London pull out of 2017 Grand Depart

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Fubar

Guru
I think the French will surprise you with how petty they can be. They've been very keen on London, for the tour to visit 3 times in 10 years would have been pretty good going for a foreign city. I doubt they'll even look at England again in the next 10 years, they may see Glasgow or Edinburgh as an opportunity to spite England given the push for independence

Yay! :wahhey:
 

davefb

Guru
I kind of agree with Boris... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-34389832

...assuming that £35 million actually gets spent on cycling in the UK instead of not getting spent and being quietly subsumed back into the budget.

Plus the tour has been to London too recently anyway. Why not somewhere in Eastern Europe if the Giro can start in Ireland?

so why did they bid then? in order to spite the uk regions? must have been galling for him those two days in yorkshire..
he's not that bothered to 'pull a magic funding rabbit out the hat' because it won't be his name in 2017. clearly the funding should not be from 'safety' but tbh that just sounds like a distraction.

disappointing they've managed to make a loss on the merchandising though ...
 

HF2300

Insanity Prawn Boy

What @Bobby Mhor said. WTY might not be keen, but that doesn't mean ASO won't want to do it just because of London's idiocy.

TBH isn't a tourism QUANGO's job to spend money in order to bring tourism and revenue to the region they're responsible for?

I think the French will surprise you with how petty they can be. They've been very keen on London, for the tour to visit 3 times in 10 years would have been pretty good going for a foreign city. I doubt they'll even look at England again in the next 10 years, they may see Glasgow or Edinburgh as an opportunity to spite England given the push for independence

Ah, the auld enemy. Last time I looked Glasgow and Edinburgh were in the UK as well. I suspect ASO have not got where they are by a lack of business sense - as perhaps confirmed by the money it's said WTY owe ASO in the article @Marmion linked to.
 
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HF2300

Insanity Prawn Boy
I kind of agree with Boris... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-34389832

...assuming that £35 million actually gets spent on cycling in the UK instead of not getting spent and being quietly subsumed back into the budget.

Plus the tour has been to London too recently anyway. Why not somewhere in Eastern Europe if the Giro can start in Ireland?

The stupidity is not in not having the Grand Depart, it's in leading ASO down the garden path and then pulling out at the last minute. These are decisions that should, and presumably were, made when deciding to bid in the first place. Why get so far down the road then change their minds? If it wasn't worth the money and it would be better spent on long term cycling infrastructure, why wasn't that obvious at the point they decided to bid? What had changed?
 
OP
OP
Bobby Mhor

Bobby Mhor

Wasn't born to follow
Location
Behind You
The stupidity is not in not having the Grand Depart, it's in leading ASO down the garden path and then pulling out at the last minute. These are decisions that should, and presumably were, made when deciding to bid in the first place. Why get so far down the road then change their minds? If it wasn't worth the money and it would be better spent on long term cycling infrastructure, why wasn't that obvious at the point they decided to bid? What had changed?
Boris says it was entirely his decision HERE
No democracy here then?

Who made the initial decision to bid? surely Boris would be part of this..
or has Ronnie Pickering threatened to appear?
 

Dan B

Disengaged member
I kind of agree with Boris... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-34389832

...assuming that £35 million actually gets spent on cycling in the UK instead of
on e.g. the Garden Bridge, which has now had £30 million from TfL and £30m from the Treasury and is going to cost the public purse £3.5 million a year for upkeep for the rest of its life. Almost as good a deal as the Coathanger Carriages
 

martint235

Dog on a bike
Location
Welling
What @Bobby Mhor said. WTY might not be keen, but that doesn't mean ASO won't want to do it just because of London's idiocy.

TBH isn't a tourism QUANGO's job to spend money in order to bring tourism and revenue to the region they're responsible for?



Ah, the auld enemy. Last time I looked Glasgow and Edinburgh were in the UK as well. I suspect ASO have not got where they are by a lack of business sense - as perhaps confirmed by the money it's said WTY owe ASO in the article @Marmion linked to.
I don't remember saying they weren't in the UK. I'm also not arguing that ASO have business sense but to be honest, wherever they put the Grand Depart will tend to be good business. They do however have that Gallic sense of peevedness and I will be really surprised if they bring it to England again anytime soon. They will also recognise not only the organisational and scenic elements of a stage 1 in Scotland but also the fact that by cosying up to NS they can stick a couple of fingers up to England.
 
OP
OP
Bobby Mhor

Bobby Mhor

Wasn't born to follow
Location
Behind You
Its going to Germany...
More guff from Boris the master puppeteer and his puppet in charge of TfL HERE

PS Guardian alert, full of pretentious columnists..
 
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