Pro Tour

[Scotttri]

Just wondering what peoples thoughts are in reguards to the Pro Tour haveing one non european event next year ??( Tour Down Under )

 

[classic1]

I'm wondering what peoples thoughts are in regards to the protour full stop.

Biggest waste of frucking time ever IMO. World ranking points were better.

Plus if Adelaide gets the F1 GP back in 2011 you watch them drop the TDU like a hot potato.

 

[thunder]

I'm wondering what peoples thoughts are in regards to the protour full stop.

Biggest waste of frucking time ever IMO. World ranking points were better.

Plus if Adelaide gets the F1 GP back in 2011 you watch them drop the TDU like a hot potato.

problem is, for every Protour event, there is a Setmana Catalana, Midi Libre, GP Zurich, Leeds, etc, that gets shafted.

IF, IF, the UCI was interested, they would restore, Peace Race, Milk Ras, and those races above.

They would take ownership, make them viable, because at the moment, registration with the UCI is a big cost for races, so, they will not have that to pay themselves,

The UCI have a network of sponsors, and relationships with TV networks. It makes perfect sense, for them to buy struggling races with rich history, and restore their viability and profit, and sell them back to the private sector at a non-prohibitive price. As the UCI should not be running races apart from Worlds. But taking over struggling races. You betya.

This is such a better strategy than trying to takeover the US, and Asia. You want organic growth, not artificial growth. You need to protect your heartland, and they neglected it with Midi Libre and Setmana Catalana, races, that were staples of the national calendars of France and Spain. Ignore the nationalist roots of cycling at ones peril.

Cycling will always be a niche in other markets. All countries, besides China, have a full program of sport. China will have a presence in the Olympic sports and Futbol. There might be potential in some traction there for cycling, on a level like America.

Cycling has nothing on Futbol as a spectator sport, and it will be near impossible getting roots in the sporting culture of China. There size will dictate a presence internationally, but a cycling culture is doubtful. Commuting by bike and cycling are two very different things.

 

[Wayne666]

Biggest waste of frucking time ever IMO. World ranking points were better.

The old system was so much better. I suspect this whole thing was largely an effort of the UCI to gain power over the promoters with an eye on getting to the TV money eventually.

 

[thunder]

The old system was so much better. I suspect this whole thing was largely an effort of the UCI to gain power over the promoters with an eye on getting to the TV money eventually.

well, they just adopted strategy 101 to expand the sport and hegemony into other territories.

They had other mammoth problems they should have dedicated themselves to. Get the sport right, organic growth will develop.

As it is, they lost races that domestic calendars dearly need.

 

[cyclingheroes]

One of the major stock holders of ASO bought Upsolut last week. Upsolut is the organizer of the Tour of Germany and the Hamburg cyclassics. The battle continues...

 

[thunder]

One of the major stock holders of ASO bought Upsolut last week. Upsolut is the organizer of the Tour of Germany and the Hamburg cyclassics. The battle continues...

Germany, biggest market in Europe. And big cycling market. Double bonus.

Thing is, the ASO are their worst enemy re: cycling and promotion. Allow guys to dope, political skullduggery, and they start to devalue their products. Yes, you can obfuscate and spin and cover it up for a long time, but it gets you in the end.