Tour of Beijing - World Tour - Say what?

[Dekker_Tifosi]

New World Tour calender

World Tour kalender 2011:
18.01.2011 23.01.2011 Tour Down Under AUS
06.03.2011 13.03.2011 Paris - Nice FRA *
09.03.2011 15.03.2011 Tirreno-Adriatico ITA *
19.03.2011 19.03.2011 Milano-Sanremo ITA *
21.03.2011 27.03.2011 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya ESP
27.03.2011 27.03.2011 Gent - Wevelgem BEL
03.04.2011 03.04.2011 Ronde van Vlaanderen / Tour des Flandres BEL
04.04.2011 09.04.2011 Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco ESP
10.04.2011 10.04.2011 Paris - Roubaix FRA *
17.04.2011 17.04.2011 Amstel Gold Race NED
20.04.2011 20.04.2011 La Flèche Wallonne BEL *
24.04.2011 24.04.2011 Liège - Bastogne - Liège BEL *
26.04.2011 01.05.2011 Tour de Romandie SUI
07.05.2011 29.05.2011 Giro d'Italia ITA *
05.06.2011 12.06.2011 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré FRA
11.06.2011 19.06.2011 Tour de Suisse SUI
02.07.2011 24.07.2011 Tour de France FRA *
30.07.2011 30.07.2011 Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian - San Sebastian ESP
31.07.2011 06.08.2011 Tour de Pologne POL
08.08.2011 14.08.2011 Eneco Tour ---
20.08.2011 11.09.2011 Vuelta a España ESP *
21.08.2011 21.08.2011 Vattenfall Cyclassics GER
28.08.2011 28.08.2011 GP Ouest France - Plouay FRA
09.09.2011 09.09.2011 Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec CAN
11.09.2011 11.09.2011 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal CAN
05.10.2011 09.10.2011 Tour of Beijing **
15.10.2011 15.10.2011 Giro di Lombardia ITA *

Any idea how *** this is?

 

[Michele]

That's quiet surprising and unexpected; China might have a huge amount of money but not ready yet for pro cycling.

 

[joy118118]

What's this?! nothing about it on Chinese media.

and it is a five-day race！Oh, big news!

but i dont see it will work well. China doesnt need big races. Qinghai Lake and Tour of China are enough. It is too early to try to get moeny from China, Pat.

 

[avanti]

My understanding is that the UCI now promotes/demotes teams based on their success in these UCI Tour races. In other words a team may have to compete in Bejing to score points even though their sponsors do not have a commercial interest in China.

 

[joy118118]

My understanding is that the UCI now promotes/demotes teams based on their success in these UCI Tour races. In other words a team may have to compete in Bejing to score points even though their sponsors do not have a commercial interest in China.

But why China? cycling is a very undeveloped sport in China. Road races are not understood. Too most people it only means traffic controls and they HATE it. 5-7th Oct are the end of a vacation. Traffic controls will be disasters. I still remember the road race of Olympics in 2008. It was not a happy memory. UCI should wait until this sport becomes more popular and the sponsors are glad to get into the sport.

 

[Kvinto]

Is this for 2011-2012 calendar? If this is true... it can be funny, even too funny. But why only Beijing? It must be Tour of China, 3 month long with some uphill finishes at Himalayas, maybe Everest Base Camp?

 

[roundabout]

http://www.europeloton.com/2009/01/tour-of-sochi-to-bring-pro-tour-to.html

 

[El Pistolero]

But why China? cycling is a very undeveloped sport in China. Road races are not understood. Too most people it only means traffic controls and they HATE it. 5-7th Oct are the end of a vacation. Traffic controls will be disasters. I still remember the road race of Olympics in 2008. It was not a happy memory. UCI should wait until this sport becomes more popular and the sponsors are glad to get into the sport.

So what?
It's not like the country has a democracy or something. It wouldn't be the first time China send in their army to crush a -peaceful- protest.

 

[theyoungest]

So what?
It's not like the country has a democracy or something. It wouldn't be the first time China send in their army to crush a -peaceful- protest.

Are you trying to teach the Chinese about their own country?

 

[Mellow Velo]

Hope it's more successful than that Russian tour they tried to add, a few years back.
With this World calender, teams will be forced to sell even more of the bikes, just to cover the costs of travel.
Maybe the Chinese can hand out free samples to the teams?

 

[El Pistolero]

Are you trying to teach the Chinese about their own country?

They'd learn a thing or two.

Ask any Chinese(that still lives in China) about the riot at the Tiananmen square in 1989. They won't know what the hell you're talking about. It's quite funny how little Chinese know about their country's political history.

 

[ak-zaaf]

So what?
It's not like the country has a democracy or something. It wouldn't be the first time China send in their army to crush a -peaceful- protest.

STFU plz....

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Free Gen-doping samples?

 

[El Pistolero]

Why is everyone so against this by the way? Sure, cycling will probably never become popular in China(as a sport). Not even football is popular there and they invented it.

The race will have some beautiful scenery if they pick a good course. And we all know (mainland) China will do anything to show its beauty to the rest of the world. Can't wait to watch it, although I doubt any channel here will broadcast it.

 

[theyoungest]

They'd learn a thing or two.

Ask any Chinese(that still lives in China) about the riot at the Tiananmen square in 1989. They won't know what the hell you're talking about. It's quite funny how little Chinese know about their country's political history.

The poster responded to is Chinese, you beacon of intelligence and thoughtfulness.

 

[ak-zaaf]

Why is everyone so against this by the way? Sure, cycling will probably never become popular in China(as a sport). Not even football is popular there and they invented it.

The race will have some beautiful scenery if they pick a good course. And we all know (mainland) China will do anything to show its beauty to the rest of the world. Can't wait to watch it, although I doubt any channel here will broadcast it.

I think it's a bad idea to force teams to go there at the end of the season.
They should have introduced this before the Beijng olympics or an East Asian based world championships, so teams would have gone there anyway and there would have been a good field. Then build form that.

 

[El Pistolero]

The poster responded to is Chinese, you beacon of intelligence and thoughtfulness.

You should know then that angry people won't stop the Chinese government of organizing such a race. But I was clearly talking about Chinese people still living in China(with the exception of Macau and Hong Kong). Censor is pretty high there, so it's only normal that they're ignorant about a lot of things of their own country.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Once again, the attempt at a revolution from above. What do you think is more inspiring, watching the second stringers from all the top teams (the top guys will do some iteration of the Worlds and Lombardia, and the jetlag of flying to and from China won't be part of that preparation) probably annihilate local riders? Or having a less quality field with some top teams but having the local riders, with their abilities against better quality opposition having been honed by a national calendar and races like Hainan and Qinghai Lake, being able to actually fight for the race, even if not win it - a bit like Rutkiewicz's eternal struggle for the Tour de Pologne podium?

The other real issue with this is that more of the flyaway races should be grouped together - like in F1 - to make it more feasible to do with one set of riders, support staff and equipment. Putting them sporadically around the calendar then making them compulsory is a surefire way to alienate loyal sponsors who can't afford to put more money in (such as Euskaltel, Lotto or Lampre) in favour of big money sponsors whose stay in the sport may prove evanescent.

 

[theyoungest]

You should know then that angry people won't stop the Chinese government of organizing such a race. But I was clearly talking about Chinese people still living in China(with the exception of Macau and Hong Kong). Censor is pretty high there, so it's only normal that they're ignorant about a lot of things of their own country.

I give up.

 

[ingsve]

I think the cost of flying there will be a burden, they should at least combine it with Tour of Japan. The fields will likely be third string for some teams but I'm thinking that teams that have had a less than stellar year that are looking for points for the next year could have some good success there.

I wonder what type of course they will be going for. If it's all around Beijing then I guess it can't be all mountains at least so probably a fair bit of sprinting.

I also like the addition of a stage race at this point in the season. With the exception of the Vuelta there aren't that many interesting stage races after august.

Also it's funny that Tour of Beijing is a stage race while Tour of Japan is a one-day race.

 

[Barrus]

Sod off with the politics of China. Really we could have an entire debate, but I'm not having it. In way too many threads of late politics start crop up and it never ends well. SO stop with the politics talk. If you want to talk about it, go the the cafe.


But anyway, it is great that they try to at least bring in some Asian races. But what I will wonder about is how good the possible coverage will be. In general with asian races it is very difficult to get anything about them. And I do agree with Ingsve is that they could best lump it together with the tour of Japan and perhaps one or two other Asian races, as the way it is now handled it will not really gain any popularity with the riders and teams at least.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

You're thinking of the Japan Cup. The Tour of Japan is in May, 2.2 rated and a week long. It was won this year by Cristiano Salerno of De Rosa-Stac Plastic.

 

[ingsve]

You're thinking of the Japan Cup. The Tour of Japan is in May, 2.2 rated and a week long. It was won this year by Cristiano Salerno of De Rosa-Stac Plastic.

Ah ya you're right. I though it looked strange when I wrote it.

 

[Michele]

As Joy said, China is not ready for pro cycling yet.
Plus which asian team would take part? There's no Pro Conti team from Asia.
Probably a chinese national team, like it happens with Tour Down Under?

 

[Mellow Velo]

Free Gen-doping samples?

Right lines.
The substance I was thinking of has 3 letters and begins and ends with "H".