Bigger Achievement: Rio or Doha?

[the asian]

Olympics by a country mile.

The reason the Olympics RR doesn't have the history and nostalgia is because of the amateurism of the Olympics RR until 1992.

With the participation of proffesionals it's gained a lot of acceptance, prestige has risen a lot and many athlete highly cherish the Olympic Gold.
Some riders build their season around it.

In any other olympic sport, Olympic Gold> Worlds Gold. It is the same for cycling.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Olympics by a country mile.

The reason the Olympics RR doesn't have the history and nostalgia is because of the amateurism of the Olympics RR until 1992.

With the participation of proffesionals it's gained a lot of acceptance, prestige has risen a lot and many athlete highly cherish the Olympic Gold.
Some riders build their season around it.

In any other olympic sport, Olympic Gold> Worlds Gold. It is the same for cycling.

What about football, boxing and rugby? World championship is much bigger for all of them. I think cycling is the same. The WC in cycling have so much history and prestige, and are such a big international event - that the Olympics is kind of a modern sideshow by comparison. A bit like Strade Bianche compared with Paris Roubaix. Sure, it's exciting and valuable and prestigious to win, but it's not quite the real deal - at least not yet.

Obviously the abomination that is this year's WC course devalues it slightly, but that is the exception not the usual situation.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Rio by a landslide due to the routes. Otherwise, I'd say pretty equal, maybe still an upper hand to the Olympics

 

[FilipeFD]

Is the Doha profile the expected? |_______________________________|

 

[King Boonen]

WC, it's not even close.

 

[Bardamu]

Re:

WC, it's not even close.

Care to elaborate?

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

WC, it's not even close.

Care to elaborate?

Yes. Cycling. It's the WC.

Go ask a tennis player if they want a gold medal or to win Wimbledon. It's basically the same.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Worlds is much bigger, but that doesn't automatically translate to a good race.

 

[Cannibal72]

Re: Re:

Olympics by a country mile.

The reason the Olympics RR doesn't have the history and nostalgia is because of the amateurism of the Olympics RR until 1992.

With the participation of proffesionals it's gained a lot of acceptance, prestige has risen a lot and many athlete highly cherish the Olympic Gold.
Some riders build their season around it.

In any other olympic sport, Olympic Gold> Worlds Gold. It is the same for cycling.

What about football, boxing and rugby? World championship is much bigger for all of them. I think cycling is the same. The WC in cycling have so much history and prestige, and are such a big international event - that the Olympics is kind of a modern sideshow by comparison. A bit like Strade Bianche compared with Paris Roubaix. Sure, it's exciting and valuable and prestigious to win, but it's not quite the real deal - at least not yet.

Obviously the abomination that is this year's WC course devalues it slightly, but that is the exception not the usual situation.

This is what I wrote above, and I think it's absolutely right. One tiny point though; the rugby in this year's Olympics is rugby sevens, which is not really a mainstream sport yet and for which I'd say the Olympics is more prestigious than the World Cup. Another good example is golf; witness how many major players are backing out of Rio altogether.

 

[Fernandez]

So its a demanding hilly race with most of the best riders in the world versus a pan flat race in a desert whose main favourites are the sprinters? I dont know which to choose.

 

[Bardamu]

Re: Re:

WC, it's not even close.

Care to elaborate?

Yes. Cycling. It's the WC.

Go ask a tennis player if they want a gold medal or to win Wimbledon. It's basically the same.

Tennis and cycling are not the same.

The question by OP was also what would be a bigger achievement, not 'just' what is more important.

 

[ice&fire]

Re: Re:

WC, it's not even close.

Care to elaborate?

Yes. Cycling. It's the WC.

Go ask a tennis player if they want a gold medal or to win Wimbledon. It's basically the same.

The WC this year is to cycling what table tennis is to tennis.

 

[trucido]

Re: Re:

WC, it's not even close.

Care to elaborate?

Yes. Cycling. It's the WC.

Go ask a tennis player if they want a gold medal or to win Wimbledon. It's basically the same.

If it's a fringe sport (cycling, volleyball, archery, swimming etc), then it's about the Olympics, as this is generally where they get the majority of the exposure and viewership.

Cycling fares better than the above aforementioned sports, but nothing on the franchises such as tennis, golf (see how many top players can't be bothered to turn up for it's debut), basketball and football.

I don't think the two are really comparable.

 

[Red Rick]

Yeah. In tennis it seems that those who've won a bunch of slams already consider it really important, whilst those who don't think they have a real chance tend to not value it that much. It doesn't help that they don't give out points award ranking points for it anymore (used to be 750). Nadal winning on HC in 2008 and Murray winning at Wimbledon were huge, especially the last one. Seems that since more players have completed the career GS, they look to other tournaments to differentiate palmares a bit. Otoh, you have players giving *** reasons (I rather play a tournament that gives points) whilst playing other tournaments where they can't gain points.

But really I don't think cycling in any way close to tennis in this case. All other disciplins always had the Olympics as the major event, except for cyclocross. If you're riding on track, why not on the road as well?

 

[Cookster15]

Of course the Olympics beats the worlds. That's why it is only held once every 4 years. Just as Samu fans would remind us.

 

[Cannibal72]

Re: Re:

WC, it's not even close.

Care to elaborate?

Yes. Cycling. It's the WC.

Go ask a tennis player if they want a gold medal or to win Wimbledon. It's basically the same.

If it's a fringe sport (cycling, volleyball, archery, swimming etc), then it's about the Olympics, as this is generally where they get the majority of the exposure and viewership.

Cycling fares better than the above aforementioned sports, but nothing on the franchises such as tennis, golf (see how many top players can't be bothered to turn up for it's debut), basketball and football.

I don't think the two are really comparable.

I'd bet you anything you like that the vast majority of road cycling's exposure and viewership comes from the Tour. It's one of the biggest sporting events in the world. It blows the OGRR out the water.

 

[Carols]

Olympics, no contest.

 

[SeriousSam]

Re: Re:

WC, it's not even close.

Care to elaborate?

Yes. Cycling. It's the WC.

Go ask a tennis player if they want a gold medal or to win Wimbledon. It's basically the same.

If it's a fringe sport (cycling, volleyball, archery, swimming etc), then it's about the Olympics, as this is generally where they get the majority of the exposure and viewership.

Cycling fares better than the above aforementioned sports, but nothing on the franchises such as tennis, golf (see how many top players can't be bothered to turn up for it's debut), basketball and football.

I don't think the two are really comparable.

I'd bet you anything you like that the vast majority of road cycling's exposure and viewership comes from the Tour. It's one of the biggest sporting events in the world. It blows the OGRR out the water.

A lot of people watch cycling at the Olympics that would otherwise never watch it, just like we all watch sports we'd never otherwise watch when it's Olympics time.

But I agree that the Tour de France is huge, by far the biggest race in cycling. Everything else pales in comparison.

 

[hrotha]

Lol at the people on either side of the fence saying it's a clear-cut issue.

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

WC, it's not even close.

Care to elaborate?

Yes. Cycling. It's the WC.

Go ask a tennis player if they want a gold medal or to win Wimbledon. It's basically the same.

If it's a fringe sport (cycling, volleyball, archery, swimming etc), then it's about the Olympics, as this is generally where they get the majority of the exposure and viewership.

Cycling fares better than the above aforementioned sports, but nothing on the franchises such as tennis, golf (see how many top players can't be bothered to turn up for it's debut), basketball and football.

I don't think the two are really comparable.

How are tennis, golf and football (I assume you mean football as in soccer?) franchises? They are not. I don't know about basketball in Europe, in the US it is a franchise sport.



Personally I think it's very clear the WC is much more important than the Olympics. To be considered one of the greats you need that WC win, not the Olympics. When discussing riders careers the Olympics is hardly ever mentioned unless they happen to have a track background, it's just not an important race on the road, mainly because they've only allowed professionals to race the Olympic Road Race since 1996, it's history is in no way comparable to the WC.

Winning the WC matters. You get the rainbow jersey, you get the bands for the rest of your career. Win the Olympics and you get to look like Xzibit tried really hard to make your bike look as ridiculous as he could with some gold tape and spray-paint. You might even decide to wear gold shoes and look like a footballer.

 

[Bardamu]

Being called an olympic gold medallist is quite prestigious, also in road cycling.

 

[King Boonen]

Re:

Being called an olympic gold medallist is quite prestigious, also in road cycling.

No near as prestigious as being the World Champion.

 

[SafeBet]

I would value an Olympic gold more, but I guess it's a personal thing. Most riders would probably take a WC.

 

[Netserk]

The OG would be bigger in football (soccer) if the nations could list the same team as they can at the WC. The u23 rule* (I know you can have some older players) is what is keeping it down.

*I'm not completely sure of how it works

The same goes for boxing. It only works as a comparison with cycling before 1996.

 

[Bardamu]

Re: Re:

Being called an olympic gold medallist is quite prestigious, also in road cycling.

No near as prestigious as being the World Champion.

Dependable on the person, but you are an olympic champion for life. You're just the world champion for a year.

But this thread was specifically about Rio and Doha, not Olympics and WC in general. You agree that because the Rio parcours is much more awesome than the Doha parcours, this year Rio might be regarded more important?

Btw, more riders are building their season around Rio than Doha this year.