Most prestigious 2.1 stage race.

[jens_attacks]

Tour Méditerranéen Cycliste Professionnel
Vuelta Ciclista a la Region de Murcia
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
Vuelta a Castilla y Leon
Volta a Portugal em Bicicleta
Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda by Bergamasca

 

[Jan the Man]

Tour Méditerranéen Cycliste Professionnel
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
Volta a Portugal em Bicicleta
Tour de l'Ain - La route du progrès
Route du Sud - La Dépêche du Midi
Brixia Tour

 

[The Hitch]

I agree with whats been said about these upstarts' usurping attitude. In the USPCC thread I found myself frustrated with a few that tried to diminish the value of the new race, but in in a much bigger context they were right (more eating crow: they picked up the arrogance I had not paid close enough attention to notice).

That being said. There is no way I can do anything but be optimistic and excited about the prospect of new races, and neither should any of you either. Survival of the sport is good for some, but growth is better. Accessibility for spectators, and up and coming riders and teams go hand in hand with new races.

I'm sometimes feel a little too nationalist in defending the ToCA and USPCC, but I just ask the informed cycling population to be careful with the criticisms. They are powerful, but can and should be constructive, rather than defensive/destructive.

A little off topic, and not aimed at anyone, but whatever.

Prestige is a funny word. It means different things to different people. I will say if I was a rider and had to choose one overall victory to insert into 2011 from the list regardless of prizes, it might be Algrave.

As i have said many times before I fully support the expansion of the sport.

But 2 very important conditions are

1 they dont try to destroy GTs, especially not in their first 50 years of existance. And its a disgrace seeing it from Cali after 3 or 4.

2 We expand around the world, and not just to the US. by all means let a US stage race replace on of the French, Spanish, Italian or even Suisse ones.

Also lets have major races in Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa if possible.

Some proponents (including very powerful ones) of Cali and increasingly USPCC however just want to move cyclings non tdf season across the Atlantic, not caring what goes down in flames along the way.

Thats not expansion, its outsider invasion.

 

[Fester]

Volta a Portugal,
Vuelta a Asturias,
Tour of Britain.

It would be interesting to include 2.HC and 2.2 races in this discussion. Then my top three would be:

Volta a Portugal,
Vuelta a Asturias,
Vuelta a Colombia.

I would include Volta ao Algarve simply because it doesn't draw the same fervour from the population and only serves as a prequel to more important world tour events, while the other are the main piece themselves so to speak.

 

[Arnout]

I liked the attitude of the Tour of Utah much more. They were advertising their race as "The toughest stage race of the USA" or whatever on their website. That's the way to go, create a new image, advertise your own race with your own values and don't advertise your race by using an outside name (Tour de France / Alpe d'Huez usually).

Also they came up with some interesting stages such as the 2km uphill prologue. Innovation is the way to go, not replication.

 

[dlwssonic]

the sixth GT after Poland and California, the tour of colorado

 

[LaFlorecita]

Castilla y Leon
Algarve

 

[sublimit]

Last years TOB was quite tough apparently but as Pistelero mentioned most of of the best riders usually miss it.

This year looks a good course on the Western side of Britain and if the weather is bad it will be very hard racing on exposed and crap roads.

Having said that I would go for Tour of the Mediterranean as #1

 

[Deagol]

As i have said many times before I fully support the expansion of the sport.

But 2 very important conditions are

1 they dont try to destroy GTs, especially not in their first 50 years of existance. And its a disgrace seeing it from Cali after 3 or 4.

2 We expand around the world, and not just to the US. by all means let a US stage race replace on of the French, Spanish, Italian or even Suisse ones.

Also lets have major races in Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa if possible.

Some proponents (including very powerful ones) of Cali and increasingly USPCC however just want to move cyclings non tdf season across the Atlantic, not caring what goes down in flames along the way.

Thats not expansion, its outsider invasion.

I see where you are coming from. I would not want to see any of the Grand Tours, or other races, ruined by new races in the US.

How seriously are people taking these statements from TOC and USPCC, though? Is it just bravado ?

I wish they would tone it down, seems races should be able to co-exist and not need to boost themselves up at the expense of another race.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
Volta a Portugal
Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda by Bergamasca

Oh and Giro di Sardegna, cos it's my tv opener!

 

[Swabian Lass]

Vueulta a Castilla y Leon
Volta ao Portugal

I'd include Route du Sud - La Dépèche du Midi. But that's only because I really like the name somehow.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I see where you are coming from. I would not want to see any of the Grand Tours, or other races, ruined by new races in the US.

How seriously are people taking these statements from TOC and USPCC, though? Is it just bravado ?

I wish they would tone it down, seems races should be able to co-exist and not need to boost themselves up at the expense of another race.

The thing is, a lot of it is counterproductive anyway. If they market it as "OMG it's right at the level of anything bar the Tour de France!!!" then casual fans will get hyped up for something it has no chance of delivering, and when they see most of the hyped entrants rolling around enjoying the scenery and not caring they will be disappointed, and many smart fans will be turned off by the bluster and hype and take great pleasure in tearing it down and rejoice in its failures.

The Tour of California in 2010 was a dismal failure as a sporting spectacle. At least route-wise, they learned from that mistake in 2011. They still continued to market it as something much bigger than it is, and it is this side that is the problem.

Market it as the fastest growing race in the world, or "America's race", bigging up the national pros who fight all year round for the chance to make a difference against the big guns when they roll into town. That would be less cringeworthy and maybe a bit less fanbase-alienating.

One of the great things about cycling is that the cast is so big. Why on earth should races like the Giro and Vuelta be shortened to make room? There already IS room. Teams can have 2 teams on the road at a time, it's not illogical or impossible. Give riders the choice, then we'll see. Cavendish was one of the marquee names at last year's Tour of California, and he spent the whole time whining that he would rather have done the Giro, but it was a sponsor's call. Yaroslav Popovych also admitted to pining for the Giro, which of course his team didn't go to.

 

[greenedge]

I think they all attract good fields and have parts to play but it usually only comes to our attention when a lot of big name riders go. I think the value of it will be underlined by the big name riders who come.

 

[Parrulo]

Volta a Portugal em Bicicleta
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
Vuelta a Castilla y Leon

come to mind. algarve is also pretty good. the UCI should give more importance to some of this races in terms of ranking, mostly the volta it is a much better race then poland and eneco in terms of parcours.

 

[The Hitch]

come to mind. algarve is also pretty good. the UCI should give more importance to some of this races in terms of ranking, mostly the volta it is a much better race then poland and eneco in terms of parcours.

Again with this. Why do you compare Poland to Eneco when you have TDU and Cali to **** on who actually have crap parcors and all are new races.

Poland is a 80 year old one week stage race. In its current form, it has a few early stages for the sprinters, a day in the hills, 2 days of circuit courses in the mountains including a climb with 20% gradients done over and over and a finishing sprint.

It doesnt have 2 weeks like Portugal to visit the highest mountain passes. And no it probably doesnt have mountains like Portugal either, but neither does Belgium for example and they manage pretty well with LBL, FW, RVV.

In short it is a fun race that offers something for every type of rider with short sharp circuit stages around various terrains that bring cycling to the fans.

A little something for everyone.

Something different.

It doesnt claim to be something its not either, but sits quietly and happily in its slot, while being overshadowed by 2 gts either side of it.

Kittel lost half an hour on the queen stage btw so to compare it to Eneco is a disgrace.

And it brings cycling to Eastern Europe, away from its west european homeland.

Western Europe already has the 20 most important races and Iberia has a grand tour a major classic and 2 wt stage races.

Almost everyone except from you agrees that it is an exciting race.

But for some reason you keep trying to drag a succesful, entertaining, laced in history race down to some level of irrelevance.

Why not lets just ressurrect Paris Bordeaux, make Paris Brussels important again, give world tour status to Vuelta a Murcia and Tour Med, and kill any new, different exciting races outside this small west European circle

How dare they give an exciting race outside of this area world tour status. Traitors!!!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

We still need the Peace Race back. Being able to cross the borders means they can make some really tough stages in the Carpathians.

 

[Astana1]

You guys are totally misinterpreting that statement about the Colorado race. You have to consider the audience. If the Colorado organizers were to say that their race was on par with Eneco or Vuelta Murcia then most of the big sponsors would totally miss the point.

Of course they are going to compare their race to the biggest race on the calendar, the one that the casual audience and prospective sponsors have actually heard of. Most fans would probably only recognize a quarter of the 2.1 races that were listed.

You guys need to stop being so sensitive and recognize salesmanship when you see it. You don't grow an event by downplaying it.

And I don't think California and Colorado will be killing off the Vuelta and the Giro anytime soon. That's just not going to happen.

 

[sublimit]

We still need the Peace Race back. Being able to cross the borders means they can make some really tough stages in the Carpathians.

I had a training partner ride it a couple times and it was the hardest racing he'd ever done, kind of like getting battered by Soviet riders and then Olaf Ludwig inevitably winning.

Great race though and I agree get it back.