Pro cycling “has been failed structurally and commercially”

[cyberknight]

Neither of those bikes were exactly entry level though (But still not real top end either).

It proves the point though

 

[Alex321]

It's this underlying idea that there has to be a single winner that is what is so crap about it. A single winner based on points awarded in obscure ways is just the way to make the sport incomprehensible and boring.

We already do have the UCI world rankings, for men, women and both teams, with an overall winner at the end of the calndar year.

But it gets very little publicity compared to winning any of the grand tours or classics or world chmpionships.

 

[phreak]

Now I've had some time to think about it, the underlying message of the report was that pro cycling needs to have a single unified season long championship with a single winner and a season ending grand finale. Why? Because "other sports do this".

Wasn't there something like that in the 90s? The World Cup or something. Sure Jalabert used to win it a lot.

Here y'go https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UCI_Road_World_Cup

(for all that, Jalabert never won it at all )

 

[Dogtrousers]

Wasn't there something like that in the 90s? The World Cup or something. Sure Jalabert used to win it a lot.

Here y'go https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UCI_Road_World_Cup

(for all that, Jalabert never won it at all )

There's always the UCI rankings
https://www.uci.org/discipline/road/6TBjsDD8902tud440iv1Cu?tab=rankings

 

[katiewlx]

We already do have the UCI world rankings, for men, women and both teams, with an overall winner at the end of the calndar year.

But it gets very little publicity compared to winning any of the grand tours or classics or world chmpionships.

not just that, but we actually did exactly what they suggested for years, the Womens World Tour had its own classification jersey, determined by points scored only in WWT races, the end of the year the leading rider was proclaimed the overall winner of the WWT, the idea being to generate this interest in the WWT calendar, and fwiw it wasnt always the leading UCI points rider either who ultimately won.

but none of the general public had a clue what the jersey meant or followed the WWT through the season to see who won, they just werent interested in it, and it confused them, and for sure you could complain the WWT didnt put alot of effort into explaining it, but literally the only things the non pro cycling public understand are the yellow jersey from the TdF, and probably the Giro/World championship. thats it.

whoever wins the TdF in a couple of months, to most people thats the best cyclist of the year, even if thats not really a reflection of the whole season.

 

[katiewlx]

Indeed. For example, approximately 12.5 million adults go swimming annually (including 4.2 million people who swim at least twice per month) in the UK.

https://www.swimming.org/swimengland/key-swimming-statistics/

Thankfully for swimming, people aren’t concerned with ludicrously pricey gear. AFAIK, carbon-fibre goggles aren’t a thing.

hey if you ever weep about how much cyclists get fleeced for bits of lycra, dont look up how much they charge swimmers for the "special" racing swim suits.

 

[katiewlx]

Fran Millar, a fine example of 'it's not what you know, but who you know'. That piece reads like your typical clueless corporate bollox. Imagine saying cycling should follow the examples of F1 and Prem football with a straight face. The latter particularly is a corporate shitshow which has priced out so many fans.

I saw the Cyclist Alliance trying to claim cycling should introduce week long pre race event cities like the AllStar baseball game so Rapha arent the only ones grabbing the wrong end of the sticks on this stuff.

but the problem is they see F1 and Prem football, both of which are money printing machines right, so they think hey if we just copy that, we can print some money too, but they havent understood why F1 and Prem football can make the money they do because theyre drawing the wrong comparisons with pro cycling and about what motivates the spectators who part with their money that ultimately fund those sports.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I saw the Cyclist Alliance trying to claim cycling should introduce week long pre race event cities like the AllStar baseball game so Rapha arent the only ones grabbing the wrong end of the sticks on this stuff.

but the problem is they see F1 and Prem football, both of which are money printing machines right, so they think hey if we just copy that, we can print some money too, but they havent understood why F1 and Prem football can make the money they do because theyre drawing the wrong comparisons with pro cycling and about what motivates the spectators who part with their money that ultimately fund those sports.

Oddly enough the Premier League hasn't succumbed to the lure of the "season finale" Rapha thinks is indispensable. It's still a proper league without the artificial money spinner of playoffs and a grand final clunkily bolted on.

Have to say I'm surprised that they haven't.

 

[Happy_Days]

hey if you ever weep about how much cyclists get fleeced for bits of lycra, dont look up how much they charge swimmers for the "special" racing swim suits.

Weren’t those swim suits banned from competition? Or are they still around?

 

[rich p]

I think Jonathan Vaughters said much the same schtick to Lionel Birnie re the racing calendar on the Cycling Pod last year

 

[matticus]

I think Jonathan Vaughters said much the same schtick to Lionel Birnie re the racing calendar on the Cycling Pod last year

Yes. Its not an isolated view.

 

[katiewlx]

Weren’t those swim suits banned from competition? Or are they still around?

still around, the governing body now run an approval scheme that manufacturers must adhere to, which they of course charge for. and so you get basically trisuit style swim suits that are £400-500, even the mens which are just basically waist shorts, theyre over £200 and theyre just basic lycra shorts.

 

[Happy_Days]

you get basically trisuit style swim suits that are £400-500, even the mens which are just basically waist shorts, theyre over £200 and theyre just basic lycra shorts.

Amazing. They’re more expensive than my trisuit! Presumably, there’s a market for them among those competing at the top level.

How much difference do hydrodynamic swim suits make?

However much they made me faster, I’d be gutted to lose the tie-cord on a £200 pair of swim jammers

 

[Punkawallah]

Indeed. For example, approximately 12.5 million adults go swimming annually (including 4.2 million people who swim at least twice per month) in the UK.

https://www.swimming.org/swimengland/key-swimming-statistics/

Thankfully for swimming, people aren’t concerned with ludicrously pricey gear. AFAIK, carbon-fibre goggles aren’t a thing.

I’d beg to differ. Some of the goggles-posing at the end of the one length sprint was hilarious. And any woman will tell you not to buy a white swim-suit unless it’s from M&S (might have changed post pandemic).

 

[Happy_Days]

Some of the goggles-posing at the end of the one length sprint was hilarious.

Your swimming pool must be a higher class than mine, as I’ve never seen anyone goggles-posing (not even with Form goggles).

White swimwear is a bad idea unless you’re an exhibitionist