(Not so) Grand Tours

[Rolfrae]

The UCI is still seriously considering forcing the Grand Tours to shorten from the current 3-week format as part of their attempts to tackle doping. I am all for anti-doping measures but not sure this is the answer. Doping happens in the single-day Classics and the single-week Tours. Surely the answer lies in better testing (the muted blood tests that could take place up to 1/2 an hiour before a race starts, and the French system of athlete's blood profiles), and also in harsher punishments for the management of teams that harbour cheats. If a Grand Tour is shortened it is no longer a Grand Tour. I would rather watch a clean and probably slower Grand Tour than a shorter not necessarily clean 2-week Tour. Dopers will still dope just for two weeks instead of three .

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/sep06/sep26news

 

[rob of the og]

The UCI is still seriously considering forcing the Grand Tours to shorten from the current 3-week format as part of their attempts to tackle doping. I am all for anti-doping measures but not sure this is the answer. Doping happens in the single-day Classics and the single-week Tours. Surely the answer lies in better testing (the muted blood tests that could take place up to 1/2 an hiour before a race starts, and the French system of athlete's blood profiles), and also in harsher punishments for the management of teams that harbour cheats. If a Grand Tour is shortened it is no longer a Grand Tour. I would rather watch a clean and probably slower Grand Tour than a shorter not necessarily clean 2-week Tour. Dopers will still dope just for two weeks instead of three .

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/sep06/sep26news

Two things are happening: 1. A smokescreen - the UCI need to make it look as though they're doing something, anything, against doping. Making races easier will at least appear to Jo Public (and Jo Sponsor) to make doping less likely; and 2. Shorter GTs equals more space in the calendar for more ProTour races equals more money for UCI.

 

[meandmybike]

The UCI is still seriously considering forcing the Grand Tours to shorten from the current 3-week format as part of their attempts to tackle doping. I am all for anti-doping measures but not sure this is the answer. Doping happens in the single-day Classics and the single-week Tours. Surely the answer lies in better testing (the muted blood tests that could take place up to 1/2 an hiour before a race starts, and the French system of athlete's blood profiles), and also in harsher punishments for the management of teams that harbour cheats. If a Grand Tour is shortened it is no longer a Grand Tour. I would rather watch a clean and probably slower Grand Tour than a shorter not necessarily clean 2-week Tour. Dopers will still dope just for two weeks instead of three .

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/sep06/sep26news

Jesus, will someone take Pat McQuaid's head out of his own **** before he chokes on the smell?!

And just how the F*cking hell will the UCI enforce this edict?

Without the race promoters the UCI has no races. Without the UCI the race promotors still have the races the public want to see, the riders want to race, and the sponors are willing to put their money behind.

Of course the UCI will wait until it has the results of its 12 month independent audit of professional cycling. An audit being carried out by a bunch of academics, i.e., people who don't/can't survive in the real world.

 

[cyclingheroes]

The UCI is still seriously considering forcing the Grand Tours to shorten from the current 3-week format as part of their attempts to tackle doping. I am all for anti-doping measures but not sure this is the answer. Doping happens in the single-day Classics and the single-week Tours. Surely the answer lies in better testing (the muted blood tests that could take place up to 1/2 an hiour before a race starts, and the French system of athlete's blood profiles), and also in harsher punishments for the management of teams that harbour cheats. If a Grand Tour is shortened it is no longer a Grand Tour. I would rather watch a clean and probably slower Grand Tour than a shorter not necessarily clean 2-week Tour. Dopers will still dope just for two weeks instead of three .

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/sep06/sep26news

It's all part of the game, Pro-Tour, TV rights,money...
But no way the Grand tours are going to accept this, they would start their own serie and maybe they should do that as nobody needs the UCI in it's current form with the current officials (Verbruggen, McQuaid)....

 

[whiteboytrash]

one typo.....

UCI in it's current form with the current officials (Verbruggen, McQuaid, Armstrong)

It's all part of the game, Pro-Tour, TV rights,money...
But no way the Grand tours are going to accept this, they would start their own serie and maybe they should do that as nobody needs the UCI in it's current form with the current officials (Verbruggen, McQuaid)....

 

[meandmybike]

one typo.....

UCI in it's current form with the current officials (Verbruggen, McQuaid, Armstrong)

Two typos:

its not it's.

 

[guncha]

I hope Grand Tour organizers will say to this genious to f*** himself...

Why GT must be a part of pro tour?