Tour of America - Insane!

JRMDC said:

For all I know, this is just a publicity stunt, but someone has actually announced the intention of a 27-stage GT of the USA.
http://www.velonews.com/race/dom/articles/13387.0.html
http://waninggibbous.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=33

Among other things, it features 4 stages of at least 400km (plus a 390) and a rest day in Las Vegas! Only in America!

Click to expand...

Wouldn't stages that long violate UCI rules? If nothing else, the ProTour riders have shown themselves to be wimps and they will protest.

They will have to dope for this.

[size=-1]

Stage​

Date​

Start​

Finish​

Miles/Km​

Cumulative​

Distance​

Prologue​

9/06/08​

Central Park​

Ground Zero​

6/10​

6/10​

1​

9/07/08​

Newark, NJ​

Washington, DC​

220/360​

226/370​

2​

9/08/08​

Washington,DC​

Pittsburgh, PA​

244/390​

470/760​

3​

9/09/08​

Pittsburgh, PA​

Columbus, OH​

185/295​

655/1055​

4​

9/10/08​

Columbus, OH​

Columbus, IN​

200/320​

855/1375​

5​

9/11/08​

Columbus, IN​

Indianapolis, IN​

45/75​

900/1450​

6​

9/12/08​

Indianapolis, IN​

St Louis, MO​

250/400​

1150/1850​

7​

9/13/08​

St Louis, MO​

Carbondale, IL​

130/210​

1280/2060​

8​

9/14/08​

Carbondale, IL​

Nashville, TN​

205/330​

1485/2390​

Rest Day​

9/15/08​

Nashville, TN​

Chattanooga, TN​

9​

9/16/08​

Chattanooga, TN​

Asheville, NC​

230/370​

1725/2760​

10​

9/17/08​

Asheville, NC​

Atlanta, GA​

210/335​

1925/3095​

11​

9/18/08​

Columbus, GA​

Montgomery, AL​

80/125​

2005/3220​

12​

9/19/08​

Greenville, AL​

New Orleans, LA​

260/410​

2265/3630​

13​

9/20/08​

Baton Rogue, LA​

Beaumont, TX​

180/290​

2445/3920​

14​

9/21/08​

Houston, TX​

Austin, TX​

160/255​

2605/4175​

15​

9/22/08​

Austin, TX​

Abilene, TX​

250/400​

2855/4575​

Rest Day​

9/23/08​

Abilene, TX​

Lubbock, TX​

16​

9/24/08​

Lubbock, TX​

Santa Rosa, NM​

205/325​

3060/4900​

17​

9/25/08​

Santa Rosa, NM​

Chinmayo, NM​

140/225​

3200/5125​

18​

9/26/08​

Santa Fe, NM​

Farmington, NM​

210/355​

3410/5460​

19​

9/27/08​

Shiprock, NM​

Grand Canyon, AZ​

250/400​

3660/5860​

20​

9/28/08​

Williams, AZ​

Las Vegas, NV​

190/300​

3850/6160​

21​

9/29/08​

Boulder City, NV​

Las Vegas, NV​

50/80​

3900/6240​

Rest Day​

9/30/08​

Las Vegas, NV​

Las Vegas, NV​

22​

10/1/08​

Las Vegas, NV​

Tonopah, NV​

210/335​

4110/6575​

23​

10/02/08​

Tonopah, NV​

Bridgeport, CA​

160/255​

4270/6830​

24​

10/03/08​

Bridgeport, CA​

Lake Tahoe, CA​

80/130​

4350/6960​

25​

10/04/08​

Lake Tahoe, CA​

San Jose, CA​

220/350​

4570/7310​

2610/05/08

San Jose, CA​

San Francisco, CA130/2104700/7520 [/size]
Yeah, this going to work. I think all those short stages are supposed to be time trials.

It does show what those idiots that organize RAAM should have done long ago.

helmutRoole2 said:

They will have to dope for this.

Click to expand...

Yea, NS! When I read this, I swear that I looked to see if it were "pull a f*%king joke day." There is no way this is real.

wonder if this is just a typo... if the miles are actually kms then it would actually make sense?

[edit] just actually read the press release... sounds like they are serious and the organizers are just idiots and don't know anything about bike racing, UCI regulations, reasonable distances etc... not a good sign..

Sounds great. Since the riders keep doping it's only fair that the races/stages are made longer and harder.

To quote his majesty, Don King, "Only in America..."

Absolutely retarded course. Especially the last leg from San Jose to San Francisco. They must have them going all the way to Santa Cruz and then cruising the foothills up the coastline. Even then that doesn't equal 140 miles unless they zigzag hwys 17, 1, 9, 35, and 84.

What they should do is run Quimby road to Mt. Hamilton, go down the back side on San Antonio Valley Road to Mines road up to Livermore, and then over to San Francisco.

Is it a case of trying to out Tour the other grand tours??
27 stages, total distance of 7520km, longest stage of 410km.

I think the Yanks are getting a bit carried away.
Have to be Bigger to be Better, at least they think so

Wouldn't they be better off having a 12-15day tour instead??
Year by year setting a different course.


I don't think the Pro Tour teams will be all that interested.
It will write off to many of their riders for the year.
Also from what I understand it is to be in the later part of the year around the time of the Vuelta & world champs.

doctorSpoc said:

... sounds like they are serious and the organizers are just idiots and don't know anything about bike racing, UCI regulations, reasonable distances etc... not a good sign..

Click to expand...

I think you nailed it there. Clueless.

The U.S. is just too damned farking big to race across in a reasonable time and still have an interesting route. They should have just done the Eastern coast or the Western coast--maybe the states west of an including Colorado. Funny, looking at the stages there isn't one in Colorado. WTF! How can you choose a freakin wasteland like Arizona or New Mexico over Colorado?

Bro Deal said:

I think you nailed it there. Clueless.

The U.S. is just too damned farking big to race across in a reasonable time and still have an interesting route. They should have just done the Eastern coast or the Western coast--maybe the states west of an including Colorado. Funny, looking at the stages there isn't one in Colorado. WTF! How can you choose a freakin wasteland like Arizona or New Mexico over Colorado?

Click to expand...

+1. On one hand the world of cycling is crying out to rid the sport of you-know-whats (don't want to trigger a spam post) and in the other hand they're proposing back to back stages like these. And isn't it pretty hot in September in Arizona and New Mexico?

JRMDC said:

For all I know, this is just a publicity stunt, but someone has actually announced the intention of a 27-stage GT of the USA.
http://www.velonews.com/race/dom/articles/13387.0.html
http://waninggibbous.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=33

Among other things, it features 4 stages of at least 400km (plus a 390) and a rest day in Las Vegas! Only in America!

Click to expand...

Although some stages are too long (no pro-tour team will ride stages this long..), I like the idea of an US tour...

cyclingheroes said:

Although some stages are too long (no pro-tour team will ride stages this long..), I like the idea of an US tour...

Click to expand...

Let's promote one. I know some people that know some people.

Bro Deal said:

[size=-1]

Stage​

Date​

Start​

Finish​

Miles/Km​

Cumulative​

Distance​

Prologue​

9/06/08​

Central Park​

Ground Zero​

6/10​

6/10​

1​

9/07/08​

Newark, NJ​

Washington, DC​

220/360​

226/370​

2​

9/08/08​

Washington,DC​

Pittsburgh, PA​

244/390​

470/760​

3​

9/09/08​

Pittsburgh, PA​

Columbus, OH​

185/295​

655/1055​

4​

9/10/08​

Columbus, OH​

Columbus, IN​

200/320​

855/1375​

5​

9/11/08​

Columbus, IN​

Indianapolis, IN​

45/75​

900/1450​

6​

9/12/08​

Indianapolis, IN​

St Louis, MO​

250/400​

1150/1850​

7​

9/13/08​

St Louis, MO​

Carbondale, IL​

130/210​

1280/2060​

8​

9/14/08​

Carbondale, IL​

Nashville, TN​

205/330​

1485/2390​

Rest Day​

9/15/08​

Nashville, TN​

Chattanooga, TN​

9​

9/16/08​

Chattanooga, TN​

Asheville, NC​

230/370​

1725/2760​

10​

9/17/08​

Asheville, NC​

Atlanta, GA​

210/335​

1925/3095​

11​

9/18/08​

Columbus, GA​

Montgomery, AL​

80/125​

2005/3220​

12​

9/19/08​

Greenville, AL​

New Orleans, LA​

260/410​

2265/3630​

13​

9/20/08​

Baton Rogue, LA​

Beaumont, TX​

180/290​

2445/3920​

14​

9/21/08​

Houston, TX​

Austin, TX​

160/255​

2605/4175​

15​

9/22/08​

Austin, TX​

Abilene, TX​

250/400​

2855/4575​

Rest Day​

9/23/08​

Abilene, TX​

Lubbock, TX​

16​

9/24/08​

Lubbock, TX​

Santa Rosa, NM​

205/325​

3060/4900​

17​

9/25/08​

Santa Rosa, NM​

Chinmayo, NM​

140/225​

3200/5125​

18​

9/26/08​

Santa Fe, NM​

Farmington, NM​

210/355​

3410/5460​

19​

9/27/08​

Shiprock, NM​

Grand Canyon, AZ​

250/400​

3660/5860​

20​

9/28/08​

Williams, AZ​

Las Vegas, NV​

190/300​

3850/6160​

21​

9/29/08​

Boulder City, NV​

Las Vegas, NV​

50/80​

3900/6240​

Rest Day​

9/30/08​

Las Vegas, NV​

Las Vegas, NV​

22​

10/1/08​

Las Vegas, NV​

Tonopah, NV​

210/335​

4110/6575​

23​

10/02/08​

Tonopah, NV​

Bridgeport, CA​

160/255​

4270/6830​

24​

10/03/08​

Bridgeport, CA​

Lake Tahoe, CA​

80/130​

4350/6960​

25​

10/04/08​

Lake Tahoe, CA​

San Jose, CA​

220/350​

4570/7310​

2610/05/08

San Jose, CA​

San Francisco, CA130/2104700/7520 [/size]
Yeah, this going to work. I think all those short stages are supposed to be time trials.

It does show what those idiots that organize RAAM should have done long ago.

Click to expand...

reminds me of the 1919/1920/1921 TDF era - with those kind of distances.
Average speed 15mph.

great days are back!

Philippe Thys (winner of 3 T'DF between 1910-1921) eat your heart out!

isn't it pretty hot in az and nm in sept?

Click to expand...

hahahaha! YES!!! center of the sun HOT!

cheapie said:

hahahaha! YES!!! center of the sun HOT!

Click to expand...

I visited a friend in AZ several years back in April, I had a portable CD player left in my car partially melt. I am guessing September isn't any more temprate.

This tour has to be a hoax, or conceived by people who have never raced a bicycle. Either way, I give it a 0.00009% chance of ever happening.

thoughtforfood said:

I visited a friend in AZ several years back in April, I had a portable CD player left in my car partially melt. I am guessing September isn't any more temprate.

This tour has to be a hoax, or conceived by people who have never raced a bicycle. Either way, I give it a 0.00009% chance of ever happening.

Click to expand...

all seems very far fetched.
should maybe concentrate on developing the existing tours in georgia, missouri and california. some of the euro tours making pro tour status - such as poland and ENECO - have little interest but for the fact that they're pro tour.

thoughtforfood said:

I visited a friend in AZ several years back in April, I had a portable CD player left in my car partially melt. I am guessing September isn't any more temprate.

This tour has to be a hoax, or conceived by people who have never raced a bicycle. Either way, I give it a 0.00009% chance of ever happening.

Click to expand...

Yes, it would be scorching hot in Arizona, but the very idea of a tour across america would be great! A few stages in Canada would stir up even more interest. Or throw in Mexico in the bunch and have a North American GT.

jhuskey said:

Let's promote one. I know some people that know some people.

Click to expand...

I'm in, I know some people, that know some people as well .. Is there any news about todays press conference about the Tour of America?