Is the TDU a ridiculous race?

[pugdog]

Why should the TdU be considered ridiculous?

 

[BroDeal]

Coming from an American I find that a bit rich

As lame as the ToC has been it is still better than the TDU.

 

[craig1985]

I wouldn't say Colorado was that special myself.

 

[Tuarts]

We will continue to complain until you guys finally put on a decent race. We're waiting.

Ah yes because this is a bastion and representation of all Aussies.

Just like I'm sure the 4th Grand Tour epitomises the whole USA.

 

[rgmerk]

We will continue to complain until you guys finally put on a decent race. We're waiting.

Shift it to Victoria or Tasmania and you could make the course as tough as you want. But a) it's the South Australian government's $$ that make the race possible, and b) make the course tougher and nobody would bother to show up.

But if the half-hour highlights of the TDU are just too boring, I'm sure there's cyclocross to watch...

 

[uphillstruggle]

The real opening race is still Milan-San Remo and any debate on that is a wasted you have nothing better to do right now debate.

Paris Nice?

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

it's a pathetic race. it's very year the same source and look at riders who have won it or done top ten in it. quite pathetic for a wt race

 

[Swabian Lass]

It's not ridiculous. It plays a role and is OK given its place at the start of the season. If it wasn't right at the start of the season I suspect that the parcours would be very different or it wouldn't be WT.

It could certainly be improved - but hopefully the organisers are starting to get the message on that.

 

[auscyclefan94]

As lame as the ToC has been it is still better than the TDU.

1) Consider that the SA Government runs the event and puts a lot of money in it. I doubt any other state would put in as much money as the SA Government has so credit to Mike rann and his party. Ultimately is is about the money. Why change something that has been financially successful and as an event as a whole, the TDU wins Tourism awards year after year because of the quality event Tourism SA puts on.

2)Time of the year. There isn't really another time of the year to have this race. Consider the weather, holiday season in Australia and the riders. This leads to my 3rd point.

3) The riders do not want an overly tough course in January. The earliest goal for riders in the pro peloton is in March which is races such as Paris Nice, Tirreno Adriatico and Milan San Remo.

Finally, Tour of California has a much greater potential to hold a better race considering the time of the year and the terrain ATOC has at it's peril. The organisers have year after year over-hyped a race which has only delivered a route which has had 1 exciting route and race as a whole.

As often as I say that Victoria could do a better job of holding the TDU, we already have the Sun Tour and I doubt the Government past and current would fund it as much as Adelaide considering the number of top events we hold year after year.

 

[just some guy]

Brodeal what would you recommend then - create a race we should have for the TDU that riders will

1. want to ride in.

2. Will enjoy as much as they seem to enjoy the TDU

3. does it job as the 1st race on the World tour calendar

I bet you can´t - I don´t rate the TDU as a race I love but it does it´s job well the riders seem to love the Environment gets European riders in the sun and out of the cold

It is what it is and does it´s job well.

 

[roundabout]

I don't get why it's WT/PT.

 

[Ferminal]

I don't get the "no one will show up" argument. It's a WT race, the top 18 teams have to field teams of eight (seven actually!). Huge names rarely show up in decent form anyway.

 

[just some guy]

I don't get why it's WT/PT.

Neither do I

Nor Qatar
Oman
Beijing
or even
Canada for that matter

or the Russian race when it comes, but cycling has to expand so make them WT and make the teams ride.

The problem then is, say with the Chinese and Russian race the money which is made from the race seems to go into peoples pockets who are involved in the UCI

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

 

[roundabout]

Qatar and Oman thankfully aren't WT

It's true that cycling has to expand but January to me is just too early to start awarding WT points especially with the next WT event being 6 weeks later.

 

[just some guy]

Qatar and Oman thankfully aren't WT

It's true that cycling has to expand but January to me is just too early to start awarding WT points especially with the next WT event being 6 weeks later.

Thought they were - now I remember after you said that Gilbert upset cause they were not invited last year.

 

[craig1985]

I don't mind the Canadian races, but they should be optional as well as Beijing, but they offer so much points that you get bottom tier WT teams like AG2R and Euskaltel having to field A-grade line-ups (such as EE fielding Samu, Fuji, Mikel Snow) so they can score the valuable WT points needed for the following season. And Beijing pays so well, Tony Martin scored $417,000 from winning the TOB, if you split that up between all the riders and staff equally, that's at least $35-40k each, not a bad week there (even when you take out tax)!

The problem is that I see Pat want's to put a WT race in Africa and South America to give all the continents at least one WT race, and I'm not sure how viable that is on teams.

 

[roundabout]

417,000???

This is drifting OT but that's huge money for a week long race. Paris Nice total prize money was a third of that in 2011.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I don't get the "no one will show up" argument. It's a WT race, the top 18 teams have to field teams of eight (seven actually!). Huge names rarely show up in decent form anyway.

Yes but big riders won't turn up that have goals later into the season. They don't want a very hot race with a tough parcours. Teams would send lesser riders of those teams to the TDU. I also disagree with your point about the form. In general, riders turn up to races with decent form but due to goals for the season and desire to do well, some won't try as hard as others which I think applies to the TDU. Also, the severe heat that TDU provides at the start of Jan is quite tough on riders who are down on form.

 

[craig1985]

417,000???

This is drifting OT but that's huge money for a week long race. Paris Nice total prize money was a third of that in 2011.

It was $400k for the overall and $17k per stage win, so ergo $417k. The Chinese were actually prepared to pay a lot more than that, but the UCI didn't like the idea that Beijing would pay more than the TDF.

 

[roundabout]

My brain has just exploded.

 

[just some guy]

It was $400k for the overall and $17k per stage win, so ergo $417k. The Chinese were actually prepared to pay a lot more than that, but the UCI didn't like the idea that Beijing would pay more than the TDF.

Why would the UCI do that ?

Women don´t get a base wages cause they don´t deserve it, UCI reducing pay to rides so the TDF is the highest prize money.

They are a funny place the UCI

My brain has just exploded.

In what way ?

 

[roundabout]

I'll put it this way. Winning Paris Nice is 16,000 €. Winning the Tour is 450,000 €. 400,000 € is the approximate cost of organizing a 5-day race in France.

Paying $400k (and prepared to pay more) for a win in Beijing is just waaaay too much even if the aim was to help establish the race and attract as many big names as possible.

 

[craig1985]

Actually scrap what I wrote as it wasn't quite accurate:

Last but not the least, Tour of Beijing offered $400,000 in prize money, including $42,500 for the general classification winner and $17,000 for each stage winner.

"The local authorities expected an even higher prize money but our scale might be the fourth biggest in the world after the three grands tours," Rumpf said. "Moreover, prize money is not something as meaningful in cycling as in some other sports. In fact we preferred to use our budget mainly to provide the riders the best safety and comfort conditions."

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/no-clenbuterol-sandwiches-for-riders-in-china

 

[theyoungest]

I'll put it this way. Winning Paris Nice is 16,000 €. Winning the Tour is 450,000 €. 400,000 € is the approximate cost of organizing a 5-day race in France.

Paying $400k (and prepared to pay more) for a win in Beijing is just waaaay too much even if the aim was to help establish the race and attract as many big names as possible.

It's a lot, but I don't know what I find more ridiculous: the ToB paying that much money, or the UCI preventing them from paying more. Really UCI, cyclists shouldn't earn too much, or they'll get lazy? Is that it?

edit: ah, 42,500 dollars, that's a bit more reasonable.