Libertine Seguros said:
My problem with the race was that, like the Österreichrundfahrt, it felt like it was run in reverse; the challenging, GC-changing stages were at the start, and then you finished off with 2 or 3 stages of very little happening.
9000ft - having fans out in force does not equal great bike racing. There were fans all over the road for the 2009 Tour de France, but that was one of the worst Grand Tours in history. Having the fans at the roadside is a key component in selling the race as a big deal, and looking good on TV - but the majority of viewers don't watch from the roadside, because they can't. The world is a big place. And so they watch on TV, and if the spectacle doesn't excite them they'll stop watching.
This wasn't a terrible race. But it was an alright race, which I found myself struggling to care too much about in the evenings after the Vuelta. Maybe a bit like the 2010 Tour of California, which was overshadowed manifold by the Giro, they will go back to the drawing board, reappraise and come back with a really good route for next year. I certainly hope so. This race has a lot of potential.
It just hasn't lived up to any of it yet.
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I didn't say it was an awesome race from a hard core cycling fans point of view. I've been somewhat underwhelmed by the course also, but I totally understand why they choose what they did and in that context, think they did what they needed to do. It's a first year event with a lot of unknowns - the Coors Classic was 20 years ago and you can only base so much on that experience.
Yes, seeing it on TV is different than seeing it in person, but one step at a time. If they're going to sell the race to sponsors and ensure that it continues another year, let alone grows and prospers they need buy in from the community and a good looking product. Most people who watch on TV have little idea what is going on in a bike race anyway so you have to start with something that is visually appealing and creates the feeling of a spectacle and with the crowds I think they've got a good start on that front. Just catering to the hard core cycling fan who seems to be almost impossible to please anyway isn't going to take you very far with big buck sponsors.
I wasn't expecting too much from the start. I was really impressed with the quality of the field, especially when the race was first announced a lot of folks didn't think we'd have much more than the top US teams, a couple Euro teams with second tier riders with domestic US teams filling the field. Granted, Schleck, Evans, Basso, etc didn't ride this with the intensity of a GT, but I didn't expect them to; just having them in my hometown and riding the same roads that I ride was way above expectations. If the race gains prestige and financial rewards, I'd expect to see harder racing.
So we'll see what the future brings. As anyone who knows Colorado knows, there is some spectacular topography in the state. It wouldn't be hard to come up with dozens of Mtn Stages that would be at least in the ball park of many of the GT stages, but they have to work from a sponsorship point of view. They have to have host towns that want to and can host a stage. Now that some towns have seen what a draw an event like this can be, they will probably be more likely to pull the strings to get the road closures, etc to make better stages happen. remember, for a lot of average citizens, a bike race like this is just a giant pain in the ****.
Personally, I see nothing to gain from being a cycling snob. I'm just glad to see another top level stage race in the US that has great potential.