Tour of Hangzhou added to WorldTour

[Mellow Velo]

Mark_Renshaw Mark Renshaw
So another race in October, just great... Teams struggle to fill races after July.

Is the Tour really that b*ll busting?
In which case teams should struggle to fill races after the Giro.
Depends how one views racing in January, I suppose.

WT F the rankings!

 

[Midnightfright]

Thank god its been added I think this is exactly what we'be all been waiting for.

 

[Kvinto]

Thank god its been added I think this is exactly what we'be all been waiting for.

waiting for the end of season?

 

[T-Nielsen]

I don't mind the UCI trying to spread cycling interest and grow the sport. The problem is, that they seem to be harming cycling, in the countries were it is already a big deal, in the process.

 

[jens_attacks]

lol wut?please don't tell me this is gonna take place instead of that race in medellin,colombia.outrageoussss!!!!

if not,it's ok.it's one more race for us when in the past the season was already finished.but they better find some mountains there.

 

[El Pistolero]

lol wut?please don't tell me this is gonna take place instead of that race in medellin,colombia.outrageoussss!!!!

if not,it's ok.it's one more race for us when in the past the season was already finished.but they better find some mountains there.

As if Pro teams need another crappy WT race right now. They already need to deal with 2 crappy Chinese races. If they add another WT event this year out of nowhere in Columbia it would be even worse... Good way to drive out all the sponsors. Let's add 3 more WT races the year after that as well while not increasing team size

 

[Mellow Velo]

I have heard him on 2 different stages going on about the Tour of Taiwan. Can anyone tell me what this race is like. Maybe you Ferminal.

Here you go, this should clear it up!
http://tourdetaiwan.org.tw/cycling/TourdeTaiwan2012_eng/index.php

Anyhow, it's 2.1 and not in February, but slap bang in the middle of Paris-Nice-Tirreno-Adriatico.
So why on earth we are getting this live is a mystery.

 

[gustienordic]

Is this some sort of joke. I am livid with this.

This gets WT but Langkawi doesnt. Never mind setting up new races. There is enough of races out there and all the UCI need to do is promote them to WT. Why dont they promote San Luis to cover South America instead of setting up some new race there.

I said this many times before but McQuaid is a liability to this sport and the sooner he goes the better. He is only interested in building up the UCI`s coffers through these boring.

For crying out loud he even spoke about reducing the Vuelta and Giro so he can have room in the calender for these races.

McQuaid needs to get kicked out lol.

But in all seriousness, this is bull ****. Teams already struggle to make ends meet alot of the time. McQuaid, if your going to pull this, then give the teams some for money from TV, etc.

 

[Afrank]

What exactly is Pat Mcquaid's obsession with Asia? Why not instead of creating new races the UCI promote the races we already have like the tour de san luis, and the US Pro Challenge. We don't need any more boring stage races where it's a sprint every day.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

They have twitter
tourofhangzhou Tour of Hangzhou
We very proud UCI choose China as growth nation for global cycling. We admire ethics and respect media public relations excellence.

tourofhangzhou Tour of Hangzhou
We thank UCI make all great cyclists come to Hangzhou after make visit Beijing. Your careful steps keep tiny grass invariably green

 

[El Pistolero]

I seriously cant wait.

The UCI should be embarassed to call this a WT race. The next thing you know McQuaid will knock off one of the European races from WT to free up space in the calender for these races.

If that happens

I wouldnt put it past him.

I hope he starts with Vattenvall Cyclassics

 

[Ulle Relaxes]

What exactly is Pat Mcquaid's obsession with Asia? Why not instead of creating new races the UCI promote the races we already have like the tour de san luis, and the US Pro Challenge. We don't need any more boring stage races where it's a sprint every day.

To be more specific China. It is of course about growth and money.

 

[cabbagetom]

This race could be fantastic, it could be a cross of so many brilliant things. For a start, the weather should be warm but with a refreshing sea-breeze (perhaps the Nice part of Paris-Nice), it will be autumn and the rich red leaves on the banks of Xihu west lake will create a wonderful visual sight (Tour of Lombardy).
The race could quite easily extend westwards towards Huangshan mountain range which reaches thousands of feet high (The steepest slopes of the Vuelta, with more striking scenery). Roads are mostly narrow in Hangzhou, so police will be unable to stop spectators, hence there should be a good intimate atmosphere (Paris-Roubaix) The food will be delicious for those there in person(Giro d'Italia) although perhaps clenbuterol laced (A tour of Mexico??).And all of this with an Oriental backdrop of temples, bridges, and pagodas.

So to conclude, this race could be fantastic. But past experience tells us that the UCI will make the parcours resemble something like 5 consecutive days around the Hangzhou's CBD. Such a pity...

 

[AntonioRossi]

another screw up by the UCI...making the season again longer. Teams were upset last year because Tour of Beijing was added to WT because it made the year longer. But teams have to go to get WT points in order to get a license. Did the UCI not learn anything from last year???
Such nonsense.

 

[kurtinsc]

another screw up by the UCI...making the season again longer. Teams were upset last year because Tour of Beijing was added to WT because it made the year longer. But teams have to go to get WT points in order to get a license. Did the UCI not learn anything from last year???
Such nonsense.

Well, it looks like they learned that teams would show up in order to go get WT points in order to get a license.

On the flip side, when I googled images for Hangzhou, it looks like it would be possible to have some nice climbs. No idea how good the roads are in the mountains though.

 

[greenedge]

If this is similar to Beijing i am not watching. The UCI has already invested in these areas enough ( now just let the region develop ) and see if the populace have any interest.

 

[Dancing On The Pedals]

What exactly is Pat Mcquaid's obsession with Asia?

$$$

What annoys me is that in the last few weeks, we have had some of the Spanish races having to cut days or cancel all together because of funding issues, but rather than get those back on their feet, the UCI bring in another race in China. Surely it would be better if they looked after what they had first?

 

[wirral]

Upgrade Langkawi to WT status is the obvious solution.

However the stated goal of spreading cycling throughout Asia & the world is actually not the real goal which is to bring in cash, most probably to Global Cycling Promotions, the UCI's elite's slush fund.

I can see the team's kicking up about this. It will cost them a lot to transport equipment and riders over there but they'll have to go under UCI rules and they are tied into the point-grabbing thing.

 

[jens_attacks]

Adam Hansen @HansenAdam Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
Problems in Cycling R TV rights dont go 2 teams/federations. UCI races Bejing/Hangzhou will be money in our pockets 1day #support #GoodThing

what i was thinking.
it was the same last year with beijing otherwise the teams wouldn't have gone there.well at least mcquaid gives some money to the riders.
still i hope the colombian world tour project doesnt' fail.and i hope they put some mountains in this one.

 

[pastronef]

can the swiss, french, italian, german, austrian forum members meet in Aigle on a Sunday morning and make some noise in front of the Uci offices?

i am italian, we can contact the weight weenies, veloptimal, bdc-forum cicloweb forum and many other forums

we can spread the word on twitter, talk to Enzo Vicennati, Daniel Benson, Inrng

is this doable?

 

[movingtarget]

The cashed up Chinese can get what they want at the moment.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

This race could be fantastic, it could be a cross of so many brilliant things. For a start, the weather should be warm but with a refreshing sea-breeze (perhaps the Nice part of Paris-Nice), it will be autumn and the rich red leaves on the banks of Xihu west lake will create a wonderful visual sight (Tour of Lombardy).
The race could quite easily extend westwards towards Huangshan mountain range which reaches thousands of feet high (The steepest slopes of the Vuelta, with more striking scenery). Roads are mostly narrow in Hangzhou, so police will be unable to stop spectators, hence there should be a good intimate atmosphere (Paris-Roubaix) The food will be delicious for those there in person(Giro d'Italia) although perhaps clenbuterol laced (A tour of Mexico??).And all of this with an Oriental backdrop of temples, bridges, and pagodas.

So to conclude, this race could be fantastic. But past experience tells us that the UCI will make the parcours resemble something like 5 consecutive days around the Hangzhou's CBD. Such a pity...

There are possibillities for a great race in this region. Now UCI and the local authority needs to be brave and deliver a show which takes the fans by surprise.

 

[El Pistolero]

Adam Hansen @HansenAdam Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
Problems in Cycling R TV rights dont go 2 teams/federations. UCI races Bejing/Hangzhou will be money in our pockets 1day #support #GoodThing

what i was thinking.
it was the same last year with beijing otherwise the teams wouldn't have gone there.well at least mcquaid gives some money to the riders.
still i hope the colombian world tour project doesnt' fail.and i hope they put some mountains in this one.

Adam Hansen to test positive in 3... 2 ... 1...

 

[Sander2012]

Does anyone agree the season might get too long? From january (TDU) until the second half of october is quite a long time. Considering the importance of World Tour points, most teams can't afford to participate without their best riders on most races (unless you have really big stars like Gilbert or Cavendish). If you see how some teams depend on just one or two riders for maintaining their PT status, more WT races only increases the pressure on those riders.
I agree with anti doping measures (including a ban on intravenous infusions), but it is important that cyclists get enough time to recover, both physically and mentally. Adding this race to the World Tour does the opposite.

 

[will10]

Upgrade Langkawi to WT status is the obvious solution.

However the stated goal of spreading cycling throughout Asia & the world is actually not the real goal which is to bring in cash, most probably to Global Cycling Promotions, the UCI's elite's slush fund.

I can see the team's kicking up about this. It will cost them a lot to transport equipment and riders over there but they'll have to go under UCI rules and they are tied into the point-grabbing thing.

Not really, because much less local teams get invited