Cycling is all about history and traditions. Period.
Must say my heart broke when they added the gravel-par. Mark this is written by a s*cker for gravels.
And cutting more than 40km of the distance in addition to significantly changed route design also makes it a completely different race.
It's not Paris-Tours then, but a severe insult to cycling history in order to obey for 5 sec TikTok preteens and senseless UCI rules.
And I do not like that.
For several decades Paris-Tour have been regarded as "the sprinters' monument".
Bring traditions home, please.
Fine with me. Now it's a totally different race anyway, served for TikTokkers, so why not?
It's another case with the Compiègne - Roubaïx Velodrôme one. Of which felt a bit soulless finishing outside the velodrome for a couple of years in the mid 80ies. But again, PreWWII posters here might grumble that the velodrome is a new post WWII thing.
And then I'm really devided about De Ronde. Some years in grief after the route changing.
But now I like the replacement of 'Round of Flanders' to 'Round and round and round in Flanders'.
Still it's a good race and not so much a reluctant race as the Limburg Semiclassic one (of which too have faded, also due to senceless UCI category rules and crusial 'races to the UCI points'.
Fine with me if your want to create a totally different race.
"Les Routes Blanches" sounds fine with me. And I'll watch it vividly.
But do not ever relate it to Paris-Tours.
I second that.
And, again please bring traditions home.
Getting slightly sick of everything needed to 'be spiced up', just to be able to compete with 5mins YT vids or 5secs TikTok ditto.
It is the prolonged enjoyment with the whir of the story that should count.
Meanwhile, send the impatient kids out to play with a ball.
I hope my position does not seem too vague![]()
I doubt there are very many pre WW2 posters on this forum