OT - Why isn't road racing taken seriously?

Bassjunkieuk

So it appears the new years honour list is out for 2010 and I can't help but think there is someone else who should have been on the list.
As they read out the list of various sportsmen and women that have won various competitions and made some excellent achievements this year I didn't hear the name of a certain little pocket rocket from the Isle of Man.......

Quite how winning 6 stages of possibly the worlds toughest and most recognized bike race and setting a new British record in doing so doesn't deserve some recognition I don't know.

Even Bradley Wiggins did an amazing job to come 4th when he wasn't really considered a bit threat to the GC (well that's the impression I got....)

So why on earth don't the British public and press give this great sport some more coverage? If I want to watch the Tour, let alone any other cycling events, I'm pretty much restricted to Eurosport of the token hour long highlights show on ITV2 with the occasional whole stage almost shown live if it looks like it's going to be interesting, i.e. have an interesting climb.

cjcp

Ooo, a right can of worms to end the year on.

I haven't seen the list, but, for my part, I think the honours system is a load of guff anyway.

Wallace1492

It is relatively a minor sport, with as you say small coverage on the big channels. It has however a dedicated and loyal support, and probably would be more popular with more coverage, who knows.

Therefore to get the recognition, the performers will have to do this at a high level for a long time. To be fair, Cavendish and Wiggens have done superbly well in the last couple of years, but the honours tend to be for over a longer period of time.

Edit - Wiggens has a CBE from last year, has consistantly achieved since 2003. Cavendish will get his reward in years to come.

cjcp

Just heard on the radio that Button has been honoured. WTH for? Last season was the only season he won anything, wasn't it? :roll:

Wallace1492

cjcp wrote:

Just heard on the radio that Button has been honoured. WTH for? Last season was the only season he won anything, wasn't it? :roll:

He won one in 2006, but has been a consistant finisher since 2000, getting a lot of 4th and 5th places.

Rewarded for "being around for a while".

rolf_f

cjcp wrote:

Just heard on the radio that Button has been honoured. WTH for? Last season was the only season he won anything, wasn't it? :roll:

Yes, but he did win the F1 World Drivers Championship which is fairly important among sporting achievements. We don't get that that often even if this time it does follow Hamiltons rather more convincing championship win last year. TBH, if Button doesn't deserve a CBE for that, I can't see how Wiggins, Hoy et al deserve their gongs. Mind you, I think it is all a bit of nonsense anyway......

daviesee

Simple,

Minority sport with very few public participants.

True most people have, or have had a bike but very, very few race.
I have followed bike racing for nigh on 30 years but have never considered racing as an example. Joe public doesn't have a clue, nor is interested.

Now, someone may want to add that there are not very many participants in F1 but have you seen the way some people drive?
It may not be sanctioned but they are racing :twisted:

roger_merriman

as others have said it's a minority sport, I'd be more worried about the trouble races have in getting permision to race, in other places they can close the road if briefly.

uk it really isn't so.

NGale

cycling, a minority sport, which while this country has a love for anything on four wheels, will always been seen as inferior along with its participants.

rolf_f

Actually, tbh the main problem is coverage. Unless you have access to the wacko channels, all you got this year was TDF, Tour of Britain and Tour of Ireland (all 3 days of it). If more people had access to the Giro, Vuelta etc etc, more would take it seriously.

And I don't think it is a 2 wheel vs 4 wheel thing. A couple of years back there was an attempt to set up a motor racing series based on National participation. Could have been good but TV coverage was some Sky crappo channel and nobody watched it. Was always doomed on that basis despite ditching many of the problems that plague F1.

spen666

Button WON the world title

Wiggins - a) did not win the Tour and b) has been previously honoured

Cavendish = did not win the tour, only some stages. If you think Cav should get an honour for that, then perhasps Hamilton should have been awarded another honour because he won some stages of the F1 title race

There was no appropriate cycling person in the road racing (male) scene to get an honour in 2009 year.

2008 was different and lots of honours were dished out to cyclists

supersonic

Steve Peat should have been honoured. If you think roadies are under represented... Thee are always deserving people who miss out. Not sure of the fascination of track cycling withthe British general public.

cjcp

spen666 wrote:

Button WON the world title

Yes he did, but that doesn't mean he deserves an honour. He gets paid £Xm a year to win the world title.

lost_in_thought

I don't really see why sporting achievements merit honours, they should be their own reward.

That aside...

cjcp wrote:

that doesn't mean he deserves an honour. He gets paid £Xm a year to win the world title.

Yeah, but soldiers get paid to fight wars, pilots get paid to fly planes, explorers get paid (well, funded) to explore, actors get paid to act. Just because he gets paid a lot doesn't need to exclude him from the honours list.

Eau Rouge

3 people in motorsport were given honours, less than the fashion industry, the same as the number of dinnerladies. Hardly an "obsession"
Motorsport in the UK isn't just a sport to entertain the masses though, it's a high-tech cutting edge industry, exactly the sort of industries governments love to have in their economies, so you could look at motorsport honours in that context too, to say nothing of the prestige and kudos the UK gets for free from having so much of the worlds motorsport based here, the sort of thing global companies pay millions to be associated with.

Cav didn't get one because the World's will be in Melbourne next year, on what could well be a sprinters course, so they are waiting to see if he wins that first. It's the same with Wiggins, where they will wait until he wins the Tour first.

cjcp

Rolf F wrote:

Mind you, I think it is all a bit of nonsense anyway......

+1,000. That's why I think Button's honour is a load of cr@p.

cjcp

lost_in_thought wrote:

I don't really see why sporting achievements merit honours, they should be their own reward.

Exactly.

Just because he gets paid a lot doesn't need to exclude him from the honours list.

True, but it should be the opposite i.e. there needs to be a reason to *include* him in the honours list. He's won the World Championship once. Hardly ground-breaking stuff. (LiT - not being spikey at you, btw . I just think the honours system is a crock of sh*t.)

rolf_f

cjcp wrote:

True, but it should be the opposite i.e. there needs to be a reason to *include* him in the honours list. He's won the World Championship once. Hardly ground-breaking stuff.

But that's just an argument for a reduced system anyway (rather than specifically a pop at Buttons honour). After all, Hoy, Wiggins, Cavendish etc - none of them are groundbreakers. Sportsfolk generally aren't. They exist to achieve things in their sport and, given what sport is, their success is rewarded by the fact that the good ones win stuff by being ever so slightly better than everyone else. None of them need the honours system just like no-one else really does.

The worst case is the world of television and film. All that ludicrous self congratulatory Bafta, Oscar etc stuff. Appalling really. Oddly enough, there is none of that in my business nor in most peoples. The rest of us aren't so insecure that we need to tell each other how great we are every couple of months.

cjcp

Rolf F wrote:

cjcp wrote:

True, but it should be the opposite i.e. there needs to be a reason to *include* him in the honours list. He's won the World Championship once. Hardly ground-breaking stuff.

But that's just an argument for a reduced system anyway (rather than specifically a pop at Buttons honour).

Absolutely. There are certain people whose achievements should be acknowledged e.g. long time charity workers (that's a bit general) or medical workers in Africa who put others before themselves. The likes of Button, Cavendish, Wiggins don't do that, which is why I don't see any reason for them to be honoured. (Actually, using that logic, domestiques should be honoured before the winners .)

I didn't mean to have a specific dig at Button - although it has come across like that - but I thought that he might be an appropriate example because I heard it on the radio at the time.

And I agree with your point about the Oscars etc. Self-congratulating BS. (Also, I like films such as Independence Day and Happy Gilmour . The Oscars etc is the last stuff I'm going to pay attention to.)

lost_in_thought

cjcp wrote:

LiT - not being spikey at you, btw . I just think the honours system is a crock of sh*t.)

I wouldn't think it for a moment!

And yeah, it used to mean something (she says, at the ripe old age of nearly 27) but has been cheapened by the actors and sportsmen and co receiving it.

bradford

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

So it appears the new years honour list is out for 2010 and I can't help but think there is someone else who should have been on the list.
As they read out the list of various sportsmen and women that have won various competitions and made some excellent achievements this year I didn't hear the name of a certain little pocket rocket from the Isle of Man.......

Quite how winning 6 stages of possibly the worlds toughest and most recognized bike race and setting a new British record in doing so doesn't deserve some recognition I don't know.

Even Bradley Wiggins did an amazing job to come 4th when he wasn't really considered a bit threat to the GC (well that's the impression I got....)

So why on earth don't the British public and press give this great sport some more coverage? If I want to watch the Tour, let alone any other cycling events, I'm pretty much restricted to Eurosport of the token hour long highlights show on ITV2 with the occasional whole stage almost shown live if it looks like it's going to be interesting, i.e. have an interesting climb.

Well maybe it's because cav's a big headed c*ck and wiggin's think's he is Paul wellar !

But seriously Wiggins performance in the Tour was amazing,top 3 next time surely!
Not a big fan of cav the person :P but he is our best sprinter ever,considering he has that huge head to contend with!

Trailradar

i dontthink its a spectators sport.

roger_merriman

Trailradar wrote:

i dontthink its a spectators sport.

true but many sports are likewise think rally where spectators sit in a welsh forest and cars pass in secs....

Eau Rouge

Trailradar wrote:

i dontthink its a spectators sport.

Don't tell the Belgians.
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=6949

suzyb

It doesn't make good television until you get to the later part of a stage (unless it's a mountain stage).

I watched the TdF on ITV's interactive last year. But your more or less just watching a bunch of guys out for a ride until the breakaway starts getting chased down. Occasionally something "exciting" will happen like a crash or a contender being visited by a certain fairy.

Trailradar

roger merriman wrote:

Trailradar wrote:

i dontthink its a spectators sport.

true but many sports are likewise think rally where spectators sit in a welsh forest and cars pass in secs....

The Youtube wonder Danny Macskill (scottish) with his crazy urban mountain biking has had so many viewings its one of the most popular uploaded video clips. He is now to star in action film. He rides across railings, does 360 up trees and a few other stunts. Now that is entertainment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o

I dont think watching some roadies for 30mins or so just zooming along without much action is going to cut any ice - no action. Its almost bedtime viewing for insomoinacs.

Extreme sports on bikes now thats good viewing with crazy jumps, stunts and all sorts of flips and twists is actually something I could go out and buy on DVD - but not some boring roadies. Yeah, I like doing road cycling but not to actually watch on telly, maybe the highlights though.

here is link to cool MTBing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3nkzjAC ... re=related