Who else thinks the UK can handle a one day race now?

[Andy99]

I was thinking about this yesterday. Until 2003 there was the Manx International, 3 laps of the Isle of Man TT circuit and was UCI 1.5 (equivalent to 1.2 now). They could revive that as it definitely wouldn't suit Cav.

good circuit that. I beat Cav last time I rode it

 

[Andy99]

No... the BBC is for sure not ready to handle this

Unless they fly in Dutch/Belgian/French tv crews it will suck no matter how fantastic the route can be made. And I'm not sure if the route can be fantastic

Funny you should say that. The race coverage was provided by NOS of the Netherlands....

''London 2012: an Olympic production
Although the UK is hosting the Olympic Games, the core broadcast coverage is provided by Spanish company OBS, the Olympic Broadcast Service, which is run by events producer Manolo Ramero. As host broadcaster, it provides a ‘neutral’ feed which is supplied to each country’s rights holding broadcasters, such as the BBC in the UK. The feed is then customised by the rights holding broadcasters, who add their own commentary and additional footage for their own audiences. The OBS hires various venue production teams from around the globe to produce coverage of certain sports, based on their expertise in covering the events. The following organisations are responsible for producing the footage of the London 2012 games.

OBS Teams – Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo, Modern Pentathlon - Swimming, Basketball, Equestrian, Fencing, Handball, Sailing, Shooting, Beach Volleyball, Wrestling
BBC – Boxing, Rowing, Canoe/Kayak - Sprint, Tennis, Football
YLE (Finland) – Opening/Closing Ceremonies, Athletics-Integrated/Track/Throws
SVT (Sweden) – Athletics-Jumps
SBS(Korea) – Archery, Taekwondo
Fuji TV (Japan) – Judo
TVE(Spain) – Canoe/Kayak - Slalom, Triathlon, Aquatics-Swimming Marathon
CCTV (China) – Modern Pentathlon, Badminton, Gymnastics, Table Tennis
NOS (the Netherlands) – Cycling-Road Race, Time Trial, Athletics-Walks/Marathon
STV (Slovakia) – Hockey
ICRT(Cuba) – Volleyball
ERT(Greece) – Weightlifting
VRT (Belgium) – Cycling (BMX, Track, Mountain Bike)

 

[Armchair cyclist]

However, I don't think finishing at Buckingham Palace every year is practical; Londoners might tolerate roads being closed for a special occasion, but every year?

You have heard of the London Marathon, haven't you?

 

[Armchair cyclist]

No... the BBC is for sure not ready to handle this

Unless they fly in Dutch/Belgian/French tv crews it will suck no matter how fantastic the route can be made. And I'm not sure if the route can be fantastic

We were told that it was Dutch TV who were contracted by the Olympic Broadcasters to produce coverage of the races this weekend. Does that mean we shouldn't have major races in the Netherlands?

 

[B_Ugli]

If you were to open it up to cycling clubs to devise a one day race route it would probably be fantastic (in an ideal world).

Take North West Kent as an example, so many little short steep hills scattering the north downs would make for a great classics route but its slap bang in the middle of one of the most populated areas in the country.

The problem is that living on a small island they have to take into account road closure, spectator viewing points, the wideness of the roads etc etc and this is why races are watered down from their original vision. The UK just doesnt have the expertise to organise a race of the size of say Tour of Flanders using roads the size of the Tour of Flanders - it would be carnage.

What is frustrating is that the UK is a bit stubborn when it comes to asking for outside help and instead tries to do a scaled down version themselves. What they should probably do is get ASO or the organisers of Flanders around a table and say "this is what we are thinking of doing, can you help us run this?"

 

[Swifty's Cakes]

it is also possible but how many times before have the anglos started "becoming more influential and developing into fully accredited nations in Professional cycling" only for things to go back to normal a couple seasons later.

ofc they won't vanish from the map and have no results, saying that is just stupid, but most likely they will have a few tip top riders and domestiques(much like they do now) but won't truly dominate the sport like the big 3 do.

just look at the italian, belgium and spanish u23 scene and name me an anglo country with clearly more signs of u23 super talent then them.

So if we have a professional peloton dominated by Italy, Spain and Belgium and a handful of good Anglos then it would be nice to see a race calendar dominated by those countries with an occasional good Anglo race. Is that so much to seek?

While it patently ridiculous to suggest that any new race could one day become as prestigious as the monuments having the ambition to try and create a special race is to be applauded in my book.

I make no bones about wanting more pro-cycling in the UK, a bit OT I know but it benefits every rider here if the profile of pro-cycling is raised and more people get on their bikes. UK Cyclists dont enjoy the same status on the road as most countries in Europe and the best way to address that will be to turn more drivers into riders.

Another OT, why is it team GB and not UK? What have the good people of Northern Ireland done that led to their exclusion?

 

[Zam_Olyas]

So if we have a professional peloton dominated by Italy, Spain and Belgium and a handful of good Anglos then it would be nice to see a race calendar dominated by those countries with an occasional good Anglo race. Is that so much to seek?

While it patently ridiculous to suggest that any new race could one day become as prestigious as the monuments having the ambition to try and create a special race is to be applauded in my book.

I make no bones about wanting more pro-cycling in the UK, a bit OT I know but it benefits every rider here if the profile of pro-cycling is raised and more people get on their bikes. UK Cyclists dont enjoy the same status on the road as most countries in Europe and the best way to address that will be to turn more drivers into riders.

Another OT, why is it team GB and not UK? What have the good people of Northern Ireland done that led to their exclusion?

Yes, even the scouse are included why not the irish?

 

[The Cobra]

A new one day race in Britain would be brilliant, and I think needed if cycling’s popularity is going to continue to grow. Its all very well winning the Tour this year and having the Olympics but that will soon disappear from the publics mind if we have a couple of lean years and the progress made will be lost.

If a big one day race was started it would keep interest alive year after year. I think it would have to be World Tour. If it’s going to be a success, and really generate excitement, we would need to see the worlds best turn up. Britain might not be very mountainous but it is very hilly in places so there are ample locations for an interesting Ardennes type race. A sprint fest might suit Cav now but it’s still going to be a boring race and Cav won’t be the dominant sprint force forever. For purely selfish reasons I would prefer it in the north of the country so I can watch it easily. London has plenty going on throughout the year, might be a time to give somewhere else a chance.

 

[Andy99]

A new one day race in Britain would be brilliant, and I think needed if cycling’s popularity is going to continue to grow. Its all very well winning the Tour this year and having the Olympics but that will soon disappear from the publics mind if we have a couple of lean years and the progress made will be lost.

If a big one day race was started it would keep interest alive year after year. I think it would have to be World Tour. If it’s going to be a success, and really generate excitement, we would need to see the worlds best turn up. Britain might not be very mountainous but it is very hilly in places so there are ample locations for an interesting Ardennes type race. A sprint fest might suit Cav now but it’s still going to be a boring race and Cav won’t be the dominant sprint force forever. For purely selfish reasons I would prefer it in the north of the country so I can watch it easily. London has plenty going on throughout the year, might be a time to give somewhere else a chance.

Agree entirely.

and if there's one thing going for Pat McQuaid he can certainly get WT races going out of nothing.

 

[Swifty's Cakes]

Yes, even the scouse are included why not the irish?

haha most Scousers have Irish ancestors. Its not that long since Liverpool voted for MP's in the Irish Parliament, and the UK government sent gunboats up the Mersey to quell us.

 

[Orvieto]

A new one day race in Britain would be brilliant, and I think needed if cycling’s popularity is going to continue to grow. Its all very well winning the Tour this year and having the Olympics but that will soon disappear from the publics mind if we have a couple of lean years and the progress made will be lost.

If a big one day race was started it would keep interest alive year after year. I think it would have to be World Tour. If it’s going to be a success, and really generate excitement, we would need to see the worlds best turn up. Britain might not be very mountainous but it is very hilly in places so there are ample locations for an interesting Ardennes type race. A sprint fest might suit Cav now but it’s still going to be a boring race and Cav won’t be the dominant sprint force forever. For purely selfish reasons I would prefer it in the north of the country so I can watch it easily. London has plenty going on throughout the year, might be a time to give somewhere else a chance.

+1 For a hilly race in the North

I was just looking at some video from the tour of the Pennines Sportive. The climbs might not be that steep, but the winds could be a real wild card.

The trick, as many have noted, is the balance between a challenging route and spectator accessibility. Hard core fans may love the spectacle of the peloton being smashed to pieces by a headwind over the Pennines, but casual fans might not line the roads on such a blustery day.

 

[DirtyWorks]

+1 For a hilly race in the North

I was just looking at some video from the tour of the Pennines Sportive. The climbs might not be that steep, but the winds could be a real wild card.

Long ago, there was a WorldCup race that started/finished in or around Manchester. The used the hills just outside of town. I rode one of them. It still had fan-painted slogans on it at the time, but that was over 10 years ago.

Plenty of hills in the Pennines! They'd have to do a bunch of them for it to soften up the field but there's enough for that.

The bottom line is it takes lots of money. How it works basically is the teams are paid to ride. The race has to pay for transportation and lodging for everyone working on the team too.

 

[joe_papp]

Why not try a post-Tour criterium in the heart of London, which doesn't require the massive logistical effort that obviously went into the Olympic road race (over the span of several years at that)?

Would it have drawn out the general public this year in the wake of a Wiggins TdF victory (which was kinda what the Olympics RR was)? What about next year if Froomie wins? Or would it have to be held in Kenya or wherever he's from?

 

[Caruut]

Why not try a post-Tour criterium in the heart of London, which doesn't require the massive logistical effort that obviously went into the Olympic road race (over the span of several years at that)?

Would it have drawn out the general public this year in the wake of a Wiggins TdF victory (which was kinda what the Olympics RR was)? What about next year if Froomie wins? Or would it have to be held in Kenya or wherever he's from?

The national crit championships are held in the financial district, where it's quite easy to get the roads closed on the weekends. I think Saturday was the perfect storm - Olympic fever, recent Tour winner and gold medal hope. The post-Tour crit in a regular year would probably be a race in which Cavendish could win, which would bring out the crowds.

I think that idea would be very economically viable. Plus, London is about 2 hours from Paris by train - there are a lot of riders able to get there.

 

[Izzy eviel]

Why not try a post-Tour criterium in the heart of London, which doesn't require the massive logistical effort that obviously went into the Olympic road race (over the span of several years at that)?

Would it have drawn out the general public this year in the wake of a Wiggins TdF victory (which was kinda what the Olympics RR was)? What about next year if Froomie wins? Or would it have to be held in Kenya or wherever he's from?

We have the London Nocturne which is a day long series of events right in the city of London. No real effect on traffic. I went this year and it was packed. Must've been 10,000 people there and it wasn't massively advertised.

 

[joe_papp]

The national crit championships are held in the financial district, where it's quite easy to get the roads closed on the weekends. I think Saturday was the perfect storm - Olympic fever, recent Tour winner and gold medal hope. The post-Tour crit in a regular year would probably be a race in which Cavendish could win, which would bring out the crowds.

I think that idea would be very economically viable. Plus, London is about 2 hours from Paris by train - there are a lot of riders able to get there.

I'm all for having a spectacular one-day event in UK if it could be done successfully, but as you said, there was a perfect storm swirling around this Olympics RR that you can't exactly recreate year-in and year-out to drive attendance at an annual road race.

But a post-Tour criterium featuring the best domestic pros, all of the top Commonwealth riders who raced in France and then a British winner and his 'mates...now THAT would be fun to watch! Not sure if it would make the promoters any money tho. That's the problem with this sport...at this point, if it's not economically-viable in any given country it's probably not going to become viable. Christ even in Europe there are some big races withering away and falling off the calendar.

I've been in cycling 23 years now (omg!), long enough to realize that, while America is absolutely capable of producing Tour-winners (both genuine and enhanced/bio-engineered) and supporting big-money team, in the aggregate the sport is NEVER going to grow in this country into something remotely comparable to the big pro sports - or even some of the smaller ones. In fact, it could be argued (w/ various metrics) that the sport's heyday in the modern era (ie, not pre-war track racing epoch) is passed. There was probably more domestic pro racing in USA with more teams paying more $ in salaries with riders earning more in prize money in the late-80s and early-90s than there ever was in the LA-era (even if thanks to him the top rider(s) were earning more vs. LeMond and everyone else).

We have the London Nocturne which is a day long series of events right in the city of London. No real effect on traffic. I went this year and it was packed. Must've been 10,000 people there and it wasn't massively advertised.

See? There you go! That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

...just look at the italian, belgium and spanish u23 scene and name me an anglo country with clearly more signs of u23 super talent then them.

This is so true. Until you've actually seen the Italian dilettante system up-close, it's difficult to understand just how fundamental cycling is to that country's sporting culture, and how disadvantaged Britain/USA/Australia/etc are, if not hopeless lol (and this is a system that develops not just Italian riders, but foreigners from across the globe - they all head to Italy if there's nothing comparable in their home country). Dilettante's in Italy is like baseball's minor leagues ... endless supply of exceptional talent competing in a savage system that all but ensures that the best of the best rise to the top and pass into the paid professional ranks. Dilettante's in Italy makes pro racing in USA look like a joke. Heck, some granfondo racing makes pro racing in USA look like a joke (no jokes about the two riders - including one American - who tested positive for EPO at recent Granfondo in NY! lol).

Despite my boy Vino's epic smackdown of Team UK Britain is still high on a dominant (if boring) TdF win + home-Olympics, and anything seems possible. The amazing public support of the road race on Saturday is unfortunately most likely a one-off, and basing predictions of future public response to a one-day cycle race on that most unique of days would be risky. Not to say it couldn't happen, but looking at the epic cost and effort that went into producing Vino's coronation, I think you'd have a better chance with a Froome post-TdF victory criterium in London, especially if you could ensure a moderately-intoxicated crowd...

EDIT: Please don't let my skepticism dampen your enthusiasm or anyone else's. Cycling needs a constant influx of people who believe anything is possible in order to remain vital, if just survive!

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Yeah, wow, because only prestigious races are interesting...

Both the men and the women racing at the Olympics say they've never seen so many people at a cycling race. Of course, it's the Olympics, people will come out for curling and guinea pig throwing and what have you. But still, the Brits seem to have embraced it.

They should come to Belgian races

 

[theyoungest]

They should come to Belgian races

According to O'Grady, it was like riding up the Alpe d'Huez all day. This was just at another level, even compared to the Belgian races.

I dont think there were many cycling fans at all. The place exploded with laughter when they heard a rider called "jack bauer" existed. I stood for a while with some Belgians who were getting the riders names better than the commentator, but I also stood next to people who asked if Gilbert was any good and listened attentively as 1 older man explained gently that Gilbert won everything last year.

You think the people coming out in droves to the recent GT starts in the Netherlands know anything at all about cycling? It's just about generating interest, which apparently has worked in Britain for these races.

 

[Froome19]

I'm all for having a spectacular one-day event in UK if it could be done successfully, but as you said, there was a perfect storm swirling around this Olympics RR that you can't exactly recreate year-in and year-out to drive attendance at an annual road race.

One thing I can all but guarantee is that there will be massive crowds...

 

[Tank Engine]

Another OT, why is it team GB and not UK? What have the good people of Northern Ireland done that led to their exclusion?

With regard to the Olympics, the good people of Northern Ireland can opt to compete for either Team GB or for the Republic of Ireland.

 

[Cult Classics]

According to O'Grady, it was like riding up the Alpe d'Huez all day. This was just at another level, even compared to the Belgian races.


You think the people coming out in droves to the recent GT starts in the Netherlands know anything at all about cycling? It's just about generating interest, which apparently has worked in Britain for these races.

This is spot on - take it from someone who went to watch the Giro in NL in 2010 that most of the locals hadn't got a clue. In fact I've even been to see the Omloop and found that nobody cared until you were literally on the race route, people 100m away didn't give a damn.

I think an annual one day event in the UK will be incredibly well supported, especially in the South East where you've got 20 million people in a small area. The crowds at the London-Surrey Olympic test event last year were also big. I should also point out that from the photos the crowds were also decent at the British national road race championships, despite no Wiggins, Froome, Millar or Cavendish. But contrast, I watched the Dutch and French races on streams and there were far fewer fans by the roadside - people in the UK are racing starved and will attend a pro race every year!

If you get a crowd at a one day race in the UK that's 50% of what you got at the Olympics the other day that is still absolutely crazy numbers. Hold it in the week or two after the Tour, get some of the big British stars involved, and people will show up in droves. Almost nobody (except visitors to this forum) will be complaining that it isn't Paris-Roubaix, not even the riders. With the right backing, I see no reason why they couldn't get it into that post-Tour, pre-Vuelta part of the season as a World Tour race. The UCI makes up races in China, where frankly nobody cares, so I don't think it's inconceivable in the current climate to stick in one day in the UK to fit in a sequence with the likes of San Sebastian, the Eneco Tour, Hamburg and Quebec/Montreal.

 

[The Cobra]

One thing I can all but guarantee is that there will be massive crowds...

Really, I'm not so sure. TDF in London was a special occasion as was the Olympics. Difficult to say if the massive crowds would come out year after year for a race they care little about. I think you'd get a decent crowd, definitely more than you'd get in China but much reduced compared to the weekend. Think Joe might be right on this one unfortunately, too much of a financial risk. Need someone who loves cycling and has money to burn to get this started.

 

[Cult Classics]

Really, I'm not so sure. TDF in London was a special occasion as was the Olympics. Difficult to say if the massive crowds would come out year after year for a race they care little about. I think you'd get a decent crowd, definitely more than you'd get in China but much reduced compared to the weekend. Think Joe might be right on this one unfortunately, too much of a financial risk. Need someone who loves cycling and has money to burn to get this started.

Sky. Sorted.

 

[The Hitch]

According to O'Grady, it was like riding up the Alpe d'Huez all day. This was just at another level, even compared to the Belgian races.


You think the people coming out in droves to the recent GT starts in the Netherlands know anything at all about cycling? It's just about generating interest, which apparently has worked in Britain for these races.

This wasn't get out in.front.of your house though.

This was wake up early on a specified day in may to snap up the limited tickets for 30 squid + train tickets. This was wake up at 4 am on the day to gu out into the middle.of ****ing nowhere 1hr from central london by train ( + getting into.london in the first place) and then walk another hour to the hill.entrance, wait another hour in the cue, have your bag searched, then walk up the hill and be forced to wait 2 hrs (you had to be the an hour before the start of the race) for the riders to even come by.

Not quite the same.as popping out of your local "zara" for a few seconds to cheer on a couple of riders before walking back in.

 

[Cult Classics]

This wasn't get out in.front.of your house though.

This was wake up early on a specified day in may to snap up the limited tickets for 30 squid + train tickets. This was wake up at 4 am on the day to gu out into the middle.of ****ing nowhere 1hr from central london by train ( + getting into.london in the first place) and then walk another hour to the hill.entrance, wait another hour in the cue, have your bag searched, then walk up the hill and be forced to wait 2 hrs (you had to be the an hour before the start of the race) for the riders to even come by.

Not quite the same.as popping out of your local "zara" for a few seconds to cheer on a couple of riders before walking back in.

I got up at 6am. I'm fairweather like that.