Lance rakes in $2 mil for Down Under

[Ferminal]

- In the 2009 tdu, I understood why they paid him the money.
- In the 2010 tdu, I thought it was odd but I guess it would give people who wanted to go see him after last years success.
- Now in 2011? I really don't understand it. Crowds won't flourish because Lance is coming back for the 3rd time in a row. The people who saw him would of already gone to SA.

Brodeal, the organisers will never make a challenging course because it is January.

Supposedly the organisers are trying to get Andy Schleck.

You are wrong. In the Down Under Classic which was a fast criterium around adelaide he was in the main breakaway. And in another stage he broke away near the finish with Sebastien Roessler.

lol, imagine that, paying Baby Schleck half a mil to come and drink **** and drop off the back on Cat 3s.

All they have to do is have a half interesting course (more stages like the one to Stirling) and try and woo the likes of Gilbert, Nibali, Rodriguez, LL Sanchez and Evans.

Or you can keep paying the Boss a private jet full of gold and consider the job of organising the race done.

 

[BroDeal]

-
Brodeal, the organisers will never make a challenging course because it is January.

It doesn't matter. If the money is good enough, riders will come prepared no matter what month it is.

 

[thehog]

The TDU pays business class flights for cyclists and teams along with all expenses. They come for the sun and nothing else. The TDU will never be anything other than a regional race. I think well done Lance for bleeding what he could from the race organisers. They were obviously too stupid to know that he was over the hill and was coming for the cash. With Livestrong picking up the tab on the jet he did very well. Good money if you can get it. Does nothing for Australia but the guys down there are not the brightest sparks.

 

[TERMINATOR]

Lance still does more for American cycling than any other person. I believe the Livestrong organization does a lot of good.

If anyone has a problem with the 2 million dollar donation made to Lance and his organization that is their problem.

Anybody who donates to cancer only because Lance says so is an idiot.

 

[hughmoore]

$2M for an over the hill doper is a stupid waste of money. A better way to spend the money would be to offer $1M for first place, $500K for 2nd, $300K for third, and a couple hundred split for stage wins. Design a challenging course and top talent would show up to race seriously because the prize money would be huge compared to most other races. The TdF only gives 450 thousand euro to the winner for three weeks of racing.

Three weeks, yeah right, its only 5 days plus the prologue.


Hugh

 

[thehog]

-
Brodeal, the organisers will never make a challenging course because it is January.

They'll never make a challenging course because there isn't one in Australia. Long flat roads that go for miles and miles and miles...... yawnfest.

 

[BroDeal]

Three weeks, yeah right, its only 5 days plus the prologue.

Hugh

The Tour is three weeks. Try reading more carefully.

 

[NickBVK]

It's not set up to be the most grueling, difficult week long stage race and I don't think it pretends to be. It's a warmup, a spin of the legs but it's a relaxed, carnival atmosphere that is great for riders and fans alike.

Economically for any Australian to fly to Europe to watch top flight cycling, is a huge demand but to see some of the best, not necessarily competing full pelt but just to see them right in our own backyard is bloody good - on the pocket too.

Good or bad, Lance Armstrong generates interest and that's what cycling needs in this country.

Don't go knocking the organisers as clueless etc. They never set out to rival the Tour in difficulty, they know their niche and they're successfully sticking to it.

Booked my tickets.

 

[Ferminal]

They'll never make a challenging course because there isn't one in Australia. Long flat roads that go for miles and miles and miles...... yawnfest.

We could send them over the Nullabor with no water?

 

[thehog]

It's not set up to be the most grueling, difficult week long stage race and I don't think it pretends to be. It's a warmup, a spin of the legs but it's a relaxed, carnival atmosphere that is great for riders and fans alike.

Economically for any Australian to fly to Europe to watch top flight cycling, is a huge demand but to see some of the best, not necessarily competing full pelt but just to see them right in our own backyard is bloody good - on the pocket too.

Good or bad, Lance Armstrong generates interest and that's what cycling needs in this country.

Don't go knocking the organisers as clueless etc. They never set out to rival the Tour in difficulty, they know their niche and they're successfully sticking to it.

Booked my tickets.

Stay home and donate to Livestrong.

 

[hughmoore]

The Tour is three weeks. Try reading more carefully.

Sorry, my bad!!!!




Hugh

 

[hughmoore]

We could send them over the Nullabor with no water?

Ive just come back from Cave Diving on the Nullabor last Monday, amazing how many cyclists are out riding the highway.

Not sure good spot for a tour.



Hugh

 

[BroDeal]

We could send them over the Nullabor with no water?

Can't you just have them dodge crocs? Or prevent the riders from using sunscreen during ozone hole season?

 

[Ferminal]

Can't you just have them dodge crocs? Or prevent the riders from using sunscreen during ozone hole season?

Top End Tour in cyclone season?

 

[El Imbatido]

Can't you just have them dodge crocs? Or prevent the riders from using sunscreen during ozone hole season?

Or have a time trial or criterium around Ayers Rock (uluru)

 

[tubularglue]

seems to be a problem for 2011

 

[thehog]

http://thingsboganslike.wordpress.com/2010/10/13/182-lance-armstrong/

The bogan likes strong arms. It also likes people who win sporting contests, particularly if they possess an accompanying heroic tale of beating life’s cruel odds. For the bogan believes it too has beaten the odds, despite having enjoyed a comfortable suburban upbringing and having gone on to achieve little of note. While Lance Armstrong is indeed an exceptional athlete with lance like pistons capable of propelling a bicycle through France, this is not why the bogan likes him. Having achieved this after battling testicular cancer in an inspiring deathbed-to-global-sporting-dominance story is also not why the bogan likes Lance Armstrong.

In fact, the bogan doesn’t even like cycling – as a sport, or a mode of transportation. The bogan believes recreational cyclers are a menace – it heard a shock jock use this phrase on the radio – and believes cyclists wearing multi-coloured lycra look like “fags,” despite the fact that its own t shirt is considerably more garish in design, and just as tight fitting. Should the bogan see a cyclist riding legally on a road, it will lean on the horn and tailgate the cyclist before dangerously swerving out across two lanes and slowing down to point its yellow wristband-clad arm at the offending velocipede. The bogan will then scream “buy a f_cking car….ya ***.”

The bogan also believes that wearing a “Livestrong” wristband, sock or specially branded jockstrap gives it carte blanche to make gonad jokes. This is because the bogan is a moron, and lives in a state of endless adolescence where jokes about testicles, no matter how cancerous, are always funny. The bogan will tell anyone who is offended by its crude jokes that it’s not being serious, and people should get a sense of humour. Because it likes Lance Armstrong. And his freshly-shaven, pulsating thighs

 

[Ferminal]

lol, that blog is great, certainly a top endorsement for the pseudo-culture we have here.

 

[WildspokeJoe]

From a pure business perspective, I don’t have a problem with the TDU giving Armstrong $2 million if they believe it was going to garner enough publicity to justify the expense.

If the arrival of Armstrong pushed the TDU to the front of the paper, the lead on the sports page and got the locals talking about cycling, then perhaps it was worth it.

I know this is not going to be popular but I have no problem with Armstrong taking the 2 million or any other amount of money.

No one held a gun to the organizers and said, “Pay me, or else.” If that’s what it took to get Armstrong to Australia – so be it.

The world we live in is currently about celebrity. Until the ‘the beautiful people’ are taken off the pedestal, they will continue to charge what the market will bear.

 

[Ferminal]

Neither do I.

But from a sporting perspective, I'd much rather they take half the money, pay 10 of the top cyclists in the world $100k each and try and build a race. The "benefits" may only be 10% of those you get from paying Lance but it's half the outlay and a "sporting" decision rather than just paying out a celebrity for some direct and indirect returns.

 

[SpeedWay]

From a pure business perspective, I don’t have a problem with the TDU giving Armstrong $2 million if they believe it was going to garner enough publicity to justify the expense.

If the arrival of Armstrong pushed the TDU to the front of the paper, the lead on the sports page and got the locals talking about cycling, then perhaps it was worth it.

I know this is not going to be popular but I have no problem with Armstrong taking the 2 million or any other amount of money.

No one held a gun to the organizers and said, “Pay me, or else.” If that’s what it took to get Armstrong to Australia – so be it.

The world we live in is currently about celebrity. Until the ‘the beautiful people’ are taken off the pedestal, they will continue to charge what the market will bear.

The only people that think it was a bad move are a handful of posters that frequent this site - that should tell you all you need to know. Obviously, its easier to create your own version of reality in fantasy land - facts be damned.

Tourists are estimated to have spent more than $39 million during the first Pro Tour, up from an estimated $17.3 million the year before, and organisers say the number of tourists doubled from 15,100 last year to 36,200 people in 2009.

"We have to say thank you to Lance. His decision to make a worldwide comeback here in Adelaide and South Australia has paid enormous dividends, (and) it has showed it was a smart move." - Premier Mike Rann

 

[thehog]

From a pure business perspective, I don’t have a problem with the TDU giving Armstrong $2 million if they believe it was going to garner enough publicity to justify the expense.

If the arrival of Armstrong pushed the TDU to the front of the paper, the lead on the sports page and got the locals talking about cycling, then perhaps it was worth it.

I know this is not going to be popular but I have no problem with Armstrong taking the 2 million or any other amount of money.

No one held a gun to the organizers and said, “Pay me, or else.” If that’s what it took to get Armstrong to Australia – so be it.

The world we live in is currently about celebrity. Until the ‘the beautiful people’ are taken off the pedestal, they will continue to charge what the market will bear.

Problem being its not the organisers money. Its was public money. And they weren't asked if they wanted their money spent in this fashion. In fact they weren't even allowed to know Mr. Armstrong had been paid nor the amount. I wonder why? - I think the idea was that they wanted to give the impression he came for free to spread the word of awareness and that Australia is a lovely place to do that. Its just a pity most Australians are too lazy to stand up for themselves and say what they think.

 

[BroDeal]

Can you mountain bike on that sucker? It could be the Moab of Australia.

 

[scribe]

Or have a time trial or criterium around Ayers Rock (uluru)

That's what Cadel's scat looks like.

 

[Race Radio]

The only people that think it was a bad move are a handful of posters that frequent this site - that should tell you all you need to know. Obviously, its easier to create your own version of reality in fantasy land - facts be damned.

Tourists are estimated to have spent more than $39 million during the first Pro Tour, up from an estimated $17.3 million the year before, and organisers say the number of tourists doubled from 15,100 last year to 36,200 people in 2009.

"We have to say thank you to Lance. His decision to make a worldwide comeback here in Adelaide and South Australia has paid enormous dividends, (and) it has showed it was a smart move." - Premier Mike Rann

Of course Rann is trying to justify his "investment" by attributing all of the growth to Lance and ignoring the vastly improved quality of the entire field. In addition the local government only receives a fraction of the overall spending.

While the groupies would like to pretend that it is only the critics on this forum who have questioned the payment the reality is it has been a hot topic in Australia since the information was leaked the first year.