Vuelta a Espana director Victor Cordoso has proposed introducing "playoffs" to make the tour more exciting in the early stages.

Under the new format, 25 teams of eight riders would enter one-day races during the first week, with the peloton down to 16 teams of eight riders for the two remaining weeks.

"We would have a first five or six-day phase with flat races, mountain races and a time trial," Cordoso said at the International Forum for the future of Cycling in Paris. "We would have team standings to select the 16 teams to continue the race.

"The riders taking part in the playoffs would not necessarily be the ones participating in the rest of the race," he added.

Cordoso added that the proposed move would make the first week of the race more entertaining.

"Usually, the first week of a big Tour is not very interesting," he said.

Cordoso, who said the format could eventually be used for the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, added it could not be implemented before the 2010 Vuelta.

"We have stages in the Netherlands in 2009 so it's not possible before 2010," he said. "However, we still need to discuss it further."

Reuters