Bye bye Tour of Beijing

iainf72
iainf72 Posts: 15,784
edited October 2014 in Pro race
I'd say you'll be missed but I'd be lying.

Last edition this year, via Ciro Scognamiglio
Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.

Comments

  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,069
    That hardly helps the case of globalisation.
  • Well, it was crap while it lasted.

    Globalisation is a series of brief financial encounters, I've said it all along.
    The cost of this failed experiment was paid for by the Italian Autumn calendar.
    Some of their races may now no longer be available to pick up the pieces.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Maybe a victim of a bad position in the calendar? I seem to recall that it is used as an excuse for teams to pick up cheap end of season points, and the riders weren't too happy about being sent out there for that reason. I watched a couple of stages last year, and it was alright. Not worse than some of the other smaller tours.
    Giant TCR Advanced II - Reviewed on my homepage
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    The Departed
    Giant SCR2
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    Some other junk...
  • Nothing that wrong with ToB and the racing per se, but perhaps it should not have been a World Tour event from the beginning. Rather than drag reluctant WT teams across there, keep it for the teams that want to take part, like the .HC races that already exist in Asia like Langkawi.
  • Bo Duke
    Bo Duke Posts: 1,058
    You shouldn't force an event onto a nation that has no affinity with it. 30 years ago 1 billion people rode bikes in China but it doesn't mean they line the streets now to watch Berti and Froome zoom past. I watched last year and the commentator had fun spotting the buses for the 'bused in fans' who suddenly appeared after 30kms of no supporters all waving their plastic flags. It was like being at a Chelsea game FGS.
    'Performance analysis and Froome not being clean was a media driven story. I haven’t heard one guy in the peloton say a negative thing about Froome, and I haven’t heard a single person in the peloton suggest Froome isn’t clean.' TSP
  • Will not be missed, I'd welcome a strong racing programme in China but not at the expense of the traditional heartlands of the sport, let them build it from the grass roots.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    No more excuses for Mick Rogers either :shock:
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    Thank god for that.
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    At least the riders won't have to gulp down huge quantities of smog ridden air now! (Some of the stages out in the country were quite interesting though, if only from a "change of scenery point of view).
  • "Global Cycling Promotions, which is a wholly owned arm of the UCI, will in effect be wound down after the Tour of Beijing this year," Cookson said at the world championships in Ponferrada on Friday. "We don’t see the UCI as being a major promoter of races outside of the world championships and World Cups. Those are the things I think we should concentrate on."

    "The vision of Global Cycling Promotions that the previous president had is not one that I support and we’re going to do things differently in the future," Cookson said. "Global Cycling Promotions did a good job with the Tour of Beijing but it hadn’t achieved many of its other objectives and frankly I think it was putting us in a position of slight conflict of interests with respect to other organisers and national federations."

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cookson ... wound-down
    Contador is the Greatest
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,123
    Bo Duke wrote:
    You shouldn't force an event onto a nation that has no affinity with it. 30 years ago 1 billion people rode bikes in China but it doesn't mean they line the streets now to watch Berti and Froome zoom past. I watched last year and the commentator had fun spotting the buses for the 'bused in fans' who suddenly appeared after 30kms of no supporters all waving their plastic flags. It was like being at a Chelsea game FGS.


    Same thing happened 15 years ago in World Rallying; forcing the teams out there, watched by 3 men, and a few stray dogs. The ToB can return when there is a demand for it.

    Does this mean Lombardy can return to it's proper date??

    And as for the Global Cycling Promotions; you can't be a governing body & a promoter. The EU forced the FiA to give up various rights years ago. Now they only govern.
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    It was just too far away and didn't fit in with the season. Unlike Qatar and Oman which have similar levels of local interest but succeed because they fit into the calendar quite nicely.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • deejay
    deejay Posts: 3,138
    Bo Duke wrote:
    It was like being at a Chelsea game FGS.
    Which is 100% better than being at an Everton or Arsenal game, Strewth.
    Organiser, National Championship 50 mile Time Trial 1972
  • deejay
    deejay Posts: 3,138
    "The vision of Global Cycling Promotions that the previous president had is not one that I support and we’re going to do things differently in the future," Cookson said. "Global Cycling Promotions did a good job with the Tour of Beijing but it hadn’t achieved many of its other objectives and frankly I think it was putting us in a position of slight conflict of interests with respect to other organisers and national federations."

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cookson ... wound-down
    That's going to make a dent in the McQuid family income. :)
    Not bad Cookie.
    Organiser, National Championship 50 mile Time Trial 1972
  • So what, 3/4 editions and it's over? At the cost of the Italian autumn season? Why this isn't a bigger story I'll never know
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,878
    10626829_365366943627236_860872696462213454_n.jpg?oh=729e7bedd8d78a774536d8b70bf626a8&oe=54C6E5CE



    Dan Martin
    1 hr ·
    Turns out customs are not letting our bikes go. 5hrs after landing. Still at the airport. Thanks tour beijing organisation.
    Some of the best riders in the world. Beijing airport carpark. Music. Drinks. No campfire though
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • So that cheap Chinese Cervélo knock-off on eBay might not actually be a knock-off then.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    I wonder if we can get a shot of the xray machine when they go through customs to put this whole "motor in Ryder's bike" thing to bed once and for all
  • Paul 8v wrote:
    Quick, get bidding!

    It's a bit large for me. I'll look like this:

    monsterbike-penny-farthing-truck-wheel-bicycle-2.png
    Paul 8v wrote:
    I wonder if we can get a shot of the xray machine when they go through customs to put this whole "motor in Ryder's bike" thing to bed once and for all

    I did wonder if they were looking for motors, or drugs...
    Correlation is not causation.
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    Paul 8v wrote:
    Quick, get bidding!

    It's a bit large for me. I'll look like this:

    monsterbike-penny-farthing-truck-wheel-bicycle-2.png
    Paul 8v wrote:
    I wonder if we can get a shot of the xray machine when they go through customs to put this whole "motor in Ryder's bike" thing to bed once and for all

    I did wonder if they were looking for motors, or drugs...
    To be fair, that bike is pretty awesome, you could totally rock that, the Dutch would love it.

    Hopefully they won't find any drugs, probably just confused by Ryder's juicer!

    I think I am actually the only one looking forward to this race, only as I have two weeks off work and I can watch it when I'm eating my breakfast.
  • sherer
    sherer Posts: 2,460
    why not keep the race but move it to the Asian calendar.

    With only one Asian team at World Tour level (Astana) and they are based out of Luxemburg there just isn't the call for it.

    It's very much a chicken and egg scenario though. The UCI want to push through globalisation but some places just aren't ready for it yet
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,878
    BzfBqXhIMAAWVCL.jpg

    Scott O'Raw ‏@velocast · 12m12 minutes ago
    @philgaimon: On the dinner table in Beijing. ” << So, that globalisation thing (again).....
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    Basically, now there is no benefit of the doubt excuse if you get caught with it in your system. This makes a lot of sense.
  • pottssteve
    pottssteve Posts: 4,069
    Judging by the air quality on today's first stage it won't be missed.
    Good to see Ji CHENG back in action in his home tour, guiding Luka Mezgec to victory in the first sprint...

    GO CHENG!
    Head Hands Heart Lungs Legs
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    There were some mint 4MW turbines, they love a turbine by the looks of it. I wonder how many turbines = the collective average watts of the peloton? (Yeah it was quite a dull stage for me to think of that, apart from the final few K anyway)

    Nice attempt by Roy to spice things up a bit.