Tour of California

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thirdcrank
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Tour of California

Post by thirdcrank »

I was on childcare duty on Saturday evening so I watched the cycling on Eurosport, which we don't have.

After the Giro highlights it was live Tour of California, last part of the final stage. I couldn't help wondering what's this all about? I appreciate that the UCI made an attempt to make bike racing more truly international and so say all of us, but this race seems to have been going at least ten years but local interest - judged by level of roadside spectators - seemed low. I also appreciate that I only saw a brief sample so has anybody anything more positive to say?
Postboxer
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Re: Tour of California

Post by Postboxer »

Maybe that's what all other races are like, currently enjoying a 7 day trial of Eurosport but haven't had it before so the only racing I watch is the highlights of the Giro on Quest and the ITV coverage of the Tour de France, Vuelta and the Tour de Yorkshire, all three of which have good support. Also the Tour of Britain on ITV but I'm not sure that enjoys as much support at the roadside as the Tour de Yorkshire, maybe it's the same fans either from Yorkshire or travelling to Yorkshire and watching every day as it's a shorter race and all within Yorkshire so easier logistically.
reohn2
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Re: Tour of California

Post by reohn2 »

Ive watch it once a couple of years ago and a stage last year.Boring in the extreme is the only way I can describe racing on wide roads made for big vehicles,and grid system built town centres with 90 degree corners and even wider boulevards
Boring,boring,boring.

Contrasted with the proper cycle racing on roads made for cycling such as the Giro,Spring Classics,and Strada Bianche ,no contest
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thirdcrank
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Re: Tour of California

Post by thirdcrank »

I start from the belief that professional bike racing is driven by money. There's not much to be made at the turnstiles so most of it must be from sponsorship in one form or another. The big money arrived with television coverage, of course, partly because it's a way of getting your logo etc in the public eye but that all supposes somebody is watching. There's also the question of who watches lesser events on telly during a big one. I don't understand why European sponsors targeting a domestic audience see value in having their team jerseys paraded away from their home market in events which are unlikely to attract much interest at home.
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pjclinch
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Re: Tour of California

Post by pjclinch »

thirdcrank wrote:I start from the belief that professional bike racing is driven by money.


Powered by money, yes, but I suspect that a fair bit of it is actually driven by people who happen to have money and like bike racing.
As the adage goes, "the way to make a small fortune at X, is start with a large fortune and spend a load on X".
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thirdcrank
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Re: Tour of California

Post by thirdcrank »

That's a very good point but take a sponsor like AG2R: I suspect that outside cycle racing their international profile is low, bordering on nil. AFAIK, it's the French equivalent of something like an insurance mutual. ie Not obviously the private money box of some oligarch, tycoon whatever. Even the name, fairly recently abbreviated so in French it's a wordplay on Agé desserre (meaning something a free and easy old age) is routinely read here as though the characters were in English A G Two R.

Although the team has a big following in France and I can see that a French domestic audience will get coverage of the Giro and Vuelta, I can't imagine that an event like the Tour of California holds much attraction. I'm not sure about the Tour de Yorkshire because I could well imagine that a French audience would be bemused by the crowds.

Back to my OP, I was wondering if I'd missed something in the way I would have done if I'd only seen the first hour or so of the final stage of the TdeF. It seems not.
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TrevA
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Re: Tour of California

Post by TrevA »

I think we are suffering from cycle race coverage overload. Back in 70's, when we had to make do with 20 minutes of highlights of the Tour on a World of Sport, nobody would have imagined the amount of coverage we have now.

I watch the Grand Tours and the Spring Classics, but I can't be bothered with all these week long stage races. I think the ToC and even the ToB, are important to the local audience and cycle racing fans in their own part of the world, but mean very little in the grand scheme of world cycling. I have friends who will watch every bit of live cycling on Eurosport, just because it is on, but I simply don't have the time or inclination. I don't even watch the Tour Series anymore.
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