Tour of CA moved to May. Excellent.

[jaylew]

Just because the top teams come, doesn't necessarily mean they will bring their top riders.

Obviously. Every team won't but I'm sure a few will. I don't see it being a Dauphine-like field, but I'd rather see the Pro Tour teams than a bunch of domestics for the country's flagship race. Of course, that's just me. And even if you get most Euro teams "B" teams (which is by no means guaranteed), you still will have a race with an overall field quality higher than that of any race we've seen in the US in quite some time.

 

[jsmayer181]

In theory...

the move to may is great. But then again, the Pro Tour seemed like a really great idea in thoery, so we'll see how that goes.

I ran through some of the ToC/Giro conflicts from this years race on my blog, http://americanflyers.wordpress.com

 

[ElChingon]

ToC in May equates to death of ToC. A little rain is not a good reason to change the schedule, Feb is the best time as there is room in the schedule and early enough to entice the Euro's to actually come as they are either coming out of vacation and eventually as they get to the very South of Cali they can stay and train some more out of the Europe weather which is worse. Just ask Fabian the year he won MSR where he got his quality training that year. The May date is much to deep in the schedule for European riders to seriously head to the US for a week and a half and deal with the jet lag afterwards. Then there are the current May races on the US calendar already! So are the current May US based races to just fold because of the ToC? Will the local racers just not race to watch the ToC? (the majority of the ToC fans by the way and their families). I think most are forgetting the actual fans watching the ToC are US based racers who when the season is in full swing are racing as well and take their families to their races.

I predict the May date change will eventually be the downfall of the ToC and cause US based local races to take a financial hit during that time causing secondary damage to the US Racing Scene especially in California.

If anything a better date would be after the Giro and before the Tour? If there is any change to the date. I'd prefer it stay where it was originally. There have only been rain stages in the past two years, before that it was dry as can be, its called weather and there is no prediction it won't rain in May, which it did this year in Cali.

 

[benpounder]

We will be head-to-head with the Giro but frankly I don't think that will really affect us," Messick said. "The Giro is a great race, but very few cyclists who are serious about the Tour de France will also race the Giro."

What a bonehead! Yeah, some of the top riders do not ride the Giro in prep for the Tour, but their teams still do. What Euro based team is going to strip it's top domestiques out of the Giro to race where there is no significance for sponsors? Lampre and Liquigas are right out of course, but with other European races going in in Belgium, Spain, Germany etc, will Quickstep, RaboBank, Euskaltel, Caisse d'Eparnge, AG2R, Cofidis, FdJ, Milram and others really want to send a quality team to the states? Just to support a TdF wannabe on a training ride?

We will see, but other than a few top US riders, I think the next ToC will have a much weaker field top to bottom.

 

[Dr. Wattini]

The original article says that the race will be ProTour in 2011. ProTour teams are required to enter all ProTour races.

Hey now,
agree, but does that mean that those pro tour teams will bring their top tier riders?

 

[duffski]

any speculation as to this mountain top finish? somewhere in the sierras or coastal range? my guess is it would have to be in a small town or ski resort to accomodate everything.
i think the dates are great, makes it much easier to follow for people wanting to watch multiple stages and also ride some of the courses before the start each morning. if they can entice the best riders that aren't going to the giro then it will be huge. it'll just take lots of money.

 

[mr. tibbs]

Obviously. Every team won't but I'm sure a few will. I don't see it being a Dauphine-like field, but I'd rather see the Pro Tour teams than a bunch of domestics for the country's flagship race. Of course, that's just me. And even if you get most Euro teams "B" teams (which is by no means guaranteed), you still will have a race with an overall field quality higher than that of any race we've seen in the US in quite some time.

I dunno, this year's ToC had a pretty top-of-the-line field.

 

[andrew]

As a resident of Northern California, I feel like the past two Tours have given this area a pretty bad rap, weather-wise. February is always rainy. May should be much more palatable: the stages in the north will actually be BETTER (weather-wise) than the stages in the south!

 

[pmcg76]

If the TofC is gonna be ProTour, it raises some serious questions. I agree Cataluyna will have to move again, non sense to have 3 Pro Tour events running cuncurrently. Maybe this is a prelude to the Vuelta being moved back to spring and the Cataluyna race going back to September, its original date.

After all the fuss about the Tour of the Gila, the opposite will happen in this case, none of the US domestic teams other than BMC would be entitled to compete as Pro Continental teams cannot compete in ProTour events as far as I know. If all ProTour teams attend, there wouldnt be much room for many other teams anyway.

The quality will improve but I am not sure how many teams would be happy sending their top non-Giro riders to the US mid-season. As for the French teams and the likes of Euskaltel etc, they wouldnt have any interests in the US so would likely send their B teams. It would probably be the likes of Garmin, Columbia, Lance team, Saxo-Bank going for the win.

 

[Animal]

As a resident of Northern California, I feel like the past two Tours have given this area a pretty bad rap, weather-wise. February is always rainy. May should be much more palatable: the stages in the north will actually be BETTER (weather-wise) than the stages in the south!

Unless you want to send them where there will be great roads but no spectators!

I did the Death Valley Double in February, and it was lovely and warm. The Eastern Sierra doesn't get much love from outsiders, but it's the most fantastic scenery.

Most multi-day stage races are to a large extent about publicizing an area. The Eastern Sierra could do with some..... actually, scratch that. Keep it quiet in case I ever go back!

 

[slowoldman]

ToC in May equates to death of ToC. A little rain is not a good reason to change the schedule, Feb is the best time as there is room in the schedule and early enough to entice the Euro's to actually come as they are either coming out of vacation and eventually as they get to the very South of Cali they can stay and train some more out of the Europe weather which is worse. Just ask Fabian the year he won MSR where he got his quality training that year. The May date is much to deep in the schedule for European riders to seriously head to the US for a week and a half and deal with the jet lag afterwards. Then there are the current May races on the US calendar already! So are the current May US based races to just fold because of the ToC? Will the local racers just not race to watch the ToC? (the majority of the ToC fans by the way and their families). I think most are forgetting the actual fans watching the ToC are US based racers who when the season is in full swing are racing as well and take their families to their races.

I predict the May date change will eventually be the downfall of the ToC and cause US based local races to take a financial hit during that time causing secondary damage to the US Racing Scene especially in California.

I agree almost word for word with your views ElChingon. The primary viewership of the TOC is amateur racers and their families, excluding the Lance factor of this year, and we want to see quality fields. To the new fan, B squads will be fascinating, to folks who follow cycling it will be a diluted field plain and simple. To compete head to head with the Giro is suicide. The Euros will not come, or will not send their A game which will lead to further declining interest in the TOC. It might not even make it until 2011.

I do hope I am wrong though.

 

[Returnofthewolf]

I dont think Ive ever seen a forum with so many whiners and complainers, spanning far and wide on ANY topic. Day after day of baseless pontificating ie; VERY uninformed.

The weather in Feb. can be TERRIBLE as we have seen. The stages and the weather in May will be mind blowing. The quality of the field will be stellar.

I just hope the Pro Tour teams come a few weeks early so they can crush all those weak cat1's at Tour of the Gila.

Suck it whiners.

 

[hfer07]

Just because the top teams come, doesn't necessarily mean they will bring their top riders.

the enormous success of the 2009 TOC was indeed the participation of "Elite Riders & ProTour Teams" as the main event to Launch the Cycling calender. if the date changes, the TOC will loose its purpose. Perhaps the shift in date should be set somewhere in between the spring classics or some overlap with Castilla y Leon or Vuelta al pais Basco.

 

[jaylew]

I agree almost word for word with your views ElChingon. The primary viewership of the TOC is amateur racers and their families, excluding the Lance factor of this year, and we want to see quality fields. To the new fan, B squads will be fascinating, to folks who follow cycling it will be a diluted field plain and simple. To compete head to head with the Giro is suicide. The Euros will not come, or will not send their A game which will lead to further declining interest in the TOC. I might not even make it until 2011.

I do hope I am wrong though.

I think that's ridiculous. It's not like the ToC is 3 weeks long. One week-long SR in May is not going to decrease viewership. Certainly not because there are already a bunch of amateur races in May. It might actually increase viewership b/c the weather will be better(possibly). And B squads? It's not like we're getting all the top squads with their top riders all vying for GC every year. It's the top American riders just like it will be when it moves. And after 2010, the middle of the pack/back of the pack will be stronger b/c it will be almost all ProTour teams(even if many bring their mid-level riders).

Now, I agree, next year's race might see a dropoff in quality of field.

 

[ElChingon]

I dont think Ive ever seen a forum with so many whiners and complainers, spanning far and wide on ANY topic. Day after day of baseless pontificating ie; VERY uninformed.

The weather in Feb. can be TERRIBLE as we have seen. The stages and the weather in May will be mind blowing. The quality of the field will be stellar.

I just hope the Pro Tour teams come a few weeks early so they can crush all those weak cat1's at Tour of the Gila.

Suck it whiners.

Doesn't your post totally go against your own statements? You're whining about the whiners...

 

[franciep10]

I tried to watch TOC this year it was awful there was hardly any race footage after a while I just tuned out and waited on the results, personally i'm happier that it's in May

 

[Returnofthewolf]

Doesn't your post totally go against your own statements? You're whining about the whiners...

No. I was yelling and pounding the table, and eating a very large Ghengis Khan style drumstick. C'mon man, even a forumtard can figure out the difference between "whining" and "stfu".

Not to mention, I have one post to every 50 stupid things I read.

Lemme guess, your next zinger is gonna be "Well why do you come here then?" A. Bored, masochist.

 

[slowoldman]

Not to mention, I have one post to every 50 stupid things I read.

Let's hope it stays that way.

 

[ElChingon]

No. I was yelling and pounding the table, and eating a very large Ghengis Khan style drumstick. C'mon man, even a forumtard can figure out the difference between "whining" and "stfu".

Not to mention, I have one post to every 50 stupid things I read.

Lemme guess, your next zinger is gonna be "Well why do you come here then?" A. Bored, masochist.

No, I still stand by my you're a whiners whiner.

 

[davidw]

We will be head-to-head with the Giro but frankly I don't think that will really affect us," Messick said. "The Giro is a great race, but very few cyclists who are serious about the Tour de France will also race the Giro."

Who is that guy? Did he miss the trend that more and more riders use the giro as a warm up for the TdF?

He might have missed a few names who were serious about both the Giro and Tour, like Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain.

 

[Pietro]

He might have missed a few names who were serious about both the Giro and Tour, like Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain.

Stephen Roche also.

 

[Returnofthewolf]

Let's hope it stays that way.

Heheh, now THAT was a good one.

El Chingon, youre still wrong bud.

Anyway, the point is the TOC organizers have done a tremendous job growing the event. The move to May is great for the race.

 

[ElChingon]

Anyway, the point is the TOC organizers have done a tremendous job growing the event. The move to May is great for the race.

Great for it (ToC) but not SoCal Racing in general, which in the long term will be bad for ToC. You have to remember Cali is not Europe, there are not millions of fans that don't ride/race, ToC will eat into its bread and butter and lose the local fans/support eventually.

Cali the same state that let go of two of its Pro Football (American Football) teams without a tear.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I think May will be better than February, but I'm really surprised no one has wondered out loud why the race wasn't moved to August or June. Here's why:

• In August it would come right after all the excitement from the Tour. In June, right before.

• Every road in the state would be snow free. So all the great climbs in the Sierras, the climb up Mt. Shasta, etc.

• In August it would compete with the boring Eneco Tour.

The negatives are that a lot of riders rest after the Tour. But we'd still see a lot there. In June, it would compete with either Dauphine or Suisse. The other neg is the heat in the valley and south in August, where most of the people are.

While the Sierras (eastern side) are definitely the spectacular mountain scenery that would really showcase the state, and look a lot like the GT's of Europe (and probably the hardest cluster of big climbs in North America, including some HC climbs) the problem is that they are hundreds of miles away from population centers. I don't see the TOC going into the Eastern Sierras or Shasta/Lassen for some time, maybe never. However, we will in May see climbs such as those up Mt. Wilson, Mineral King, Old Priest Grade, Mt. Baldy, Crystal Lake, Table Mountain, etc. All of which could end in Category 1 or 2 uphill finishes.

If the TOC ever moved to the Sierras, we'd really be in for a treat. Onion Valley Road, Sabina Basin, Minaret Summit, Sonora Pass, Whitney Portal, many, many more spectacular, giant climbs.

 

[bianchigirl]

It's only really in the Armstrong era that top riders stopped riding the Giro as warm up for the Tour, or in an effort to do the Double - the last Double was only 1998 and Basso stated it as an intention after that. In fact, in recent years there seems to have been a move back to racing miles over 'training/preparation' miles. And to assume that the PT squads (should the PT still exist) will pull their best riders and support crews out of the middle of the European season and one of the major races of the season to use the ToC as primary preparation for the Tour seems extraodinary. Not only are the logistics ridiculous but the route will need to change hugely - at the moment it's a bunch of crits with a few climbs and no MTF - though I realise that, in the better weather, the ski stations are open giving more scope to the route.