Funds lacking for Pais Vasco and San Sebastian

[Duartista]

This is a huge concern, imo. If Pais Vasco folds this year, Catalunya is bound to follow suit, next year. It's been on a financial knife edge for about half a decade.

I think there is a slight difference, politically - Catalunya is currently ruled by a moderate nationalist party, whilst the Basque Country is under a PSOE-led coalition. Is it likely that Pais Vasco would be facing this shortfall in funding if the PNV was in office?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Like stated there is nothing wrong with Pais Vasco, except the race can't fund itself.

Today the majority of the race calendar is locked because of historical reasons (datewise) and I think thats a real problem for the sport at the top end.

Take this weekend, we have WT teams involved in Belgium (good coverage), Switzerland, Spain, Malaysia and France (all bad coverage) and we even have some WT teams opting to go on training camps. I believe the sport could get much more out of the effort with a carefully planned calendar.

But the beauty of the system as it is is that you get mixed pélotons. It's not a strict first tier-second tier-third tier; the racers at second- and third-tier get to prove themselves against the top names, even if it's just on occasion. Having all the WT guys in the same place at the same time all the time just serves to make it a closed club. I see no problem with the way cycling has been structured for a long time, with the contingent "world" events that the best teams are at connected to strong national calendars in countries with enough teams to justify it, like France, Italy and Belgium. Until recently, Spain belonged there, and it's the economy of Spain rather than the bike races or the lack of riders that has been the problem.

Say that the World Tour becomes a fixed calendar and excludes the likes of the .HC and .1 races in, say, Italy. Then, not only are you preventing new Italian talent from showcasing their skills against the best, you're also preventing the Italian tifosi from seeing the top Italian cyclists for more than a small handful of races that get progressively smaller as Pat McQuaid seeks to relocate more races to the "emerging" markets (read: no market but government $$$). The Spanish races are the soft target at the moment, but I don't think for a second that McQuaid will be happy to stop there, and he and RCS haven't seen eye to eye more than a few times.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I don't buy the concept that unless you have WT teams involved in 5 races simultaneously young talents can't develop from lower tier races. Take Australia with just 1 "real" race on the calendar (and a recent addition too). Talents keep emerging from that remote place (cycling wise).

This doesn't mean we can't have any races where WT teams are involved, but I do think the frequency needs to come down and hence the changes in the calendar.

Put in another way, you like the existing model which I understand, however I don't think its sustainable not even after an economic recovery in Spain.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I don't buy the concept that unless you have WT teams involved in 5 races simultaneously young talents can't develop from lower tier races. Take Australia with just 1 "real" race on the calendar (and a recent addition too). Talents keep emerging from that remote place (cycling wise).

This doesn't mean we can't have any races where WT teams are involved, but I do think the frequency needs to come down and hence the changes in the calendar.

Put in another way, you like the existing model which I understand, however I don't think its sustainable not even after an economic recovery in Spain.

I think it's a damn sight more sustainable than throwing money at races with no fans in far flung places where the fans of the sport can't get to, and letting the historic races those fans want to see and the riders want to win die off. If the fans can't see the stars they want to see, and have to tune in at stupid hours of the day to see uninspiring, tedious, insipid racing in a sterile atmosphere with no fans, then lots of them will just switch off. And we need those races that develop the young stars just as much as we need those races that those stars aspire to racing in. But both are essential.

And if all the big races are in far-off places, the cost of being World Tour is increased, because of logistics, and the benefit to companies that aren't multi-national big-bucks corporations is greatly reduced. Teams like Garmin or Sky might be happy with more races in big bucks lands, as might other quasi-national teams like GreenEdge or Astana. But what is the point for teams like FDJ, Lotto, Euskaltel, Liquigas, Cofidis and so on? These are the people who've been part of the sport for years. And what we're saying is "you need to pay more money to stay in the sport, and we will give you ever-decreasing returns on that investment, because we are moving more and more of the calendar away from places where fans who actually have access to your product can actually see it"

 

[Ferminal]

This is a huge concern, imo. If Pais Vasco folds this year, Catalunya is bound to follow suit, next year. It's been on a financial knife edge for about half a decade.
As you point out, there are no viable alternates.

It's OK to cry: don't worry, the US and China etc can easily fill the gap, but with what?

The only answer I can see is to move AToC into mid April. (where I have said it should be all along and screw their high, but pointless climbs)
Other than that, what have we got? Langkawi?

Doesn't cut it for me.

Pais Vasco is caught between a rock and a hard place. The obvious solution would be to follow Mallorca, Murcia and Castilla y Leon, in cutting the number of race days.
However, being tied to the World Tour means that this decision presumably could only be taken with the consent of the UCI.
Not the simple consent that those races above received, either.

The bold was my first thought, but who knows how keen people are to sit around airports for hours when they are trying to finish off their preparation for the Ardennes, or work towards the Giro. Oman possibly another option. It would certainly take time for teams and riders to become used to and only in many years could they possibly become close to "equal".

Alternatively Crit International could become a full blown stage race, even better if they kept it on Corsica. RCS could buyout Trentino and do the same.

For me, keeping the races in Spain alive for a few years actually seems like the simplest solution (provided the costs of doing so aren't excessive).

 

[XlandaluzeX]

politics politics politics... in case they now dissapear(really doubt it) be sure we ll have them back in like 2 years

 

[Duartista]

Press release from the organisers: if nothing comes up by next week, both races are cancelled. They are fed up with the regional government.

There was a story in El Pais today, linked on bici, that Unipublic-ASO showed interest in buying the race a couple of years ago but were knocked back. Maybe following the French/Italian model is the only long-term solution.

 

[Arnout]

So the new regional government, the first ever not including PNV or another "Basque" party has:

- Decreased sponsorship for Euskaltel - Euskadi. Sponsorship level of the telecom company stayed and stayed equal, government money decreased, now driving Euskaltel to a decision: stay and leave policy or leave cycling.
- Decreased sponsorship for the most important Basque races.
- Payed money to get the Vuelta to the Basque country.

Wouldn't have been my choice...

 

[Descender]

From what I'm told, it's not looking good...

The situation is threefold:

- The Basque Government, be it because of lack of will or because of lack of money, or both, refuses to spend more money than initially planned (as a matter of fact, they already transferred some of the money that was destined for the two Basque Vuelta stages to these two races).

- No private sponsor has appeared that is willing and able to take care of the cost.

- Unipublic, the Vuelta organisers, might be able to salvage these races, but the Basque organisers refuse.


As of right now I wouldn't put my money on these races making it this year.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Sometimes the Betonköpfe mentality doesn't help. I'm sure that Unipublic saving the race would be acceptable to many, but unpalatable to some.

The problem is, the national question is far more than some bike racing in Euskadi. This is an unfortunate side effect of the times.

 

[cineteq]

From what I'm told, it's not looking good...

The situation is threefold:

- The Basque Government, be it because of lack of will or because of lack of money, or both, refuses to spend more money than initially planned (as a matter of fact, they already transferred some of the money that was destined for the two Basque Vuelta stages to these two races).

- No private sponsor has appeared that is willing and able to take care of the cost.

- Unipublic, the Vuelta organisers, might be able to salvage these races, but the Basque organisers refuse.


As of right now I wouldn't put my money on these races making it this year.

Doesn't look good at all
http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=48188

 

[DirtyWorks]

I think it's a damn sight more sustainable than throwing money at races with no fans in far flung places where the fans of the sport can't get to, and letting the historic races those fans want to see and the riders want to win die off. .....

Tradition be damned. The promoter pays for the WorldTour teams to show up! Maylasia? China? Sochi? Doesn't matter. UCI makes money 10 different ways. My guess is they make *much* more money at these new far-flung races. Not just the UCI as an organization making money, but Pat, Hein, Alain, skimming via WCP or whatever broker relationship they imagine.

And if all the big races are in far-off places, the cost of being World Tour is increased, because of logistics, and the benefit to companies that aren't multi-national big-bucks corporations is greatly reduced.

The marketing angle is it's cheaper than many global sports. (ex. F1, football) And it is. Even with Alain, Hein, and others skimming who knows what in the name of 'growing the sport.'

"you need to pay more money to stay in the sport, and we will PROMISE you fantastic returns on that advertising investment because your brand will be seen all over the world. "

Fixed that for you.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Tradition be damned. The promoter pays for the WorldTour teams to show up! Maylasia? China? Sochi? Doesn't matter. UCI makes money 10 different ways. My guess is they make *much* more money at these new far-flung races. Not just the UCI as an organization making money, but Pat, Hein, Alain, skimming via WCP or whatever broker relationship they imagine.

I'm sure they do make more money there. But is it sustainable money, when following the sport in many of those countries is a fad (if there's even enough of an audience to call it that), and they have no cycling history or tradition, and the event has little more than curio value? The F1 flyaway events are a case in point. A couple of years ago they sold SEVEN THOUSAND tickets for the Turkish Grand Prix. The Bahrainis have had to import fans, and the Chinese government bussed people in at their own expense to make the stands look a bit less empty at their race. Because there's little to no national interest for them. Cycling is better off than F1 in that it can go to the masses rather than having to wait for the masses to come to it. But if it isn't sustainable, and the interest in hosting the events wanes, they might need all those races back in the traditional heartlands, where there is guaranteed support, to pick up the slack.

Fixed that for you.

Unfortunately a lot of those brands don't have worldwide coverage. What benefit is it to a team like FDJ or Lotto to have coverage in Beijing, or Sochi? Evidently the multinational team sponsored by big multinational corporations model is not at top strength either, or HTC wouldn't have folded. What guarantee of investment is a race with no interest that will be on TV at a time when most of the company's target audience is asleep or at work, to justify the increased cost in sponsoring a team so that they can go there, when the coverage is greatly REDUCED in the races in their target market?

Average income goes up, but median income goes down. All the money goes to a select few moneybags teams, and the others are just there to make up the numbers. The La Liga model.

 

[XlandaluzeX]

- Decreased sponsorship for the most important Basque races.
- Payed money to get the Vuelta to the Basque country.

Wouldn't have been my choice...

yeps, thats a funny one, they say they have no money for the Tour of Basque Country" yet they paid 1M (!!!!!!) last year to bring the Vuelta to Bilbao & Vitoria

anyway, its not only politicians fault, really i think TofBasqueCountry should be marketable enaught to find new sponsors and dont rely 100% on the public funding, if you cant find 1 sponsor you re doing something wrong,,,,, not to forget that the quality of the Tour has significantly dropped over the last years:lame TVbroadcast,bad parcours,too predictible,...

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Uci

UCI WorldTour Spanish races: UCI is following the evolution of the situation

29.02.2012

The International Cycling Union (UCI) is closely following the evolution of the situation concerning the three Spanish events in the UCI WorldTour - Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, Volta Ciclista al Pais Vasco and Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian – which are currently facing economic related difficulties that could threaten the continued organisation of these benchmark races for professional cycling.

Conscious of the fundamental importance of saving cycling’s heritage, as well as the International Federation’s vital role in helping all involved in the sport, the UCI immediately took action in order to evaluate these cases and study possible measures that could be taken.

To ensure the best possible support for the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, the UCI has already established the necessary contact with all the parties implicated on an institutional level. At this stage discussions are focussed UCI’s possible participation in a sustainable development plan for this event over the coming years, the terms of which are yet to be defined.

Concerning the two Basque races, UCI is also in the process of collecting all the information necessary in order to come up with an intervention strategy that can deal with the urgency of the situation and at the same time the principals of solidarity that govern the UCI WorldTour.

The UCI reiterated that in 2011 a contribution from the UCI WorldTour reserve Fund was deployed in favour of the GP Ouest France de Plouay, a French UCI WorldTour event.

UCI President Mr Pat McQuaid declared, “In this very difficult economic context facing the organisers, the cycling world expects the structures put in place by the UCI to be capable of providing a concrete contribution to the movement as a whole. I can guarantee that we are working all-out, and that despite the fact that the resources at our disposal are fairly limited, we will do all we can to offer our support to the organisers.

“Although it is true that the globalisation of cycling is our strategic priority,” added Mr McQuaid, “the roots and traditions of this fantastic sport are what make it so rich and we must be capable of preserving them.

“Among its other prerogatives, the UCI also deals with these very important aspects that are linked to the stability and economic reinforcement of the professional sector,” the UCI President concluded. “I therefore hope that the UCI will once again be able to contribute to finding a solution.”

http://www.uci.ch/Modules/ENews/ENe...s/UCI/UCI8/layout.asp?MenuID=MTYzMDQ&LangId=1

 

[nevada]

Maybe Contador and Valverde could contribute from their massive salaries.

On a serious notem Catalunya look like it could be in trouble for 2013. I've been there to watch it for the last couple of years and the advertising of the event is really poor. I've been in a town waiting for the race to arrive and other than the police outriders you would have no idea the race was coming.

Another thing, its 20 days to go and the route has only just been announced, it makes it difficult to make travel plans to watch it with very little notice.

I'm sure more could be done with local business's in the towns they travel through.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Don't tell me that the UCI is about to get off their collective a*s and put their hand in their pocket?
If they've already bailed out Plouay, they have set a precedence.
Of course, this sum is considerably more and destined for Spain.........

Anyhow, some light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

UCI WorldTour Spanish races: UCI is following the evolution of the situation

29.02.2012



http://www.uci.ch/Modules/ENews/ENe...s/UCI/UCI8/layout.asp?MenuID=MTYzMDQ&LangId=1

Wow, possibly the first even reasonable decision the UCI has made in quite some time.

The apocalyptic view I presented was perhaps more apocalyptic than it needed to be.

The future still looks grim, but not quite as grim as perceived.

 

[DirtyWorks]

I'm sure they do make more money there. But is it sustainable money,

Doesn't matter. Little long term thinking such that the sport of cycling benefits.

What benefit is it to a team like FDJ or Lotto to have coverage in Beijing, or Sochi?

They aren't going to grow the sport, so sucks to be them. Here today gone tomorrow races all over the planet is the UCI's future for many reasons.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

El futuro del Gran Premio Miguel Induráin, más próximo
http://www.noticiasdegipuzkoa.com/2...o-del-gran-premio-miguel-indurain-mas-proximo

 

[XlandaluzeX]

move on, nothing to see here

http://www.noticiasdegipuzkoa.com/2012/03/02/deportes/ciclismo/la-vuelta-al-pais-vasco-se-salva

it's now official, there will be Tour of Basque Country and Klasika San Sebastian for 2012

 

[jens_attacks]

good news then.

and while i was reading that,at the right of the page i saw that :


¿Cultivar marihuana para acabar con la crisis?
Estudian ceder terrenos a una asociación cannábica a cambio de una cuantiosa suma de dinero

make it working our basque friends.

 

[BillytheKid]

Just today we see that unemployment in Spain rose by 112,269 in January and the unemployment rate now stands at 22.9%. To put it in perspective, Ireland with the IMF in the country stands at around 14.2%

It seems the economy is getting worse in Spain and looking at this the future could be getting even more tougher for the Spanish races.

Worrying times indeed.

Glad to see, at least that Vasco and San Sabastian are getting some first aid and will survive. Yes, it appears the World Tour has had a negative impact on the heart of cycling's traditional races. Money talks I guess. I hope it is not worst in Spain than they're letting on. I feel a lot of numbers here are fudged, especially considering the under employed, wage deflation. I growing a little weary of a string of politicians (it does not matter the party) who habitually make things worse.

Finger pointing madness.

 

[Nick C.]

It was nice to see the UCI get involved, since lately the only time they seem to be involved is with a race in a "developing" country.

 

[skidmark]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pais-vasco-organizer-more-optimistic-on-races-future

He (Ugarte) said that the race organization team had been particularly impressed by the response from cycling’s ruling body. “UCI president Pat McQuaid is following the situation closely and seems very interested in finding ways to help us find a solution. He has told me that he is going to write to the Ministry of Culture and Sport and also to the Basque government to press our case,” Ugarte explained, adding: “The truth is that we have been surprised by the interest that the UCI has shown in saving the two races.

You and me both, buddy.

This was a nice article to wake up to, seems like others feel like folks here. Pais Vasco is maybe the best 1-week race on the calendar, so it's a huge sigh of relief to hear the UCI isn't just throwing it under the bus.