Tour of Wherever?

Yellow Peril
Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
edited December 2013 in Pro race
The calendar has a fair few tours (by which I mean none Grand Tours) in the diary with new ones springing up all of the time. which are favourites and which should be binned? when should they occur in the season?

I'm for binning the our of Poland (a bit too critty) but for keeping the Tour Down Under. I'm also for keeping the Tour of Britain as it seems to be improving.
@JaunePeril

Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
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Comments

  • DL1987
    DL1987 Posts: 204
    Bin Tour of Bejing & Qatar. Bejing can't attract the crowds and Qatar is just up and down flat 4 lane motorways. Possibly also consider binning Tour of California purely on a HSE basis, at the very least change it's place in the calendar.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    I'd go the opposite way to you YP, to me Poland has far more potential terrain wise and other than a stage or two the crit format seems to be gradually disappearing. TdU is utter s**te!

    The one I'd get rid of first though is the Tour of Turkey. It's a decent race but it seems to descend into farce in the mountains each year.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    I've always found the Tour de Romandie uninspiring and characterless. Perhaps a case of post-classics fatigue. But then, I do quite like Poland and Eneco. Romandie has a pretty influential race organiser though, so won't be binned.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Bin Tour of Qatar FER SHURE, and Tour of California - stage upon stage of the peloton just toodling along roads as wide as the Missisippi is just dull

    And if they cant get us any decent pics from Tour de San Luis (remember last year's farce from the camera at the finish), ditch that as well

    The race organisers made some good changes to the Tour of Poland this year so I'd keep it

    And I'd like to ditch a race that hasnt even been run yet - Tour of Dubai
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    This year, Poland dropped much of the crit format, in favour of two stages in the Dolomites.
    I especially like that brutal circuit they feature on the penultimate stage.
    Wins my approval.

    Unfortunately, culling stage races using the boredom factor leads to all the new, global events
    getting canned. Beijing top of the list. Qatar only stays if it can guarantee crosswinds.
    The former may just need time, the latter an act of God!

    Best that we keep them all, in the present financial drought.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    Any North American race.

    Also, Tour of Turkey.
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    I guess Poland oes have potential and has maybe been mismanaged in terms of parcours in the past.

    My reason for keeping the TDU has mainly been that it is a good warm weather opener. If we drop the am-gen Tour of Cali Paul will have nothing to talk about!
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Get rid of the Tour of Catalunya. It doesn't real fit into the calendar, no-one pays much attention to it as the Classics is where its at, and it loses lots of money.

    And make Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice more distinct in nature - like Qatar & Oman are. One for the GC types and one for the classics types. (They can alternate if need be).
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    I never understand the criticism the Tour of Qatar gets. Whilst the scenery might not be that interesting, the racing is usually superb with more echelons in a week than the Tour de France gets in a decade.
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    andyp wrote:
    I never understand the criticism the Tour of Qatar gets. Whilst the scenery might not be that interesting, the racing is usually superb with more echelons in a week than the Tour de France gets in a decade.

    I think you have a point unfortunately one man and his dog watching and too much sand and not enough chateux makes for a visually poor spectale although for a race fan echelons are tactical manner from heaven.
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    RichN95 wrote:
    Get rid of the Tour of Catalunya. It doesn't real fit into the calendar, no-one pays much attention to it as the Classics is where its at, and it loses lots of money.
    Uff, controversial :wink: one of the longer running historical tours, and the main race of a region passionate about cycling and what could well be the national tour of an independent country soon (Tour of Scotland anyone?). Agree about the position on the calendar and clash with the classics - rescheduling would be great, and would also open up higher Pyrenees mountain passes (if later in the year)
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Yellow Peril wrote:
    andyp wrote:
    I never understand the criticism the Tour of Qatar gets. Whilst the scenery might not be that interesting, the racing is usually superb with more echelons in a week than the Tour de France gets in a decade.

    I think you have a point unfortunately one man and his dog watching and too much sand and not enough chateux makes for a visually poor spectale although for a race fan echelons are tactical manner from heaven.


    But let's be honest, its a right old gamble whether we get echelons from stage to stage. If we dont...its a snoozefest
  • argyllflyer
    argyllflyer Posts: 893
    Tour of Turkey is an enjoyable race - stunning scenery and usually a good field of sprinters. The lack of GC contenders is a problem, hence nomarks from Torku doping and winning.

    Cobo for 2014!
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    FJS wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    Get rid of the Tour of Catalunya. It doesn't real fit into the calendar, no-one pays much attention to it as the Classics is where its at, and it loses lots of money.
    Uff, controversial :wink: one of the longer running historical tours, and the main race of a region passionate about cycling and what could well be the national tour of an independent country soon (Tour of Scotland anyone?). Agree about the position on the calendar and clash with the classics - rescheduling would be great, and would also open up higher Pyrenees mountain passes (if later in the year)

    Not the first time Rich has suggested Catalunya for the chop. Would just about finish stage racing in Spain.
    But that's the flip side (perhaps the more realistic side) of this sort of debate.
    RichN95 wrote:
    And make Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice more distinct in nature - like Qatar & Oman are. One for the GC types and one for the classics types. (They can alternate if need be).

    In other words, pretty much what we had 5 or 6 years ago, before T-A went all Giro like.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Blazing Saddles wrote:

    Not the first time Rich has suggested Catalunya for the chop. Would just about finish stage racing in Spain.
    But that's the flip side (perhaps the more realistic side) of this sort of debate.
    Spanish cycling has been killing itself for several years now. They can have it has a 2.HC or 2.1 race if they like - but it doesn't fit on the World Tour. One GT, a one week race and a one day race is about right for Spain, IMO.
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    In other words, pretty much what we had 5 or 6 years ago, before T-A went all Giro like.
    Precisely.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,104
    I could live without Tour of California for one.
    Others I wouldn't miss are Down Under, Suisse and anything in China.. I don't mine Quatar and Oman as early season training races in warm weather.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Ugh.
    Instant nomination:
    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cavendi ... dubai-tour
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    Get rid of the tour down under, anything that dull that you have to pay extra money to Sky to watch should be binned.
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  • deejay
    deejay Posts: 3,138
    edited December 2013
    My calendar of Interest is in EUROPE and if anything else is binned then so be it, as it matters not.

    Outside this area the races are only attempted copies of the real thing in Europe.
    Organiser, National Championship 50 mile Time Trial 1972
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Paul 8v wrote:
    Get rid of the tour down under, anything that dull that you have to pay extra money to Sky to watch should be binned.


    Get outta here

    I'm always desparate for some PT racing action by the time Jan comes
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    Any merit in raising the profile of the Tour of Germany? They are a big cash cow that has fallen out of love with cycling following the demise of Der Kaiser. Does that country need a higher regarded Tour?
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    deejay wrote:
    My calendar of Interest is in EUROPE and if anything else is binned then so be it, as it matters not.

    Outside of this area the races are only attempted copies of the real thing in Europe.


    If the rate at which some European races are disappearing continues, deejay, you wont have a lot of option...
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    Paul 8v wrote:
    Get rid of the tour down under, anything that dull that you have to pay extra money to Sky to watch should be binned.


    Get outta here

    I'm always desparate for some PT racing action by the time Jan comes
    Me too but it isn't a great race and you have to buy sky sports or whatever package it is just to watch that. I wish we could get the cyclo cross races here on telly rather than via t'internet. Do they show them live in Belgium?
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  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,436
    Paul 8v wrote:
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    Paul 8v wrote:
    Get rid of the tour down under, anything that dull that you have to pay extra money to Sky to watch should be binned.


    Get outta here

    I'm always desparate for some PT racing action by the time Jan comes
    Me too but it isn't a great race and you have to buy sky sports or whatever package it is just to watch that. I wish we could get the cyclo cross races here on telly rather than via t'internet. Do they show them live in Belgium?


    Just invested in a new 42" smart TV (replacing the old 26" crt set)

    Obviously the first port of call was You Tube and some cycling action.

    "Oh la la la la la Ballan we've got a problem!"

    Can't wait for the new season to start.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,436
    People slagging off the North America races - but the Quebec and Montreal races have been good the last couple of years
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    TailWindHome wrote:
    People slagging off the North America races - but the Quebec and Montreal races have been good the last couple of years
    Yeah I enjoyed them. Wasn't such a fan of the tour of California but it's nice to see some different terrain.
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  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Tour of Lombardy.


    :twisted:
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    TailWindHome wrote:
    "Oh la la la la la Ballan we've got a problem!"

    .

    I've had to explain this one a lot to guys on the club run, so in case the joke is lost on some people.....

    It was the 50th anniversary of Apollo 13 and Balan is where Boonen is from.
    _
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    TailWindHome wrote:
    "Oh la la la la la Ballan we've got a problem!"

    .

    I've had to explain this one a lot to guys on the club run, so in case the joke is lost on some people.....

    It was the 50th anniversary of Apollo 13 and Balan is where Boonen is from.
    Ah, merci!
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  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Paul 8v wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    TailWindHome wrote:
    "Oh la la la la la Ballan we've got a problem!"

    .

    I've had to explain this one a lot to guys on the club run, so in case the joke is lost on some people.....

    It was the 50th anniversary of Apollo 13 and Balan is where Boonen is from.
    Ah, merci!
    And to be a massive pedant, it's Balen, not Balan
    Twitter: @RichN95

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