El Diablo Rojo

The AIGCP voted unanimously to participate in PN. The major promoters have won...the UCI is irrelevant as is the ProTour. The only hope the UCI had was if the teams voted to boycott these races.

patentcad

Doesn't this render Pro Bicycle Racing irrelevant? Not that it ever was relevant, but it has managed to lower its world sports profile further still.

Brilliant boys. Well done. The last bike weenie to leave this room should turn out the lights.

Bob Dopolina 

This is getting more ludicrous than boxing.

The sport needs some cohesive governing body that can set standards, offer support to developing areas and some consistent structure and rules that apply everywhere. It is an international sport, after all. The present set-up isn't working and now it just got messier. It also just got harder to attract new sponsors to the sport.

Cycling is like a joke inside a joke inside a joke.

substructure

Soon this end with a bunch of old ladies just riding around on bikes with baskets of groceries with that token piece of French bread sticking out of the bag

ElJamoquio

Honestly, I was wondering why this hadn't happened already.

bitingduck

but the governing body has to be responsive to the teams and riders and spectators, and if it's not, they should feel free to form new ones. Similar things have happened in other sports.

USAC is a lot more responsive now than it used to be and I've found them pretty easy to deal with, but they've had periods in the past that caused other local racing organizations to form (ABR in the midwest, CBR in SoCal, I think Colorado has their own).

DrWJODonnell

So can we shed those nasty UCI rules too??

El Diablo Rojo

This reminds me more of the IRL/ChampCar split. ASO is more like Tony George, a spoiled child with best toy on the playground that wants it's way or it will take it's toy and play somewhere else. Of course this resulted in open wheel racing in the US becoming completely irrelevant, and nothing more than a dumping ground for Euro racers who couldn't cut it back home. The riders and teams had a moment where they could have taken back control of the sport, now they have proven that they are just weak and will go where they are told. Sad.

EivlEvo

I would argue that it isn't the "UCI" at all... its simply France getting pissed off that they keep losing all of their races.

robot

did anyone actually see a diffrent outcome here? sponsors are leaving, and the ones that have stayed need to see a roi. the sponsor dictates that they have to ride, otherwise no paycheck!

Racer Ex 

You might want to use the Goggle to look up "Giro" and "Vuelta".

Add in "bicycle races".

See what comes up.

botto 

what a brilliant argument.

CrimsonKarter21

Will they reunite 12 years later? BTW: Nobody here even knows what American Open Wheel Racing is.

heads up!

Isn't it just a fancy way of saying "indy car?"

CrimsonKarter21

Exactly what the common misconception is. "Indy Car" was the main open-wheel series in the US until 1996 IIRC, then Tony George wanted a series with American manufacturers and American drivers, even though it's now dominated by Europeans and South Americans driving Honda's and Toyota's, so he split with anyone willing to go with him. The only problem is that his whole calendar was superspeedways, which is a stupid place for an open wheel race car to be except for maybe once or twice a year.

Bob Dopolina 

I fully agree. When you add in all the negative press that doping receives plus some of the ...err...lax enforcement of UCI rules in developing areas, the petty squabbling and politicing that happens at the national level in most countries and it becomes an issue of credibility in the mind of any potential sponsor who even does a bit of homework.

RacerJRP

I believe as of this week they are back together again...

El Diablo Rojo

In what way hasn't the UCI been responsive. They developed the ProTour, a great way to expand the sport, they developed the 'blood passport' to help insure that riders are clean. ASO and the other GT promoters want all the money and control, they want to choose who gets to play in their playground. I'm not in anyway a big fan of Johan and Astana but ASO completely screwed them out of the Tour and all of the rest of ASO's races. Just like Unibet last year, no good reason, just to stick it to the UCI.

Bob Dopolina 

The reasons you mention are a good start. ASO is equally culpable here. They are both behaving like children squabbling over jelly beans in the back yard.

I think the Pro-Tour was partly a good idea and partly a way to wrestle control from ASO et.al. The blood passport is ok as an idea but let's see how the practical application of it unfolds.

I've spent the last several years racing in Asia and have seen some very inconsistent application of rules by UCI officials or during sanctioned events. Also, I have a serious problem with letting National sport governing bodies discipline athletes for infractions like doping. This has been a breeding ground for bending, or outright ignoring, of rules in the past. It is simply not in their interest to crack down on riders who are generating results internationally.

The UCI is not the only one failing here. There is enough blame to go around. This includes the riders.

My 2 cents.

botto 

if it's something to do with car racing, almost nobody gives a flying frak.

kudude

which is still slightly more people than care about bike racing.

botto 

i'm sorry, i was unaware of the fact that this was rednecksinhotrodsforums.net.

kudude

I was speaking generally. Is your world as big as BF?

KendallF

Some of us...lead double lives. Note the "Share the Road" tag and receiver hitch for the bike rack.



/hijack

Racer Ex 

^^^Man, i do love me some over weight, big, gas guzzling, bench seat makeout wagons.

There is nothing a sweet as hearing those secondaries open up and watching that gas gauge go down.

Unless you got a Six Pack. Then you have died and gone to 'rod heaven.