ASO (Owners of the Tour de France) are creating their own Pro Tour!

[Crankyfeet]

How successful would the ProTour be if the races attended were decided by being paid the most money? F1 is run that way, but is it viable for cycling? A large number of events are in the red or nearly so. I read somewhere that the TdF and P-R make up for other ASO events that are as financially viable.

The ProTour's original goal of sharing TV revenue, which would increase because of the public interest in a cohesive season long competition, seems a lot more reliable than relying on fickle countries that want to use cycling in a national PR campaign.

But cycling is a bit behind the times in promoting itself globally IMO. The UCI is trying to grow the base. Fact of the matter is from a Euro perspective, the China Tour, or the "whatever" tour, would mean little in terms of present interest. However sponsors wouldn't necessarily agree.

China for instance is a huge $$ market. 1.3 billion people. And its a relatively virgin market for sports promotion. And China has a cyclist on a pro-team if I remember reading a magazine article about it. The UCI is looking 10-20 years out. If it stays with the current power base in the sport, cycling will be limited to the same races, in the same countries, forever. And other sports will be establishing their positions in Asia.

 

[Bro Deal]

But cycling is a bit behind the times in promoting itself globally IMO. The UCI is trying to grow the base. Fact of the matter is from a Euro perspective, the China Tour, or the "whatever" tour, would mean little in terms of present interest. However sponsors wouldn't necessarily agree.

China for instance is a huge $$ market. 1.3 billion people. And its a relatively virgin market for sports promotion. And China has a cyclist on a pro-team if I remember reading a magazine article about it. The UCI is looking 10-20 years out. If it stays with the current power base in the sport, cycling will be limited to the same races, in the same countries, forever. And other sports will be establishing their positions in Asia.

I think the general, long term goals of the ProTour were good. The money in cycling is pitiful by the standards of other sports. Ferrari's F1 budget is large enough to cover the budgets of all ProTour teams two times over.

If the UCI did have a twenty year plan, they sure did not act like it. I felt they were going too fast.

 

[Casa]

I think the general, long term goals of the ProTour were good. The money in cycling is pitiful by the standards of other sports. Ferrari's F1 budget is large enough to cover the budgets of all ProTour teams two times over.

If the UCI did have a twenty year plan, they sure did not act like it. I felt they were going too fast.

The problem with the ProTour is that they wanted it to be like F1 where all the stars are there every race. The problem is that there are too many races and too many different types of races for it to ever succeed. The only way it could have suceeded was to make it all just one type of race (like the old World Cup) or to have fexible rules, such as having to bring a team to two of the three GT's. It was ambitious but poorly though out.

 

[Bro Deal]

The problem with the ProTour is that they wanted it to be like F1 where all the stars are there every race. The problem is that there are too many races and too many different types of races for it to ever succeed. The only way it could have suceeded was to make it all just one type of race (like the old World Cup) or to have fexible rules, such as having to bring a team to two of the three GT's. It was ambitious but poorly though out.

Maybe the ProTour should have allowed teams to skip a certain number of events per year.

It's impossible to craft a points system that combines one day events, short stage races, and grand tours.

For the ProTour to really work would require major surgery. What they need to do is something completely radical, like build the season on a series of one week stage races. Then they need to have smaller teams so that the big hitters on a team race most of the events.