the accident. Rankings will be as at the time of crossing the finish line, with an extension to 4 km (stages 5, 6 and 10) and 5 km (stages 3, 12 and 13).

"Runners who suffer an accident must raise their arms and report it to the marshals as soon as they cross the finish line.

This new measure does not apply to the two individual time trials or the five mountain finishes concentrated in the second and third weeks of the Tour.

"Very happy that @LeTour and @UCI_cycling allowed us to test the extension of the 3km rule to allow for fewer groups for sprint finishes, well done @SafeR, we are very proud of you and your team. One step at a time. Let's move forward one step at a time," this is what CPA President Adam Hansen, who attended the DS briefing, had to say on twitter.com.

The first distance extension to be applied at the end of the stage will take place on the third day of racing to Turin, with the last 5 km set aside as a safety net. Monday, the final day of the three Italian stages, will be the longest stage of the competition at 230.5 km across the Po Valley. After two days of sprinting through 5,650 meters of elevation gain, the sprinting teams will have their work cut out for them on the flat finish to the Piemonte regional capital.

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