Olympic sabatoge!

[TShame]

The whole devious purpose of eliminating track events such as kilometer, individual pursuit and the madison ( some of the most popular events in cycling) is to sabatoge track cycling. Now with basically only sprinting left, it will be easy to say that velodromes are too big an investment for just a handful of events. The omnium is just plain silly. It is very difficult, but it serves little purpose. Team pursuit is basically three teams:Britain, Australia, the Netherlands. The USA doesn't have a team in pursuit at all, so Phinney will be sidelined unless he has three clones made by 2012 (Clones are allowed, right?)

Why not move track cycling to the winter olympics? It is held indoors now and the main season is fall-spring (north hemisphere) or October-March. The olympic comm. seems to want more bmx races, where kids watch, then ask mom and dad to buy them a bmx bike. It also keeps a lot of doctors in business besides. Too bad that velodrome racing was the world sport over a hundred years ago. I have no idea of how to save it.

Anyone have plans so I can build a lumber version in a local parking lot?

 

[gregod]

...

Why not move track cycling to the winter olympics? It is held indoors now and the main season is fall-spring (north hemisphere) or October-March. ...

+1

I agree 100%. Also, I've always thought sports like gymnastics and basketball should also be held during the winter olympics, as well. Both of these sports are mainly played in the winter and it would be a big boost to the winter games which are often of little interest to the southern hemisphere and carribean/mediterranean/southeast asian countries. Plus it would get the NBA out of the olympics.

 

[David Suro]

Excellent ideas! Olympic cycling every two years would be a boost to the sport. Winter cyclo-cross would be a fantastic addition.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

The timing would be perfect, but it just doesn't fit in. Alle winter olympic sports have something to do with ice or snow...

 

[oldcrank]

Team pursuit is basically three teams:Britain, Australia, the Netherlands.

I'm guessing defending world champions Denmark, and bronze medalists
New Zealand would not agree with you.

 

[Tapeworm]

I hope for the day BMX goes out of Games. Any sport which has the commentary "...oooh that was one rad jump..." should be banned on general principle.

 

[gregod]

I hope for the day BMX goes out of Games. Any sport which has the commentary "...oooh that was one rad jump..." should be banned on general principle.

hahaha. very funny. but you have to admit, it is pretty exciting to watch. although, for most cycling fans, it's crap-too much of a chance that a random crash will end the favorite's race; a lot like short track speed skating. but the olympics are more about attracting people who would never watch regularly than actual fans of a particular sport, i think.

 

[Sum_of_Marc]

The IOC may not want to give Track Cycling any more events, but they certainly arent looking to remove it altogether

And a move to the Winter Olympics? Idiotic.

 

[TShame]

Netherlands/Denmark.....there's a difference?
As for New Zealand...I left them out on purpose. They haven't won yet, but they have potential yes. Thanks for weighing in.
I know track events are not a winter olympic sport, just that it was moved from summer to winter events in recent years.
As to not eliminating it from olympics, You are just guessing that it will be around.
When specs come out for 2020 we will have to see if a velodrome is mandatory.
I have heard kajaking will be out soon too.
Is there proof yet of Brazil building a velodrome for 2016?
Chicago really had a very poor plan for cycling as track and road events were far removed from the central olympic village. Also, New York said it would build a velodrome whether the olympics were won or lost, yet they scraped the project as soon as they were out ( for 2012).

 

[TShame]

Netherlands/Denmark.....there's a difference?
As for New Zealand...I left them out on purpose. They haven't won yet, but they have potential yes. Thanks for weighing in.
I know track events are not a winter olympic sport, just that it was moved from summer to winter events in recent years.
As to not eliminating it from olympics, You are just guessing that it will be around.
When specs come out for 2020 we will have to see if a velodrome is mandatory.
I have heard kajaking will be out soon too.

Chicago really had a very poor plan for cycling as track and road events were far removed from the central olympic village. Also, New York said it would build a velodrome whether the olympics were won or lost, yet they scraped the project as soon as they were out ( for 2012).

 

[gregod]

...

And a move to the Winter Olympics? Idiotic.

What is idiotic about it? Please explain. Indoor cycling is naturally and logically a winter sport. Holding the track events during the winter olympics could give a boost to the six-day scene because many of those riders would be in shape for the games. Plus, road and track riders would have an easier time fitting the track events into their schedules. Also, it would be a boost to the olympics because it would get countries like new zealand and australia more involved. That's just off the top of my head. I am sure I could come up with numerous other benefits of the move.

What are the downsides? Honestly, I cannot think of any.

 

[Tapeworm]

What is idiotic about it? Please explain. Indoor cycling is naturally and logically a winter sport. Holding the track events during the winter olympics could give a boost to the six-day scene because many of those riders would be in shape for the games. Plus, road and track riders would have an easier time fitting the track events into their schedules. Also, it would be a boost to the olympics because it would get countries like new zealand and australia more involved. That's just off the top of my head. I am sure I could come up with numerous other benefits of the move.

What are the downsides? Honestly, I cannot think of any.

Combine it with cyclo-cross and there suddenly becomes a healthy does of cycling. The biggest hurdle would be the venue for track cycling of course. How many cities that have hosted the Winter Olympics have or would need an indoor velodrome?

 

[gregod]

Combine it with cyclo-cross and there suddenly becomes a healthy does of cycling.

yeah, definitely a winter sport.

The biggest hurdle would be the venue for track cycling of course. How many cities that have hosted the Winter Olympics have or would need an indoor velodrome?

true, but how many cities that have hosted the summer olympics have needed or wanted a velodrome?

 

[Osomec]

The Summer Olympics are far bigger all round and they take place in very large cities, meaning that there is more opportunity for the velodromes that are built for them to be built to be used afterwards. The forthcoming winter and summer Olympics are both in severe financial difficulties. The Olympics cost far too much already, so any proposals that would involve increasing the cost even more should automatically be dismissed.

 

[hamiltonpista]

Combine it with cyclo-cross and there suddenly becomes a healthy does of cycling. The biggest hurdle would be the venue for track cycling of course. How many cities that have hosted the Winter Olympics have or would need an indoor velodrome?

One can theoretically see (and make a cogent argument for) track cycling being made into a Winter Olympic sport, but I think that the IOC defines ice or snow as being integral to any “winter sport,” not the season in which it traditionally takes place. I believe that it is for this reason (among others) that cyclo-cross has encountered difficulties in becoming part of the Olympic program.

One can see something like a plan on the UCI's part to move the Word Cups to the winter winter months in order that track racing not be overshadowed by contemporaneous road events. It seems like this move should also help ailing six-day racing, but once again, the theory as opposed to the practical reality... There does not seems to be a huge degree of cross over between the six-day and world cup rider pool. Not to say that there is not some...

However with the elimination of the endurance events it seems that a well utilized (at least by some countries—the U.K., Australia, New Zealand) development channel to the professional road ranks has been lost. I imagine an internationally successful omnium rider could be a super success racing U.S. criteriums or even as a European field sprinter, but the pure pursuiter types (McGee, Wiggins, Boardman) who would be most apt to be successful road TT or even Grand Tour riders after a track career, appear to have lost a vital development channel.