ToCA top ten list

[armstrong4ever]

Bob Stapleton (Team Manager, Columbia HTC)

In my opinion California is a Grand Tour now. It has the world’s ninth largest economy directly behind France. The race will be televised in over 100 countries it has a broad following in Europe already. The concentration of these fantastic races in a 90-day period is pretty fantastic for the sport. You’re going to see the world’s eyes on cycling.

 

[janus1969]

Damn man, you should know by now that we like our beer warm and with some kind of taste. Not that I care since I'd rather have a whisky anyway.

This...I'm a Speysider meself, but that likely just proves I'm a dumb American.

...a truckload of american fans were 100% convinced that the Coors Classic (that was at the time in the same situation California is in now) was on its way to being the biggest race in the world.

Guess how that turned out

There...fixed it for you!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Most of the major sponsors have interests in California.

Pretty much all of the sponsors who have enough interest in California to send a team there are there this year. That means no Caisse d'Epargne, no French teams, no Italian teams (Liquigas are there, but do Liquigas have interest over there? And besides, as long as it clashes with the Giro you'll only ever get Liqui's second-stringers), no Lotto, no Spanish teams, no Milram... as long as you're lacking participation from at least two of the three GT countries, and have only limited Low Countries participation, and not even Sky, whose owner is in charge of FOX and has huge interests in the US, then claiming to be on a par with the likes of the Dauphiné is simply a gross overstatement.

 

[issoisso]

Liquigas are there, but do Liquigas have interest over there?

Cannondale. Team manager Amadio didn't like to be forced to send a team, so he sent that brilliant squad of no-names.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Cannondale. Team manager Amadio didn't like to be forced to send a team, so he sent that brilliant squad of no-names.

Once it's ProTour I can imagine half the teams will adopt that approach. Catalunya was fine, being within easy reach, but with most of the teams based in Europe, and losing a few days either side to jet lag, I expect any teams without explicit US interests will send over neo-pros and no-names because the race will be pretty useless to them, with little exposure in Europe and clashing with a lot of races that will be important to them (Tour of Belgium for some, Picardie for others, Bavaria for yet others).

 

[tgsgirl]

Cannondale. Team manager Amadio didn't like to be forced to send a team, so he sent that brilliant squad of no-names.

Dwars door Vlaanderen at least had the guts to take back BMC's wildcard when they showed up with a third-tier team. Guess Cali don't have that luxury.

 

[armstrong4ever]

Cannondale. Team manager Amadio didn't like to be forced to send a team, so he sent that brilliant squad of no-names.

Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali (if Pellizotti wasn't taken out of Giro) are no-names ?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Peter Sagan is a neo-pro, no matter how successful a neo-pro he's been. He wasn't about to be riding the Giro. Nibali was there as a sop to the sponsors and to get some mileage in the legs while Pellizotti and Basso were intended to be fighting for the Giro.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Bob Stapleton (Team Manager, Columbia HTC)

In my opinion California is a Grand Tour now. It has the world’s ninth largest economy directly behind France. The race will be televised in over 100 countries it has a broad following in Europe already. The concentration of these fantastic races in a 90-day period is pretty fantastic for the sport. You’re going to see the world’s eyes on cycling.

keep the bs coming bob!

 

[joy118118]

Bob Stapleton (Team Manager, Columbia HTC)

In my opinion California is a Grand Tour now. It has the world’s ninth largest economy directly behind France. The race will be televised in over 100 countries it has a broad following in Europe already. The concentration of these fantastic races in a 90-day period is pretty fantastic for the sport. You’re going to see the world’s eyes on cycling.

Well, Bob is a businessman. Dont take his words too seriously. In HTC, you should listen to what Aldag said about cycling.

 

[Cobblestones]

Bob Stapleton (Team Manager, Columbia HTC)

In my opinion California is a Grand Tour now. It has the world’s ninth largest economy directly behind France.

If that's what counts, Tour of Qinghai Lake is the winner.

 

[armstrong4ever]

If that's what counts, Tour of Qinghai Lake is the winner.

Qinghai is a very poor Province in the west part of China.

 

[Mellow Velo]

I think today's Giro stage, for those of us fortunate to witness it, shows what it takes to make the grandest of Grand Tours so special and why historical value cannot be bought.........at any price.
We will be talking about May 15th, 2010, for years to come.
Epic, in racing terms, but also unique.

 

[Cobblestones]

Qinghai is a very poor Province in the west part of China.

So what, it's China. More than 1 billion people. Largest exporter of goods. Tons of bicycles.

 

[tgsgirl]

So what, it's China. Tons of bicycles.

Nine million in Beijing alone, right?

 

[The Sheep]

Nine million in Beijing alone, right?

that's a fact

 

[tgsgirl]

that's a fact

Yup. A thing you can't deny.

 

[Bag_O_Wallet]

Bob Stapleton (Team Manager, Columbia HTC)

In my opinion California is a Grand Tour now. It has the world’s ninth largest economy directly behind France. The race will be televised in over 100 countries it has a broad following in Europe already. The concentration of these fantastic races in a 90-day period is pretty fantastic for the sport. You’re going to see the world’s eyes on cycling.

Don't pi$$ in our ears and tell us that it's raining, Bob. The idea that it's a Grand Tour will serve to hype a Rogers win or explain why he lost.

Unless the cycling world changes a great deal, we're not going to have any real big races with longevity in North America - let alone a freakin' Grand Tour. We'll probably continue to have a rotating carousel of the next big thing because the cost of luring and transporting top stars and their teams across the Atlantic eventually becomes prohibitive.

 

[issoisso]

Don't pi$$ in our ears and tell us that it's raining, Bob. The idea that it's a Grand Tour will serve to hype a Rogers win or explain why he lost.

Not at all.

He's american and he has an american sponsor. Mostly the second reason.

Look at his face when he says stuff like that to the cameras. It's very clear even he doesn't believe for a second what he's saying.

 

[flicker]

how about me ? can i ?

before i hear your permission i'll tell you that toc has no future. i mean protour future.

it will shrink back to the local competition status as the current generation of american pros who are in their late 30th retires. only a small number of european riders will ever be interested in a race oceans away from the center of their competition and base. california is a nice state with very active sporting tradition. but cycle racing is and always will be based in europe and the major sponsors will not allow it to change.

I have been to the toc a few times and it is packed with spectators. My guess there is more interest fan wise here in Cali then some of the older established 1 week tours in Europe.

As long as yellow armband is around, interest here will spike.....and the European riders that I saw(I am in the back alleys with tHem) are all smiles 4 yrs. running.....

 

[flicker]

Pretty much all of the sponsors who have enough interest in California to send a team there are there this year. That means no Caisse d'Epargne, no French teams, no Italian teams (Liquigas are there, but do Liquigas have interest over there? And besides, as long as it clashes with the Giro you'll only ever get Liqui's second-stringers), no Lotto, no Spanish teams, no Milram... as long as you're lacking participation from at least two of the three GT countries, and have only limited Low Countries participation, and not even Sky, whose owner is in charge of FOX and has huge interests in the US, then claiming to be on a par with the likes of the Dauphiné is simply a gross overstatement.

The thing is we do not care if the first stringers from Leaky are here. In my opinion it is the biggest race in America. People all over the world look up to California, the Golden State. Plus what healthy top tier euro pro/second stringer would not want to check out some cali tail... really guys line up your ducks....

 

[flicker]

keep the bs coming bob!

No matter what Cali a more competitive race then the TdU boss....

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The thing is we do not care if the first stringers from Leaky are here. In my opinion it is the biggest race in America. People all over the world look up to California, the Golden State. Plus what healthy top tier euro pro/second stringer would not want to check out some cali tail... really guys line up your ducks....

It is the biggest (cycling) race in America. But that doesn't mean it's as big as the third biggest race in France, or the biggest race in Switzerland, just because the US is a stronger economy. The fans were deep and the riders happy in the other editions, but that was February before the season starts to take any toll. I'm sure the riders will still be happy to be there, but that won't mean that they'll be as proud to have California on the palmarès as Romandie. And if it's meant to be TdF prep it should stop being a race designed for a TT specialist to win, huh?

As to your Cali Tail, last time I checked, Europe had Spain, Portugal, Italy and Poland in it. I think we do fine for 'tail', and I can probably have a more intelligent conversation with most of them even if we can't speak one another's languages...

 

[flicker]

It is the biggest (cycling) race in America. But that doesn't mean it's as big as the third biggest race in France, or the biggest race in Switzerland, just because the US is a stronger economy. The fans were deep and the riders happy in the other editions, but that was February before the season starts to take any toll. I'm sure the riders will still be happy to be there, but that won't mean that they'll be as proud to have California on the palmarès as Romandie. And if it's meant to be TdF prep it should stop being a race designed for a TT specialist to win, huh?

As to your Cali Tail, last time I checked, Europe had Spain, Portugal, Italy and Poland in it. I think we do fine for 'tail', and I can probably have a more intelligent conversation with most of them even if we can't speak one another's languages...

We in Cali no not of these races Romandie.Is that perhaps in the homeland of the Gypsies? Are the gypsies not from India.

No seriously people are people. I do not like to go anywhere near the finishes of the ToC. It is a laugh for me to see European cyclists here.

I bet they see its kinda funny for them to be here too.

I do like to see those guys hammer it out though. Preferably in a pub where I can watch it on TV and step outside and watch it go by and then watch the finish on TV while chatting up a bird. That is civilized.

 

[hfer07]

Bob Stapleton (Team Manager, Columbia HTC)

In my opinion California is a Grand Tour now. It has the world’s ninth largest economy directly behind France. The race will be televised in over 100 countries it has a broad following in Europe already. The concentration of these fantastic races in a 90-day period is pretty fantastic for the sport. You’re going to see the world’s eyes on cycling.

that's by far the dumbest quote ever-it's not even worth arguing why

In my book-the warriors are in Italy while the pu$$ies & the cycling Snob are "warming up" in Cali