Tour of Guangxi
Comments
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dish_dash wrote:RichN95 wrote:
It's not that they can't pay (although the UCI do need to make money), it's that they haven't got the facilities necessary to host the race. Crowds are very nice, but not much use if you can't get the race to a TV audience.dish_dash wrote:So we won't take the race to the places where we get crowds because they can't pay, but complain when they go to the places that can pay and don't have crowds.
So 5 out of the 7 stages of the Tour de Rwanda start or finish in the capital, Kigali. So let's assume we use that as a base.
Kigali has been investing in hotel/conference centre capacity such that it can host 3,000 delegates for the WEF Africa, 2,000 delegates for the African Union Summit. So that out to cover hotel room requirements. There are a number of 5* hotels. Public buses have free 4G wifi and there is a nationwide fibre-optic network linked into the East Africa sub-sea cables.
Yeah, it wouldn't be Qatar or Richmond, and it would cost someone a chunk of money but I don't see why it oughtn't be possible.
Various posters have been busy telling us that crowds are key to the spectacle! Looking at the Tour de Rwanda pics you'd get quite the spectacle...
This sounds like a good idea, but can you imagine the moaning about the heat and humidity combo? After all the "feels like factors" in the desert of Qatar, a race in an actually humid country might be a bit much.
Separately, I'm always amazed by how many places in the world you can surf the internet on 4G, but have no electricity or running water. Those are the big three in my opinion.0 -
RichN95 wrote:
I was there for that. I bought a WC jersey and then just walked up to Boonen and got him to sign it.iainf72 wrote:I remember I saw the ToB London stage when Boonen was world champ.
My prized possession is a GB Cycling poster from the TOB 2004, signed by Hugh Porter, Phil Liggett, the late, great David Duffield and Bradley Wiggins.
I just walked up to all of them and asked them to sign. And IIRC that was on GCSE results day
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ZMC888 wrote:OK, for those that are interested:
(cut for brevity)
However China is a very dynamic place, and what is true today can suddenly change extremely quickly, which is why it's always worth trying these things to see if they stick.
Thanks for that, some really interesting points there. Is there a possibility of involvement in cycling becoming something that might bring the cachet and status people are keen on? How could this be made to happen?It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.0 -
TakeTheHighRoad wrote:RichN95 wrote:
I was there for that. I bought a WC jersey and then just walked up to Boonen and got him to sign it.iainf72 wrote:I remember I saw the ToB London stage when Boonen was world champ.
My prized possession is a GB Cycling poster from the TOB 2004, signed by Hugh Porter, Phil Liggett, the late, great David Duffield and Bradley Wiggins.
I just walked up to all of them and asked them to sign. And IIRC that was on GCSE results day
Nice to see you had your priorities right, even at a young age. Hat
It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.0 -
Salsiccia1 wrote:ZMC888 wrote:OK, for those that are interested:
(cut for brevity)
However China is a very dynamic place, and what is true today can suddenly change extremely quickly, which is why it's always worth trying these things to see if they stick.
Thanks for that, some really interesting points there. Is there a possibility of involvement in cycling becoming something that might bring the cachet and status people are keen on? How could this be made to happen?
This would be a multi-pronged attack.
Firstly Giant, Trek, Specialized or someone need to think outside the box and get high-end desirable CF bicycles viral on social media and get a famous Chinese/Taiwanese/Singaporean/Korean pop star/actor pumped on cycling, ditching the car and talking about it. Make cycling seen as the new ultra-cool urban must have, and those that ride all year round as tough and hard and not suffering.
Secondly go and and find some more Chinese riders that are good enough to join pro teams. Some money needs to be spent, British cycling and team Sky would be the obvious blueprint to follow.
Get some free advertised streaming media feeds, with knowledgeable ex-pros commentating, so that cycle racing in China can be removed from the ball and chain of TV viewing, but streamed on phones ipads and computers with Chinese providers.0 -
I've just come back from my first trip to China, working on Tour of Taihu Lake. It was an eye opener! I think the potential is there to have good racing in parts of this vast country, but the organisation needs to be ruthlessly professional and think about how it promotes the country as a destination and how it looks on TV. Some of the starts and finishes were truly awful locations in the butthole of nowhere. Shanghai's nightlife was cool though 8)-- Dirk Hofman Motorhomes --0
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kleinstroker wrote:
Some interesting points raised there.
Which makes it interesting to read between the lines in Marc Madiot's blog on the UCI and China. Worth noting that FDJ aren't a Velon team (they have no French teams at all). I guess the French teams, as well as being famously insular, have a much cosier relation with ASO than most....
http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/author ... to-people/Warning No formatter is installed for the format0 -
It ain't a magic Wanda.
People seem to assume that because he's China's richest man then all is hunky dory.
But there are plenty of questions to be asked about Wanda - it's high reliance upon property development in a country where there is clearly a bubble, the government's increasing moves to capital controls (particularly looking at the Wanda style overseas deals), and the regulatory/political risks that Mr Wang faces as Xi solidifies his control over the party and country.
Potential house of cards...0 -
dish_dash wrote:It ain't a magic Wanda.
People seem to assume that because he's China's richest man then all is hunky dory.
But there are plenty of questions to be asked about Wanda - it's high reliance upon property development in a country where there is clearly a bubble, the government's increasing moves to capital controls (particularly looking at the Wanda style overseas deals), and the regulatory/political risks that Mr Wang faces as Xi solidifies his control over the party and country.
Potential house of cards...
Gonna reeely go out on a limb here and surmise that the above is quite beyond the ken of Velonews contributors0 -
Richmond Racer 2 wrote:dish_dash wrote:It ain't a magic Wanda.
People seem to assume that because he's China's richest man then all is hunky dory.
But there are plenty of questions to be asked about Wanda - it's high reliance upon property development in a country where there is clearly a bubble, the government's increasing moves to capital controls (particularly looking at the Wanda style overseas deals), and the regulatory/political risks that Mr Wang faces as Xi solidifies his control over the party and country.
Potential house of cards...
Gonna reeely go out on a limb here and surmise that the above is quite beyond the ken of Velonews contributors
I know, I know...0 -
I know nothing but I can tell there's something fishy going on.0
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bompington wrote:I know nothing but I can tell there's something fishy going on.
A Fish called Wanda 0 -
Richmond Racer 2 wrote:bompington wrote:I know nothing but I can tell there's something fishy going on.
A Fish called Wanda
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The thing with Madiot is that he has an incredibly cushy set up at FdJ. He's been funded by the state lottery for twenty years now so has never had to struggle for a sponsor or had any expectation of getting results as long as he runs a predominantly French team. If they were to lose their WT status, ASO would guarantee invites to all the races they run.No tA Doctor wrote:kleinstroker wrote:
Some interesting points raised there.
Which makes it interesting to read between the lines in Marc Madiot's blog on the UCI and China. Worth noting that FDJ aren't a Velon team (they have no French teams at all). I guess the French teams, as well as being famously insular, have a much cosier relation with ASO than most....
http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/author ... to-people/
And in return for this comfortable existence, Madiot, a Little Frenchlander* at the best of times, supports ASO and French cycling unconditionally as he cares little about anything beyond his own borders. UCI merely represent a threat to him.
He may be right about some things, but it comes from a complacent nationalist heart.
(*Or whatever the French equivalent of Little Englander is)Twitter: @RichN950 -
bompington wrote:Richmond Racer 2 wrote:bompington wrote:I know nothing but I can tell there's something fishy going on.
A Fish called Wanda
THANK YOU, BOMPS
NO, THANK YEW
:P0 -
RichN95 wrote:
The thing with Madiot is that he has an incredibly cushy set up at FdJ. He's been funded by the state lottery for twenty years now so has never had to struggle for a sponsor or had any expectation of getting results as long as he runs a predominantly French team. If they were to lose their WT status, ASO would guarantee invites to all the races they run.No tA Doctor wrote:kleinstroker wrote:
Some interesting points raised there.
Which makes it interesting to read between the lines in Marc Madiot's blog on the UCI and China. Worth noting that FDJ aren't a Velon team (they have no French teams at all). I guess the French teams, as well as being famously insular, have a much cosier relation with ASO than most....
http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/author ... to-people/
And in return for this comfortable existence, Madiot, a Little Frenchlander* at the best of times, supports ASO and French cycling unconditionally as he cares little about anything beyond his own borders. UCI merely represent a threat to him.
He may be right about some things, but it comes from a complacent nationalist heart.
(*Or whatever the French equivalent of Little Englander is)
*sings La Marseillaise*0 -
I remember I saw the ToB London stage when Boonen was world champ. It was a short circuit and that was good to watch. Back then I was on the barriers with no one behind me. You'd now get 12 people deep crowds I suspect.
I remember being stood on the barriers that day and turning around to see Johan Museeuw stood next to me, no one else seemed to have any idea who he was. I suspect that even with the increased popularity of cycling in the UK now, he would still go unoticed by the vast majority of spectators.0 -
He seems (to me anyway) to have a rather indistinct face. Someone who looks like lots of other people. The sort that I see in photos and think 'Is that Museuuw? I think it is but I'm not sure'Beatmaker wrote:I remember I saw the ToB London stage when Boonen was world champ. It was a short circuit and that was good to watch. Back then I was on the barriers with no one behind me. You'd now get 12 people deep crowds I suspect.
I remember being stood on the barriers that day and turning around to see Johan Museeuw stood next to me, no one else seemed to have any idea who he was. I suspect that even with the increased popularity of cycling in the UK now, he would still go unoticed by the vast majority of spectators.Twitter: @RichN950 -
I seems (to me anyway) to have a rather indistinct face. Someone who looks like lots of other people. The sort that I see in photos and think 'Is that Museuuw? I think it is but I'm not sure'
He was in a Quick-Step shirt, which did help me recognise him
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