Budget Leak: South Australian Govt to cut Tour Down Under in tommorows budget

[auscyclefan94]

(Originally posted by new poster gdamya in transfers thread.)

Thought it deserved a thread but the poster may not know how due to being knew.

Official documents leaked today to the Australian media (Adelaide Advertiser) indicate that the South Australian Government is set to dump the UCI Protour event The Tour Down Under when it delivers it's budget on 16/9/10. The Sustainable Budget Commission Secretariat suggests that the event be firstly reduced to a pre-UCI Pro Tour event ( a move calculated to save $28million dollars), then to subsequently "cease running the TDU as without UCI Pro Tour status and live television coverage it will not be sustainable."
The same documents indicate "no foreseeable significant issues with adopting this measure."

 

[Mellow Velo]

Lance's back-to-back fees sink the Australian's showpiece event.
Oh well.
At least it will mean that the Tour of California will become the undisputed crappiest Pro Tour stage race!
Doesn't it also say that the race is "secure" for 2011/12, or can they withdraw funding for these editions as well?

Pat McQuaid take note: All that glitters in the New World, is not gold.

 

[Spare Tyre]

If this is true, perhaps they could/should have begun economising by cutting out multi-million dollar fees to celebrities?

 

[Archibald]

suggests that the event be firstly reduced to a pre-UCI Pro Tour event ( a move calculated to save $28million dollars),

Lance's back-to-back fees sink the Australian's showpiece event.

curse of his flash jerseys... spooky...

 

[Ferminal]

No, I think the handouts to Lance were definitely the most cost-effective spending of the whole TdU budget

I kind of hope it happens, maybe then we would see a race which focuses on the whole of South Eastern Australia as opposed to the same Adelaide format each year.

 

[Teddler]

I've just read the document, this recommendation is a low priority savings measure.

I would strongly doubt it would be cut given the staggering popularity of the event and Rann's (Premier of the State) need to be seen and acquainted with a popular event.

If they cut it Victoria will just steal it like they did with the Grand Prix.

 

[PCutter]

Given the Herald Sun tour is moving so that it can better take advantage of the pro tour teams being in Oz, Im sure they would swoop on any opportunity to be upped to the Pro-tour.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I've just read the document, this recommendation is a low priority savings measure.

I would strongly doubt it would be cut given the staggering popularity of the event and Rann's (Premier of the State) need to be seen and acquainted with a popular event.

If they cut it Victoria will just steal it like they did with the Grand Prix.

yeah, ther really isn't anything to worry about imo.
We wouldn't wanna lose the world's premium warm up race

 

[auscyclefan94]

yeah, ther really isn't anything to worry about imo.
We wouldn't wanna lose the world's premium warm up race

Seriously, you don't want to lose a bike race like the tdu as it is very important to australian cycling's growth and australia needs an event where big riders come to ride. Even if Lance has been paid a bit to come, the benefits to the economy would be far higher than what he is being paid to come to SA. Herald Sun Tour i guess iswaiting in the rings in February to take over the role of Australia's PT race. It would be a shame if it lose pt status imo.

 

[craig1985]

Yeah but the TDU is just a training race, it always has been, and it always will be, whether it's held in South Australia or Victoria or Queensland.

 

[Jamsque]

I like the TdU as a race, but it doesn't need to be in the Pro Tour, and it certainly doesn't need to pay riders appearance fees.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Yeah but the TDU is just a training race, it always has been, and it always will be, whether it's held in South Australia or Victoria or Queensland.

yep. It's a boring race, and will only ever serve as a warm up.
WOuld have loved to see Australia have somethinng similar to canada... at a different point of time obviously.

 

[thehog]

Lance's back-to-back fees sink the Australian's showpiece event.
Oh well.
At least it will mean that the Tour of California will become the undisputed crappiest Pro Tour stage race!
Doesn't it also say that the race is "secure" for 2011/12, or can they withdraw funding for these editions as well?

Pat McQuaid take note: All that glitters in the New World, is not gold.

I said this at the time. If you’re going to pay appearance fees get Shleck and Contador down there. Its least there’s some long term sustainability in using current stars of cycling. Paying Armstrong 3 million where he had 1 year left in him at best is not a good investment. I always said there was only ever one winner out of this and that was Armstrong. He didn’t need to win races he only needed to keep up the charade that he’d win the Tour again and he could compete against Contador. Unfortunately in this case the Australians were gullible enough to fall for it.

 

[icefire]

Official documents leaked today to the Australian media (Adelaide Advertiser) indicate that the South Australian Government is set to dump the UCI Protour event The Tour Down Under when it delivers it's budget on 16/9/10. The Sustainable Budget Commission Secretariat suggests that the event be firstly reduced to a pre-UCI Pro Tour event ( a move calculated to save $28million dollars), then to subsequently "cease running the TDU as without UCI Pro Tour status and live television coverage it will not be sustainable."
The same documents indicate "no foreseeable significant issues with adopting this measure."

Do they plan to save $28million cutting the budget of TDU? I heard the former Vuelta director saying that the Vuelta budget is a bit below €20 million. Even taking into account the exchange rate between Euro and AUSD and the involved costs of travelling to Australia paid by the organiser there seems to be a bit of a mismatch in the budget of those two races. And yes, I know the Vuelta organisation and its TV coverage surely svck because of their low budget.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

yep. It's a boring race, and will only ever serve as a warm up.
WOuld have loved to see Australia have somethinng similar to canada... at a different point of time obviously.

But whereabouts would you put it? The Canadian races have a decent slot with a few weeks before the Worlds. If you're going to go with a similar format, the best idea would be to put it before another set of important one-day events, which would entail putting a couple of races where? Probably just before the Omloop, but then even if they use, say, the Geelong course or something like that (I've always been intrigued by the idea of using the Bathurst motor racing circuit for a one-day race, the same way as the Copa América de Ciclismo uses Interlagos Circuit in São Paulo) surely the weather of mid to late February in Australia won't really be much preparation for the wind and rain of early-season Belgium...

 

[Anonymous]

yeah, ther really isn't anything to worry about imo.
We wouldn't wanna lose the world's premium warm up race

I dont think we want to lose the tour down under, but someone does need to change the ridiculous amount of ranking points you get for riding it.

 

[thehog]

Do they plan to save $28million cutting the budget of TDU? I heard the former Vuelta director saying that the Vuelta budget is a bit below €20 million. Even taking into account the exchange rate between Euro and AUSD and the involved costs of travelling to Australia paid by the organiser there seems to be a bit of a mismatch in the budget of those two races. And yes, I know the Vuelta organisation and its TV coverage surely svck because of their low budget.

The entire crew, riders, team staff all fly business class. All paid by the organisers. Great marketing for the island. Come to Australia - we'll pay you to come.

 

[Anonymous]

The entire crew, riders, team staff all fly business class. All paid by the organisers. Great marketing for the island. Come to Australia - we'll pay you to come.

Thing is, the tour down under doesnt market that area of australia, it doesnt make me want to go there. They do a 30 minutes highlights package for the first few stages, and a couple of stages live at a time most europeans are in bed.

From a marketing, scenery etc point of view, the tour down under does pretty poorly unfortunately. Thats speaking purely as a consumer. We watch oodles of bike races where we think we would really like to go there, or visit that particular town or village. The TDU just doesnt do that.

 

[thehog]

Thing is, the tour down under doesnt market that area of australia, it doesnt make me want to go there. They do a 30 minutes highlights package for the first few stages, and a couple of stages live at a time most europeans are in bed.

From a marketing, scenery etc point of view, the tour down under does pretty poorly unfortunately. Thats speaking purely as a consumer. We watch oodles of bike races where we think we would really like to go there, or visit that particular town or village. The TDU just doesnt do that.

I was taking the p1ss. I wouldn’t go there either and I lived there all my childhood. I agree. Boring baron landscapes with a few small towns dotted between. I understand why they have a race like the TDU but to pay everyone to fly there with all their equipment shows that the riders and crew couldn’t really be bothered unless it was a freebie and a chance to get some rays. At least get Andy Shleck down there to drink some of those country pubs dry.

 

[tgsgirl]

*shrug*
This just means another race will get artificial status and a gazillion protour points to go with it.

 

[hfer07]

Sad news-specially when the race looked to be in the right track to become a major event to begin the season-- is there any private capital aiming to help/take over the race at all? I know is stupid to ask but can UCI do some sh!t for once in a lifetime to try to save it?

 

[jaylew]

At least it will mean that the Tour of California will become the undisputed crappiest Pro Tour stage race!

ToC is Pro Tour?

 

[auscyclefan94]

But whereabouts would you put it? The Canadian races have a decent slot with a few weeks before the Worlds. If you're going to go with a similar format, the best idea would be to put it before another set of important one-day events, which would entail putting a couple of races where? Probably just before the Omloop, but then even if they use, say, the Geelong course or something like that (I've always been intrigued by the idea of using the Bathurst motor racing circuit for a one-day race, the same way as the Copa América de Ciclismo uses Interlagos Circuit in São Paulo) surely the weather of mid to late February in Australia won't really be much preparation for the wind and rain of early-season Belgium...

I like your idea with bathurst. The climb up to bathurst is quite tough but the circuit is not overly long. As much as it is a warm up event. It is still important for australia and we still need it.Maybe they could do a one day classic race on Mt Bunninyong

 

[SpartacusRox]

yeah, ther really isn't anything to worry about imo.
We wouldn't wanna lose the world's premium warm up race

I think the Vuelta has taken on that mantle so no worries there.

I agree, it would be stupidity personified for SA to axe the race given the tourist money it brings in to the State. I also agree with another poster that if they do, then their loss will be Victoria's gain.

 

[SpartacusRox]

ToC is Pro Tour?

If it isn't then it must mean that the Tour of Britain must be a Cat 1 race....then again looking at some of the teams performance (or lack of) maybe it is!!