The UCI is killing track

[Pelican]

It was with great sadness that I read Taylor Phinney say he was unlikely to ride track this year; with the pursuit ruthlessly cut from the Olympics, there is little motivation for Phinney to continue with track. The same is happening in Australia with the likes of Leigh Howard, Trav Meyer and Jack Bobridge all giving track a much wider birth in favour of a full-time road career. Only Cam Meyer seems to have maintained his track ambitions (and that's dispute the points race also being cut from the Game program).

I'm not sure if Turtur is still on the track commission (not that it'd matter as all he cares about is his TDU) but the fish rots from the head and the UCI is showing zero leadership when it comes to track. Something needs to be down to maintain and grow this spectacular and traditional form of cycle racing.

 

[Race Radio]

Good thing we have Verbuggen as a board member of the IOC to protect track in the Olympics.

 

[oldcrank]

It was with great sadness that I read Taylor Phinney say he was unlikely to ride track this year; with the pursuit ruthlessly cut from the Olympics, there is little motivation for Phinney to continue with track. The same is happening in Australia with the likes of Leigh Howard, Trav Meyer and Jack Bobridge all giving track a much wider birth in favour of a full-time road career.

Well Leigh Howard and Jack Bobridge both rode the Oceania Track
Championships this week and I'm sure both are riding the World Cup
in Melbourne next week. I also believe I read that Howard is signed
to ride a Six Day in the new year with Cam Meyer.

There is no stage race in the Olympics, will that kill the Tour de France?

 

[Race Radio]

There is no stage race in the Olympics, will that kill the Tour de France?

I can only assume you are joking as that analogy makes no sense.

Eliminating road cycling would do little to effect the Tour or the Professional sport. Eliminating track cycling would seriously damage sport of track cycling. ........Does anyone really think that killing the individual pursuit, points race and Madison was good thing?

 

[DirtyWorks]

Think Again

I get a funny feeling that most premier track events (6 days?) actually occur without UCI sanction.

Maybe it's the case that the UCI is trying to force out the independent promoters still left? It's not a cause-effect effort, but more of a way to shrink the pool of entertainers available to independent promoters? Then when things are sufficiently UCI controlled, maybe one or two of the events come back....

 

[Dallas_]

A few months ago, I stumbled upon a youtube interview of Pat Mcquaid(july 26 2010) He spoke regarding the track program at the olympics. I dont follow track much, but for a track fan some interesting points regarding the individual pursuit and Madison
Hope you find it interesting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7AvJlhJwPM&feature=related

cheers dallas

 

[oldcrank]

I get a funny feeling that most premier track events (6 days?) actually occur without UCI sanction.

Maybe it's the case that the UCI is trying to force out the independent promoters still left? It's not a cause-effect effort, but more of a way to shrink the pool of entertainers available to independent promoters? Then when things are sufficiently UCI controlled, maybe one or two of the events come back....

The Six Days are sanctioned by the UCI, and UCI points are awarded.

 

[sublimit]

I reckon its shameful whats happening to the track programme as its nothing short of a disgrace. Its a golden era of fantastic pursuit riders and many of them turn into great road racers but some dummy at the UCI has "decided" to scrap endurance events just in time for the London Olympics. Mcquaid should hang his head in shame.

Basically if you're a youngster and you fancy a go at track racing and want to reach the top but dont have the build or speed of a sprinter you are f'ucked because you dont have an event anymore, take up distance running, tennis ,triathlon or whatever.

 

[online-rider]

I reckon its shameful whats happening to the track programme as its nothing short of a disgrace. Its a golden era of fantastic pursuit riders and many of them turn into great road racers but some dummy at the UCI has "decided" to scrap endurance events just in time for the London Olympics. Mcquaid should hang his head in shame.

Basically if you're a youngster and you fancy a go at track racing and want to reach the top but dont have the build or speed of a sprinter you are f'ucked because you dont have an event anymore, take up distance running, tennis ,triathlon or whatever.

They still have 2 endurance events: The TP and the ominum. It's the IOC who decided this by pushing the UCI into picking from 5 events. I would have chosen the points race, madison, TP, IP and devil ... and what does that leave for the sprinters? ...Diddly squat. The more I think about the UCIs choices the more I think they could benefit the sport. And any pursuiter worth their salt will concentrate on rainbow jerseys not olympic medals.

 

[Vegan Dave]

One interesting potential format would have been to run the Omnium as a 'team' event - so each country could have up to five riders to compete in the event...rather than just one.

Then we'd see the Pursuit maintained, as obviously the top Pursuiters would compete. Same with the Points, Scratch, etc..

It sort of defeats the purpose of the Omnium (ie, best all-rounder), but at least we'd see more of the top riders competing, a chance for more records to be broken, etc..

 

[unsheath]

They still have 2 endurance events: The TP and the ominum. It's the IOC who decided this by pushing the UCI into picking from 5 events. I would have chosen the points race, madison, TP, IP and devil ... and what does that leave for the sprinters? ...Diddly squat. The more I think about the UCIs choices the more I think they could benefit the sport. And any pursuiter worth their salt will concentrate on rainbow jerseys not olympic medals.

Its decisions like me that has always made cycling the poor cousin of other disciplines. Look at swimming FFS. Olympic events for 50, 100, 200, 400, IM, Relays etc etc. They should just retain the freestyle and scrap all the other useless techniques. We'll then get our track program back.

As for mcQuaid and his predecessor, I have a hard time listing anything they've done right.

 

[avanti]

Even for the events left in the Olympics they are not allowing the worlds best to compete. For example one sprinter per country.

 

[samuelleague]

Removing individual pursuit is the most annoying thing to happen to cycling in a long time. I see how they may think sprint is more interesting, but it isn't. I'm probably a bit biased since i'm from New Zealand so they've taken to guaranteed medals away from us but still, i find it more exciting than any other sport at the games. Big big shame, i hope it changes for Brazil. Also madison is another amazing event thats missing, need both of them back.

 

[unsheath]

The Individual pursuit to me is one of the purest events going round and Im still flabbergasted it got flicked especially when they've retained something like the bast*rd child that is the omnium. It should have been the first race retained.

On a brighter note. World Cup is in Melbourne starting Fri... Who's going??

 

[avanti]

Looking at the Melbourne schedule I don't see pursuit races (apart from the omnium). I'm sure this was in previous world cup events. Another stupid UCI decision.

 

[Skip Madness]

The changes made to the Olympic programme were excellent and necessary. Gender disparity was intolerable, and the IOC were so ridiculously stubborn about their idiotic medal quotas that some events had to go. Personally, I'd have gone with the points race and individual pursuit over the team sprint and omnium, but the UCI's choices were logical. The team sprint is an explosive event and it's easy to see how it could draw in television audiences. And the omnium is effectively now an excuse to have all of the endurance events in the Olympics for both genders, if for only one competitor.

The individual pursuit and the points race and the madison still exist, just not at the Olympics. Still there at the World Championships, and still there at the World Cups... or so I thought...

... and to me this is the scandalous bit. The World Cups are now running to an Olympic schedule, not a World Championships schedule. Meaning that now the endurance events in their pure form are only at the World Championships. That's a terrible mistake - the omnium being at the Olympics and World Championships I have no problem with, but it shouldn't be replacing great events on the bread and butter of the track season. The Olympics? Don't care - it should just be there to ensure the funding for real track cycling continues. But the World Cups should be part of that real track cycling, and in my opinion it's there where the UCI have truly ballsed up.

 

[Hugh Januss]

In light of the UCI's overall track record (no pun intended) wouldn't it be better to just have one thread in 'General' entitled "The UCI is killing Cycling"?

 

[The Hitch]

In light of the UCI's overall track record (no pun intended) wouldn't it be better to just have one thread in 'General' entitled "The UCI is killing Cycling"?

Other than the clinic stuff, how else would you say that the UCI are killing cycling?
Creating PT?
Giving points to some races but not others?

 

[samuelleague]

First off....
Skip Madness, nobody's going to argue about the gender inequality and all that, but i don't see why there can't be more than 10 events at the Olympics, I don't care whether it's the IOC or UCI that decided that but it makes no sense.

Second....
I love how each nation can only send one athlete per event, more events should be like this. It's worked wonderfully well for rowing and it should work great here too. It'll also help cycling to expand into many more countries like Thailand (who were at the World Cup this week) and New Zealand (who have a great chance to be right up there with GBR and AUS).

Third....
I now love the Omnium, Go Shane Archbold.

 

[avanti]

Former world champ Moreno Argentin says:
".....These days the only thing that seems to matter is the UCI and its business....... The track is dead and buried and the road is going the same way....."
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/argentin-hits-out-at-contador-and-the-uci

 

[nikole.957]

The Six Days are sanctioned by the UCI, and UCI points are awarded.

I reckon its shameful whats happening to the track programme as its nothing short of a disgrace. Its a golden era of fantastic pursuit riders and many of them turn into great road racers but some dummy at the UCI has "decided" to scrap endurance events just in time for the London Olympics. Mcquaid should hang his head in shame.

 

[LugHugger]

Second....
I love how each nation can only send one athlete per event, more events should be like this. It's worked wonderfully well for rowing and it should work great here too. It'll also help cycling to expand into many more countries like Thailand (who were at the World Cup this week) and New Zealand (who have a great chance to be right up there with GBR and AUS).

The previous system did NOT exclude Thailand or New Zealand from sending competitors. Anybody wishing to ride an event will still have to achieve an entry standard. This is why most events have heats.

Excluding a high proportion of the best riders does nothing to improve the sport only drag in towards the median.

 

[Ferminal]

So... Rasmussen is gone now, that follows on from Trav Meyer and Leigh Howard.

Phinney could be next.

Bobridge, Cam Meyer, Sergent (no doubt a raft of others too) all gone after London.

Will younger guys like Parker and Durbridge still compete on the track for four years (at the detriment of promising road careers) just so they can race the TP in 2016?

 

[Hawkwood]

The Kilo

In my opinion the rot set in when they killed off the Kilometre. Here was a pure event in the original spirit of the Olympics dumped because of schedules. Okay I'm a Brit so some would say you would say that wouldn't you? But the Kilometre always received good TV coverage in the UK before we won anything at it, simply because it was an easy event to understand, explosive and at times very exciting.