100% agree, that´s real sh*t... October - December nothing, TDU on 20th of January 2013... So more than 3 months from Lombardia till first serious and interesting race, Herald Sun Tour on 3rd of January.
They should cycling keep being cycling, that´s Western world, Europe+USA+Russia+Australia. You won´t make Sumo wrestling very popular in the Western World either, so they have stopped trying it. When will UCI learn about the importancy of respecting cycling´s history and tradition, and that this is more important than globalizing everything just to create new markets?
World Ports Classic was one example that it´s possible to extend the European calendar. The classic cycling countries offer more than enough possibilities to create an attractive calendar from January to October.
Making TDU World Tour was important, the re-activating of the TTT Worlds was the right decision, Quebec+Montreal also. One, however, doesn´t need Huangzhou or Peking or stuff like this, especially not when they get cancelled after destroying the classic schedule before.
Just my opinion.