Giro Rosa loses WT status

davidof
davidof Posts: 3,127
edited September 2020 in Pro race
As has been widely predicted the women's only major stage race, the Giro Rosa, has lost its world tour status due to lack of live TV coverage.

The UCI has previously killed the other major stage race, the Route de France (ex Women's Tour de France) due to inflexible scheduling. Is it now trying to do the same with the GR?

I'm not sure how important, or feasible, live TV coverage is for a multi day race with a smallish budget and interest especially in the year of a global pandemic and scheduling changes.

There are of course a number of multi day races such as the Tour of Norway, Tour of Holland and Women's Tour of Britain, non of these were held this year. The French Tour d'Ardeche, a 5 day stage race did go ahead.
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Comments

  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,486
    It's so weird. Cycling is one of the very few sports that has full fledged mainstream female stars (comparatively for cyclists. Even among men no one would recognize WVA on the street in Germany).

    Real shame
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    On one hand it is right to insist on live TV coverage for WT status, but on the other hand it would be better for the UCI to help the Giro Rosa, the flagship stage race, get to that point.

    I do wonder why it's on at the same time as the Tour though.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    Not helping .
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,717
    Whaaaaa????

    Why is the UCI so shiiiiite!
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,620
    It's the rules. They nearly lost some spring classics this year because of it
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    So, the UCI can't even recognise the fact that the Rosa was in direct competition with the Tour this year? At least the race has the backing of the state broadcaster.
    RAI said it just wasn't physically possible this year.
    An enigma of an organisation: sometimes, like in this case, they seem completely inflexible, at others, they invent rule loopholes on the spur of the moment, in order to flip flop.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,823
    Isn't it usually on at the same time as the Tour?
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,575
    blazing_saddles said:

    So, the UCI can't even recognise the fact that the Rosa was in direct competition with the Tour this year? At least the race has the backing of the state broadcaster.
    RAI said it just wasn't physically possible this year.
    An enigma of an organisation: sometimes, like in this case, they seem completely inflexible, at others, they invent rule loopholes on the spur of the moment, in order to flip flop.

    The Giro Rosa goes up against the Tour every year.

    The UCI is attempting to raise the standards for WT races, and part of the criteria is to provide 45 minutes of daily tv content. The Giro Rosa failed to do that this year, so it has been downgraded. Those are the rules as agreed by the UCI road race commission, so they are being followed. Given how people complain vociferously on here if the UCI don't follow their rules, they can't really win in situations like this.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    edited September 2020
    takethehighroad said:

    Isn't it usually on at the same time as the Tour?

    Oh Ok. I should have remembered that.
    It was also up against Tirreno - Adriatico this year though.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    andyp said:

    blazing_saddles said:

    So, the UCI can't even recognise the fact that the Rosa was in direct competition with the Tour this year? At least the race has the backing of the state broadcaster.
    RAI said it just wasn't physically possible this year.
    An enigma of an organisation: sometimes, like in this case, they seem completely inflexible, at others, they invent rule loopholes on the spur of the moment, in order to flip flop.

    The Giro Rosa goes up against the Tour every year.

    The UCI is attempting to raise the standards for WT races, and part of the criteria is to provide 45 minutes of daily tv content. The Giro Rosa failed to do that this year, so it has been downgraded. Those are the rules as agreed by the UCI road race commission, so they are being followed. Given how people complain vociferously on here if the UCI don't follow their rules, they can't really win in situations like this.
    Sure if it occurs in a normal year but this year requires an element of dispensation as there was so much cycling and other sport being condensed into a few weeks and the race had moved from its regular slot.
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,340
    What's the practical effect of this on the race?

    You could grade the Tour de France as a second grade chipper but teams would want to be there because of the prestige of the race - is the Giro Rosa similarly immune, or does the downgrade affect things like team numbers / teams they can invite?
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  • cruff
    cruff Posts: 1,518
    The downgrade will be ignored by the teams, and they'll send their strongest squads to it as they do every year. It's the only 'grand tour' in women's cycling. Just means an impact on sponsorship, and whatever pathetic coverage we would have got is even less likely.

    Women's races, by percentage, are far more entertaining to watch than men's, as they're not as formulaic. It's a shame - because the gravel stage of the women's giro this year was brilliant to watch
    Fat chopper. Some racing. Some testing. Some crashing.
    Specialising in Git Daaahns and Cafs. Norvern Munkey/Transplanted Laaandoner.
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,127
    I mention it because David Lappartient was elected on a platform of promoting women's racing and this seems like a retrograde step.
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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,692
    I don't understand the downgrade if the organisers have TV in place for the coming season. I don't think punishment for this season's edition not having proper broadcast is appropriate, given the circumstances. If they don't have TV broadcast guaranteed for the coming season then it's the right move.
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  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    More TdY style formats would be my thinking . Highly successful .
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    In men's I think the rule makes sense.

    Races that no-one watches do lose their prestige without viewers and the 'level' the UCI attributes to them should reflect that, and visa versa.

    The challenge of course is that works well when you have 100 years or so of established history to draw up - not the case for women's.

    You would think they would be able to override it with common-sense. Alas.
    _
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,620
    I agree entirely with the UCI on this. If you aren't willing to provide 45 minute of TV coverage, you aren't fit to have the top ranking. They did the same with fleche Walloon this/last year, and the organisers were suddenly able to provide coverage.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    edited September 2020
    gsk82 said:

    I agree entirely with the UCI on this. If you aren't willing to provide 45 minute of TV coverage, you aren't fit to have the top ranking. They did the same with fleche Walloon this/last year, and the organisers were suddenly able to provide coverage.

    But they did provide 45 minutes of tv coverage, just not live.
    And the reason it wasn't live was because RAI were providing live coverage of another WT race, at the time: Tirreno - Adriatico.
    I mean, what are they supposed to do and why can't the UCI see they were in a Catch 22 situation courtesy of said UCI ?
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,127
    The TV coverage was quite good this year. It would have been better to provide a better highlights rather than the last 20km or so with the key race moves etc.
    It is easier for some of the one day events as they already have the infrastructure in place for the men's events.
    I wonder if Lappartient and Aso have some hand in this with the upcoming French Women's Tour?
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  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,620
    Has it been pulled because it didn't do it this year or because they're saying they won't next year? Fleche Walloon was because they said they wouldn't the following year
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • zest28
    zest28 Posts: 403
    I didn't watch it, but isn't woman cycling also very boring with the same person winning almost everything always?
  • zest28
    zest28 Posts: 403
    edited October 2020
    m.r.m. said:

    It's so weird. Cycling is one of the very few sports that has full fledged mainstream female stars (comparatively for cyclists. Even among men no one would recognize WVA on the street in Germany).

    Real shame

    Indeed. But cycling in general has also disappeared from the big stage.

    If Lance Armstrong would walk here in public during his prime, everybody would go nuts here.

    However if Pogacar or Egan would walk here in public, only a few people would know who they are.
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    Where’s here. I suspect Lance wouldn’t have been recognised that often in the UK.
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,269
    Lizzy Banks' tour diary recordings from Giro Rosa out on The Cycling Podcast, another bit on the most recent Service Course one, have been interesting, and revealed so much more of what happened in the race than the last 20km tv stuff. Example: one of her team mates 'flew' off the road on a fast descent, somersaulted into a thorn bush, was stuck there, and her team car didn't know and couldn't find her; had to backtrack on bikes up the course to look for her. 😳 I had no idea of that from the reportage I'd seen.

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