You missed the part of my post where I said it's not professional vs amateur, but elite vs u23. "Amateur" hasn't existed as a category since 1997. Many of the riders who compete in the u23 WC are professional cyclists in every sense of the word.theyoungest said:You really don't see the difference between an obscure sport at the Olympics, and an espoirs race in a sport where there's a professional equivalent? The amateur roots of the Olympics are entirely irrelevant, cycling used to be all amateurs as well.
I like watching the espoirs race, don't get me wrong, but the "arguments" I hear are those of disappointed/frustrated cycling fans. Just like a fan of snooker might like to see a tournament of aspiring snooker players on tv.
Even more important is the fact that the u23 race is part of the event. It's a package.