ASO to withdraw from World Tour?

The_Boy

I'm sure there's a better thread in existence already, but have a link to the Daily Fail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-3365575/Cycling-Tour-France-organisers-ASO-withdraw-UCIs-calendar.html

dish_dash

Oooh. So that meeting with the UCI last week where everyone apparently agreed to the 2017 plan wasn't quite so straightforward...

joelsim

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19763777#p19763777]dish_dash[/url] wrote:

Oooh. So that meeting with the UCI last week where everyone apparently agreed to the 2017 plan wasn't quite so straightforward...

Reading between the lines last week when 'ASO said nothing at all during the meeting', I'm not surprised. I'm not a fan of ASO.

arnuf

I never understand what ASO's issue with the the closed system is. They want to invite even lower ranked french teams than Bretagne-S?

rick_chasey

Don't they threaten this every 5 years?

redvision

Interesting.
So what will the likely impact be on the Tour and the other stage races they host?

DeVlaeminck

Is it possible that ASO just don't want anything that challenges the status quo to become too entrenched.

RichN95.

Here's the full text of the ASO statement

joelsim

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19763831#p19763831]DeVlaeminck[/url] wrote:

Is it possible that ASO just don't want anything that challenges the status quo to become too entrenched.

Basically ASO want to retain their power over the UCI/Velon et al so anything that threatens them will be stopped in its tracks.

Simple.

iainf72

Usual excellent summary

http://inrng.com/2015/12/aso-vs-uci/#more-27125

I'm surprised anyone thinks doing something that goes against the wishes of the organisation that have the most important event in the whole sport is a good idea.

argyllflyer

Here's a noddy version of what it all means:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/12/news/the-aso-uci-war-why-how-and-what-it-means_391448

deejay

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19763830#p19763830]redvision[/url] wrote:

Interesting.
So what will the likely impact be on the Tour and the other stage races they host?

That Inring has missed the goal posts.
The impact is that the ASO are "Organisers" and do a great job.
Is there an ASO event that you can label as a badly organised event. (yes I stick my neck out on that one, so go for it)

Will the UCI be able to Organise any cycle races ????
Will Velon be able to organise cycle races. ???

How many years have the ASO taken to develop all this experience with cycle races and they use Administrators plus EX Pro riders to get the balance about right.

The Fat Controller tried to arrange the callendar in such a way that they could finally get hold of the TV rights and so the ASO ran the TDF under French Federation Regulations.
He couldn't and Cookson wont be able to.
The TDF seems to be the pinnacle of cycle racing that every other organiser can only attempt to emulate.

Hidden somewhere is the French bureaucrats (whatever) who allow so many Police/Gendarmes to come great distances to get Road Closures at some costs from where.
Maybe that's were the TV money goes. ?????

argyllflyer

RCS and Flanders Classics have a decent stable of races between them. ASO aren't the only organiser.

Shadowrider

I like the idea of promotion and relegation.

RichN95.

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19764636#p19764636]Shadowrider[/url] wrote:

I like the idea of promotion and relegation.

But there won't be promotion and relegation in the football sense. What ASO want is the freedom to choose which teams get to ride the Tour. They say it will be on 'sporting criteria' but they've invited Bretegne Seche to the Tour the last two years and all they've done is get a lift from a car. They didn't bin Cofidis after a Tour when they got no rider in the top 50 in GC or top 10 in any stage.

What ASO actually want is power over the second tier WT teams (Lampre, Cannondale, Giant, Trek, MTN, IAM, Lotto x2, Orica). They want to bully them into turning up with their big stars to their lesser races (in the Middle East for example)..

And they want to be able to invite as many French teams as they like and/or teams that can buy their way in

The greatest trick that the ASO ever pulled was convincing people that the UCI were the bad guys.

Le Commentateur

ASO were in talks earlier this year with Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin, who is attempting to build one of the world’s biggest sports businesses. Myabe easier to take Chinese money if they are free of World Tour commitments.

FJS

New .HC races are limited to 5 race days. I'm sure you can get from Normandy to Paris in 5 days

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/aso-vlees-danny-nelissen

No_Ta_Doctor

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19764794#p19764794]FJS[/url] wrote:

New .HC races are limited to 5 race days. I'm sure you can get from Normandy to Paris in 5 days

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/aso-vlees-danny-nelissen

Interesting. Shots fired, both directions.

argyllflyer

I guess it depends how you define 'new' as when a race goes from .1 to .HC (e.g. Tour of Britain) the days were not reduced to 5 so I don't see why it would only apply for events coming downwards. Also depends how aggressive the UCI wish to be on this!

Unless these are brand new regulations for 2016 and beyond?

RichN95.

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19764794#p19764794]FJS[/url] wrote:

New .HC races are limited to 5 race days. I'm sure you can get from Normandy to Paris in 5 days

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/aso-vlees-danny-nelissen

Also one day HC races are limited to 200km*. So Paris-Roubaix, LBL and Fleche are going have to lose about a quarter of their length.

*Unless approved by the UCI (I think Paris-Tours is the one exception)

deejay

Wake me up if there is ever another Englishman that can win the Bordeaux–Paris race.
Or if a GT winner like Louison Bobet, Jan Janssen, Jacques Anquetil or Ferdinand Kübler is able to win a distance event.

So you would be happy with the Tour of Flanders also being only 200 Km's like so many other Classic Races the UCI have restricted to 200 km's. ???????

RichN95.

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19764875#p19764875]deejay[/url] wrote:

So you would be happy with the Tour of Flanders also being only 200 Km's like so many other Classic Races the UCI have restricted to 200 km's. ???????

No-one wants that. I was just pointing out another flaw in ASO's little ruse.

deejay

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19764794#p19764794]FJS[/url] wrote:

New .HC races are limited to 5 race days. I'm sure you can get from Normandy to Paris in 5 days https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/aso-vlees-danny-nelissen

It was your joke of Normandy to Paris that made me remind people of the former Single Day Bordeaux–Paris race.

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19764862#p19764862]RichN95[/url] wrote:

Also one day HC races are limited to 200km*. So Paris-Roubaix, LBL and Fleche are going have to lose about a quarter of their length.
*Unless approved by the UCI (I think Paris-Tours is the one exception)

RichN95 wrote:

The greatest trick that the ASO ever pulled was convincing people that the UCI were the bad guys.

So where are you coming from.
Your Happy or Not happy with the restrictions the UCI are putting in the calendar and you say they are not the bad guys.
"If" the ASO played along with the UCI then Paris-Roubaix at 200 Km's will just become another sprint race.
The wearing down process in the classics will be lost and just like Gent-Wevelgem and Flèche Wallonne will become semi classics.
When the UCI stop trying to piggy back the Eropean calendar to squeeze more events World Wide for a global empire.
Then I might consider them as neutral as they should be but until they stop fooking about with Europe they are the bad guys.

If you are all so blind to realise that the ASO want the European Calendar to remain strong and they will run as before within the French Regulations and their events will take place (you have to be in to win it) and TDF will never become a 2nd class event, even with only French riders.
Yes they will still make money but like now it is spread around a rather large Spectrum.
Do you think the UCI will organise the ASO events outside of France. (L-B-L for instance with only 200 km's)

Richmond Racer 2

Deejay, you'll have to teach us all how to play nuffle instead

The_Boy

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19765804#p19765804]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:

Deejay, you'll have to teach us all how to play nuffle instead

i had to google that. Wish I hadn't bothered.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Nuffle&defid=4753556

Richmond Racer 2

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19765890#p19765890]The_Boy[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19765804#p19765804]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:

Deejay, you'll have to teach us all how to play nuffle instead

i had to google that. Wish I hadn't bothered.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Nuffle&defid=4753556

Oh jesus

DEEJAY!!!!

joelsim

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19766129#p19766129]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19765890#p19765890]The_Boy[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19765804#p19765804]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:

Deejay, you'll have to teach us all how to play nuffle instead

i had to google that. Wish I hadn't bothered.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Nuffle&defid=4753556

Oh jesus

DEEJAY!!!!

Richmond Racey

rick_chasey

...

Richmond Racer 2

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19766137#p19766137]Joelsim[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19766129#p19766129]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19765890#p19765890]The_Boy[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19765804#p19765804]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:

Deejay, you'll have to teach us all how to play nuffle instead

i had to google that. Wish I hadn't bothered.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Nuffle&defid=4753556

Oh jesus

DEEJAY!!!!

Richmond Racey

I was speechless. And thats a rare occurrence.

The_Boy

I should probably point out that I saw a made up word I'd never seen before, assumed there would be a hilarious definition of said word on urban dictionary and picked the most outlandish i could find. Deejay might very well be a lovely chap. Though I suppose he could also be a horrid rotter.

I'm not doing well at rescuing poor deejay's reputation here, am i? More port, anyone?

joelsim

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19766152#p19766152]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19766137#p19766137]Joelsim[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19766129#p19766129]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19765890#p19765890]The_Boy[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19765804#p19765804]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:

Deejay, you'll have to teach us all how to play nuffle instead

i had to google that. Wish I hadn't bothered.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Nuffle&defid=4753556

Oh jesus

DEEJAY!!!!

Richmond Racey

I was speechless. And thats a rare occurrence.

When did Deejay mention nuffle? It looks like you suggested it...