Deutschland Tour cancelled

[Will1985]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/7674411.stm

We know the Germans have been taking a dim view of cycling the last few years with several teams sponsors pulling the plug and Tour TV coverage being withdrawn so I suppose this was logically the next step.

Very sad for German cycling fans too - they probably don't get to see much cycling on TV now anyway, but to pull the national tour must really be a kick in the teeth.

In the grand scheme of things, I think that this is a minor event which on its own will not affect cycling too much unless other tours follow suit.

 

[domtyler]

Sad and pathetic.

 

[Noodley]

German Tour is on at the same time as the Vuelta, but still attracts a good field of riders. It might be an opportunity for another national tour to step in.....the Germans seem to be abandoning cycling big time.

Now remind me, Germany. Germany, former land of state sponsored doping programmes. Seems strange to single out cycling IMO. Plenty of other targets.

 

[Chuffy]

Now remind me, Germany. Germany, former land of state sponsored doping programmes. Seems strange to single out cycling IMO. Plenty of other targets.

The report on BR says that the decision was taken to pull the plug "after the organisers met with their financers and the decision was taken to cancel the national event indefinitely." Sounds like a financial decision, presumably driven by fears over sponsorship. The Germans have been getting more and more tetchy about doping since the scandals with Team Telekom, Ullrich etc. Sad, but it's also good that they aren't just being blase about it in the way that other, more latin influenced countries might be.

 

[Noodley]

Interesting article about German doping here:

http://grg51.typepad.com/steroid_nation/2008/01/today-we-featur.html

 

[yenrod]

German Tour is on at the same time as the Vuelta, but still attracts a good field of riders. It might be an opportunity for another national tour to step in.....the Germans seem to be abandoning cycling big time.

Now remind me, Germany. Germany, former land of state sponsored doping programmes. Seems strange to single out cycling IMO. Plenty of other targets.

Exactly - obviously they're looking to the future. Without 2 wheels.

 

[Will1985]

Of course it's financial - but it reflects the fact that sponsor confidence in cycling is non-existent in Germany today.

 

[PeteinLadywell]

I think it should really put the sh!ts up pro cyclists. If they continue to dope and get caught they will be killing the golden goose that provides their living.

Not just that it should really deter teams from wanting to systematically cheat.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

We can but hope that if the legal and moral efforts have no effect, that economic pressure might...

 

[PeteinLadywell]

I hope so, money is one of the two main motivations for cheating (that and glory) and this should start to chip away at it.

 

[yello]

One would hope so but people tend to be short sighted, selfish and tempted by the immediate but short term gain. I doubt cyclists would be any different... but it's certainly another tool for ridding sport of drugs.

 

[Crackle]

Loss of sponsors is an insidious thing. You might get others taking their place but with less money. Same with the Tour, once the TV rights begin to get eroded, less sponsors are attracted and things start to spiral down.

Riders are in fact biting the hand that feeds them.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

It's the teams that this will affect, and hopefully it will encourage them to make sure that their riders are not doping. It does seem that in recent years, doping has become more of an individual and less of a team-organized thing, but with blood profiles and all that, it means teams are going to have to be more active in monitoring their own riders.

 

[Noodley]

It's the teams that this will affect, and hopefully it will encourage them to make sure that their riders are not doping. It does seem that in recent years, doping has become more of an individual and less of a team-organized thing, but with blood profiles and all that, it means teams are going to have to be more active in monitoring their own riders.

There are some teams making an effort, and some events doing likewise. However there remains some teams and some events who are doing bugger all apart from trying to cover it up or find ways of avoiding detection - bastards.