The UCI is putting a positive spin on its beleaguered ProTour series as the 2008 racing season starts Tuesday with the six-day Tour Down Under just as some heavy hitters are calling it a “failure.”

Now in its fourth year, the ProTour series makes its first foray beyond Europe this week in a move that’s being hailed by UCI leaders as the first of a “gradual globalization” effort that could include major stage races in Russia and China as soon as next year.

But as 18 ProTour teams line up Tuesday in Adelaide for the opening stage of the Tour Down Under, some see the league as an empty shell following the controversial departure of the three grand tours and most of the important one-day classics.

Last week, powerful QuickStep team manager Patrick Lefévère went so far as to call the ProTour a “failure.”

“Let us be clear – the ProTour is a failure,” Lefévère told the Belgian daily La Voix des Sports. “This year we pay the same fee commitment in 2005. However, three-fourths of the races originally on the calendar have disappeared after the split of the major organizers. Any private company would have asked to be reimbursed.”

The UCI, however, is trying to look beyond its acrimonious split with organizers of Europe’s most important races and take a more global view for the future of the sport.

On Monday, the UCI issued a press release stating that the Tour Down Under marks “one of its most important new chapters since its launch as part of the reorganization of professional road cycling in 2005.”

UCI president Pat McQuaid promised that the European base would not be forgotten as it pushes forward with its beleaguered ProTour concept.

“There is such enthusiasm for the new era, an era that is just under way, but we will always have the greatest respect for the century of heritage upon which the glory of our sport rests,” McQuaid said. “Globalization is the future of cycling, but we will build on the foundations of cycling's traditions.”

Last fall, the UCI announced that 11 races promoted by the organizers of the three major tours were out of the ProTour calendar.

That meant that races presented by Amaury Sports Organisation, RCS and Unipublic -- such as the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España along with major classics such as Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Milan San Remo -- were out.

Instead, the Tour Down Under as well as a season-closing one-day event dubbed “La Finale” were incorporated into a reduced 16-event series.

The banished grand tours and one-day classics were folded into new designations on the racing calendar and race organizers were given the liberty to choose who they wanted to attend their respective events.

Some have saying there are now two calendars: the ProTour and the ASO Tour.

Many are quietly grumbling about the value of the retooled ProTour, especially since one of its major advantages was guaranteed starts for ProTour teams in all the major races.

Most are taking a wait-and-see attitude to see how the season unfolds.

Many still believe there’s value in having unity among the top teams and are hopeful that some sort of common ground can still be reached between the UCI and the race organizers.

“In 2008, maybe we’re a step behind where we were when we started. The ProTour is still very attractive and I think it’s something we can still turn around. That’s something the UCI needs to look at it,” said Team CSC sport director Scott Sunderland.

Team CSC was one of the major proponents of the ProTour and took the challenge seriously, winning the team title three years running by racing to win in every event on the season-long schedule.

This year, with many of the key events out of the series, Sunderland said the team is taking a different approach.

“Normally what we did in the past was be aware of the points of the ProTour. It wasn’t just being good in a few races, but in all races,” Sunderland said. “We’ve always had an international calendar. We can’t just focus on the ProTour. We’ll go to the races that are best for the team, whether they’re in the ProTour or not.”

While there’s grumbling among the rank and file, fans in Australia seem to be taking its elevated ProTour status to heart.

Big crowds turned out to cheer Sunday’s criterium and more are expected to line roads all week as Australian fans get their first peek at the big European teams that have never made the trip to Oz before.

The UCI is hoping that’s a good sign for the future.