Paul01

Cycling’s traditional structure could be set for a major change with suggestions that a so-called breakaway league proposed by several teams could be moving closer to realization.

According to Bloomberg, eight top level squads have agreed to compete in a new series, including the RadioShack Nissan team run by Johan Bruyneel and featuring riders such as Fabian Cancellara (pictured). The Garmin Barracuda squad of Jonathan Vaughters is presumably also involved, although this is yet to be confirmed.

Much more here:

https://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11...ay-league.aspx

ultraman6970

Thought this was going to be off UCI area, but looks like UCI has something to do with them anyways.

Screw the UCI and let the guys race with only a list of banned substances and I assure you the darn races will be really really interesting to watch.

Giacomo 1 

Break-away leagues rarely work, and when they do in rare instances, they just water down the talent pool. There simply isn't going to be enough top-tier talent to support two seperate cycling leagues, and really, how will they fit in there races? Isn't the schedule already loaded?

Just look at boxing, football (USFL, WFL, CFL) and IndyCar racing to see how up-start leagues ruin the sports they are trying to help...

LemondFanForeve

LOL, think about what you've just said here, they've done that pretty much & racers/teams have laughed in their faces for it, and doped anyways. Why do you think the sport is so highly scrutinized now, and many folks have been turned off by all the doping, and folks who have/haven't, ruining it? I mean, Ullrich/Contador/Landis/etc all raced with "banned substances" known, and still raced/won and eventually were stripped of titles.

What they need to do is actually work on getting all the drugs/dope/epos out of the sport completely, harsher penalties, and lifetime bans, fines, that will cleanse it. I bet you start taking away titles, and randomly blood testing them sooner(like during and after stages/races), the sport will get clean. Too much of an image hit to do otherwise.

canam73

How do you think Landis and Contador were caught?

LemondFanForeve

Im aware of that, that's my point. They need to really punish guys, Contadors "punishment" was a joke IMO, why bother punishing him at all. All of the doping agencies can be very aggressive if they choose to be, but they dont. They pick and choose, and thats another reason why they have failed IMO, to bust more widespread doping.

18hockey

1) About the topic: If they can get ASO involved then it will work and they can revolutionize (and improve) the sport. They need to have cycling in a league format to be able to get better/longer sponsorship. The riders need to have a real voice, as do the teams. Do this and we will see things get much better.

2) When it comes to lemondfans comments: Shouldn't we perfect the testing before doing things like lifetime bans?

kleinboogie

I guess I'd be concerned about how much broadcast coverage they could get. I don't get USN anymore so that's out. It would need to be VS or the late Sunday 30 minute feel-good story on NBC (gag).

LemondFanForeve

Lol, I agree w/you on the NBC thing. Let me ask you all this: Do you think the reason cycling isn't.shown more(or at all) on the.big networks, is because of the doping & they dont want to be associated with that, the lack of big stars, or another reason? I think it's a combination of all of those things. I mean, the sport is growing, out here in SoCal, every day I see guys riding, so an audience is there. I don't "get" why it seems that this wonderful sport we all love, has seemingly been relegated to channels alot of folks dont get, why is that?

IMO(& Im sure this is a pipe dream) but it'd be badass to have a 24 hr cycling channel. Show
classic races, tips, fitness, bike reviews, etc.

lotek 

no no no... this isn't about doping, it's about a breakaway league
please lets stay on topic here.
The breakaway worked quite well for Football (i.e. Soccer, the REAL football),
as noted above the real question is the Grand Tours and classics. I'm all in
favor of getting out from under the UCI, but at what cost? Can something
like Tour of Lower Elbonia really compete with Paris Roubaix?

Commodus

Yea soccer has certainly been the model that they keep talking about. I think the idea is to get the race organizers to come along with. They don't want to just form another league, they want to take the races with them. Hence all the discussion with ASO last year.

LemondFanForeve

I know it's not about that, I was throwing that out there as one of the possible reasons as to why it seems the sport isnt shown more prominantly on the major channels? If this breakaway league works, could it be featured on stations like NBC/CBS moreso than how the current sport is, does that play a factor into the new league.

Im just throwing out possible reasons. I mean exposure would be the #1 factor IMO, as to whether the league succeeded or failed. Plus, you have to wonder what led them to want to form a new league?

You asked if the TouR of Elbonia could compete w/the Paris Roubaix? If the race got enough exposure(especially here in the states) my opinion would be yes. Maybe not as prestigious as the Roubaix, but it could compete.

thump55

If the audience was there, it would be on Sunday afternoons. Bike racing is a niche sport, that's all there is to it. Sure lots of people ride bikes, but road bike racing is only a teeny part of bicyling.

Millions and millions of people fish too, but very few will watch a tournament fishing show.

We all eat, but we don't watch the Food Network.

Most guys like naked women, but we don't all go to strip clubs.

Shall I go on?

To be honest, I'm happy to see as much as I do on NBC and USN.

Giacomo 1 

+1.

Good post. It is just a niche sport and it will likely be forever in the States. While we on this sub-forum love pro cycling, most casual observers will be quickly bored by it and turn it off because they will not stay with it long enough to learn all the tactics that make it so interesting to us. Seeing the 2 or 3 American riders racing in 101st place or so won't help either as happens in many races and tours. Cycling is not the worlds greatest spectator sport either, especially to the casual viewer.

But again I have to ask, where will the talent come from to man this break-away league? Won't the talent pool get dried-up? Won't the more casual fans of the sport just get even more confused and break the two different fan bases into warring camps,as happened in IndyCar/CART, Rolex/ALMS? This has all happened in auto racing, boxing, football (real American football!), UFC, soccer (MLS) and other sports...

Paul01

This is about the European TV market and money.

1) There is a lot of cycling on TV in Europe throughout the season. For instance, today, Dutch TV broadcast a very minor league local race, the Nokere Koerse .

2) The point to a break away organization is to get enough money for the teams that they don't need to rely only on sponsorship. As it stands, the race organizers and the UCI divvie up the TV money and the teams want a chunk of that.

3) Forget doping. This has nothing to do with doping.

4) Forget the U.S. TV market. The money is in Europe.

LemondFanForeve

Thanks, great post. Do you think this kind of upstart league could last, or do you think it's pointless to even attempt?

luxroadie

+4

Cat4Lifer

I can totally understand why some would think that,
but damn if I cant watch the pros turn their peddals
over for an hour or two a day.

Paul01

Lots of Europeans agree with you which is why the TV money is so important to the teams.

If the teams received a split of the TV money, a team like HTC would not have to fold when their sponsor dropped out.

Besides the TV money, the teams want a portion is the money municipalities pay UCI to have a race or a stage start, end, host a sprint, or even pass through.