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happa gal

Tour of California 2010 Stages Announced

Stage 1: Sunday, May 16 – Nevada City to Sacramento
Stage 2: Monday, May 17 – Davis to Santa Rosa
Stage 3: Tuesday, May 18 – San Francisco to Santa Cruz
Stage 4: Wednesday, May 19 – San Jose to Modesto
Stage 5: Thursday, May 20 – Visalia to Bakersfield
Stage 6: Friday, May 21 – Pasadena to Big Bear Lake
Stage 7: Saturday, May 22 – Los Angeles (individual time trial)
Stage 8: Sunday, May 23 – Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village/Agoura Hills

Hmmmm....race has been trimmed a day....no prologue....Big Bear Lake mountains should be interesting....was hoping that Venice Beach would have the ITT but downtown LA should be fun....no crossing the Golden Gate Bridge...

http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com

http://www.velonews.com/article/9...tour-of-california-route-unveiled

James Raia (sportswriter extraordinaire!!) writes about the course over at SF Examiner - http://www.examiner.com/x-1155-Cy...time-trial-summit-finish-unveiled
Bartali

Hi Happa.  Do you think they will get at decent start list other than the US pros?
happa gal

Bartali...that's the big discussion/debate right now. The organizers were asked that today at the press conference. The best they could come up with is that there are many riders who want to prep for the Tour but not via the Giro. They feel that the ToC may be an attractive aternative. I wonder though.

The big US names all declared their intentions via Twitter thois morning. Levi stating he is going after win #4.

The weather should be better in May. I understand the organizers tried to have the race go through Yosemite...but had huge difficulties since it's a National Park. That's a pity. Having the waterfalls at Yosemite as a backdrop would have been breathtaking!!
Bartali

I think it is a shame as the ToC had cut out a nice little niche as an early season tour.  LA and LL will mean Shack is severely depleted in Italy - If I were the Giro, I wouldn't let them ride.  Better to field a domestic team.  Columbia will be split, but presumably Cavendish will want a strong squad in Italy.  Garmin - not sure?
CapeRoadie

Bartali wrote:
I think it is a shame as the ToC had cut out a nice little niche as an early season tour.  LA and LL will mean Shack is severely depleted in Italy - If I were the Giro, I wouldn't let them ride.  Better to field a domestic team.  Columbia will be split, but presumably Cavendish will want a strong squad in Italy.  Garmin - not sure?


I wonder if Floyd Landis will remain with OUCH (soon to drop sponsorship and be taken over by United Health Care, btw) or if he even has a chance at a UCI Pro Tour team.  I can't imagine anybody wanting him.  Can't make it there in May--too busy a time here for me, so the new time frame sucks for me.  Really enjoyed the time I spent in CA watching the race and hangin' with you guys!
Me, a fan?

Bartali wrote:
I think it is a shame as the ToC had cut out a nice little niche as an early season tour.  LA and LL will mean Shack is severely depleted in Italy - If I were the Giro, I wouldn't let them ride.  Better to field a domestic team.  Columbia will be split, but presumably Cavendish will want a strong squad in Italy.  Garmin - not sure?


Man, that's a tough call for Garmin.  With the Giro allegedly having a 30k TTT and 3 other TT's, they'd definitely want to participate in that.

If the other thread about Astana not fulfilling requirements to maintain their license, maybe Alberto will be riding for Garmin next year.  We could see him as a part of their "tier 2" team that rides the TOC while the big boys ride the Giro. Laughing

Man, that would be great!  Lance & Alberto in Cali.  The only bad thing would be Alberto having to watch out for fans dishing out kidney punches or something of that nature.
Enchantress

With the california tour moving to the same slot as the Giro, I'm a bit curious as to what sort of participation the former will get from the big teams and riders.

I think it probably backfires and they suffer a bit of a drop in the overall level of the field.
berck

Enchantress wrote:
With the california tour moving to the same slot as the Giro, I'm a bit curious as to what sort of participation the former will get from the big teams and riders.

I think it probably backfires and they suffer a bit of a drop in the overall level of the field.


Well, like happa said, nobody's really sure yet. In 2011, ToC is suppose to be a Pro Tour event requiring all the big teams. Just don't know about the riders yet. Not all the big riders do the Giro. It will be interesting to see what happens.
HuwB

The problem for Cali is, that this May slot is not great for Tour prep.
Too soon for many.
Look to the past couple of Volta y Catalunya, to see who is riding at this time.
None of the big players go there. Only Valverde rode, this year. It seems populated by the French and homeboys.

I've seen elsewhere, that folks think Saxo and Rabo will bring Gesink and Spartacus to the party, but I'm not sure.
As for both Schlecks, I'd be doubtful.
Will Liquigas want a slot, having had Nibali riding high, this February?
Again doubtful.

A lot of US centric debate, here:
http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=4188&page=5
kathy

berck wrote:
Enchantress wrote:
With the california tour moving to the same slot as the Giro, I'm a bit curious as to what sort of participation the former will get from the big teams and riders.

I think it probably backfires and they suffer a bit of a drop in the overall level of the field.


Well, like happa said, nobody's really sure yet. In 2011, ToC is suppose to be a Pro Tour event requiring all the big teams. Just don't know about the riders yet. Not all the big riders do the Giro. It will be interesting to see what happens.


Berck, I thought that the Protour teams aren't required to ride all the Protour races from next year.  Some of them even missed out GT's this year.
mr shifter

It could however fit in with some teams then going to the Dauphine or Tour of Suisse.
berck

kathy wrote:
berck wrote:
Enchantress wrote:
With the california tour moving to the same slot as the Giro, I'm a bit curious as to what sort of participation the former will get from the big teams and riders.

I think it probably backfires and they suffer a bit of a drop in the overall level of the field.


Well, like happa said, nobody's really sure yet. In 2011, ToC is suppose to be a Pro Tour event requiring all the big teams. Just don't know about the riders yet. Not all the big riders do the Giro. It will be interesting to see what happens.


Berck, I thought that the Protour teams aren't required to ride all the Protour races from next year.  Some of them even missed out GT's this year.


You're probably right.
berck

mr shifter wrote:
It could however fit in with some teams then going to the Dauphine or Tour of Suisse.


It could, but will it? That is what we are going to find out this year. The date much better for weather reasons.
happa gal

2010...the team make up will be 50% Pro and 50% Continental....by invite.
happa gal

by James Raia (SF Examiner)....Ten ideas for a better race

...my personal fav is #9!!!...Enjoy!

Quote:
Now that the route for the 2010 Amgen Tour of California has been announced, it's time get on with more important things.

A late-race mountaintop finish is cool. A downtown Los Angles individual time trial appears to be a great idea, too.

And the route for the fifth annual event will be the race's most difficult to date.

But here are 10 things I'd to see happen to make the Tour of California better. Some really should occur. The others? Just having a a little fun, you know?

10. A ban on the use of the word "grueling" throughout the entire eight days by anyone associated with the race. Bike racing is hard. It doesn't need embellishment.

9. A ban on white cycling shorts.

8. A young, unheralded pro taking a flyer and staying away from the big boys.

7. Levi Leipheimer winning a road stage. He's won two prologues, four individual time trials and three overall titles in four years, but not a road stage.

6. The fifth year as the last year of the race's eight-day format. Jonathan Vaughters said it best at the Rose Bowl press conference two years after the final stage. "The race should expand into a two-week race or longer. Let's go for it and do it right or not bother."

5. Discontinue the announcement of attendance estimates after stages. The totals aren't acccurate, they're guesses at best, tablulated by officials with vivid imaginations at worst. Besides, no one cares.

4. Hey, you other 15 cities. Take a look at Santa Rosa. Best city support every year so far. Store front windows decorated with old bikes, woolen jerseys, etc. Fans on rooftops and crowding the streets, all well-behaved and into the race, rain or shine.

3. Media wish (a): A four-color slick race magazine. Not a canned supplement, but the real deal. Athlete profiles, human-interest pieces, statistics, historical cycling essays. OK, sponsors' stuff included if it has to be.

2. Meda wish (b): Mainstream network of radio stations start to finish.

1. Pick any city. Peloton cruising through a small town. Grade school kids are out of classes for few minutes holding up handmade signs about the race. Word gets out. Peloton stops. 125 riders do "knuckles" with 200 kids for a minute or two. Peloton rolls out of town. Kids never forget.
bianchigirl

Number 1 made me lose my dinner - sorry, thought it was supposed to be a professional bike race?

The question is what happens to this race once Armstrong and Leipheimer are gone? The UCI are 'globalising' based on their perception of the enduring popularity of one rider instead of building a credible fan base. We all know what happened to the 3WFs who disappeared in their droves once Armstrong retired. I can see ToC going the same way once the only riders are lesser knowns from the US domestic scene.
cardinal guzman

bianchigirl wrote:

The question is what happens to this race once Armstrong and Leipheimer are gone?


Young apprentice Phinney will step into the breach. He'll be miles more popular than the creep and il Nano.
Nolte

Bartali wrote:
I think it is a shame as the ToC had cut out a nice little niche as an early season tour.  LA and LL will mean Shack is severely depleted in Italy - If I were the Giro, I wouldn't let them ride.  Better to field a domestic team.  Columbia will be split, but presumably Cavendish will want a strong squad in Italy.  Garmin - not sure?


and if shack went to send, brajkovic as their leader in the preliminary team sheet (as happened in 2007), will RCS laugh in their face again
Enchantress

bianchigirl wrote:
Number 1 made me lose my dinner - sorry, thought it was supposed to be a professional bike race?

The question is what happens to this race once Armstrong and Leipheimer are gone? The UCI are 'globalising' based on their perception of the enduring popularity of one rider instead of building a credible fan base. We all know what happened to the 3WFs who disappeared in their droves once Armstrong retired. I can see ToC going the same way once the only riders are lesser knowns from the US domestic scene.


Spot on with this observation.

Truly the biggest draws for many (not all but many) of the locals are the LA & LL pair. Remove them from the race and then what?

The biggest name otherwise in american cycling these days - at least in terms of international recognition - is probably Farrar. I am dubious that he'd be riding the ToC as opposed to the Giro and going head on with Cav, Ale-Jet, etc and trying for wins in probably the 2nd biggest bike race in the world.

Even if Farrar did show up in california, would most of the populace care? I think a lot of american fans, because of armstrong's nearly sole focus on one race, have little awareness of anything but the TdF and riding that for GC aspirations - much less other races or sprints/points jersey's or single day classics.
MS

This race will be dead within five years.
HuwB

Well, the men's race might be evolving, but I'm afraid it's the same old story for the women's event.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/t...alifornia-womens-event-endangered
The Giro Feminile obviously not facing the same level of competition as it's male equivalent.
happa gal

HuwB wrote:
Well, the men's race might be evolving, but I'm afraid it's the same old story for the women's event.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/t...alifornia-womens-event-endangered
The Giro Feminile obviously not facing the same level of competition as it's male equivalent.


From what I hear....Nicola Cranmer-DS Proman....is actively working with the AToC...soooo the women's race is not quite dead. I remain hopeful.
bianchigirl

At a tangent - you know the UCI granted 2 Candian races PT licences? Seems the only Canadian team (led by Steve Bauer) willing to spring for the biopassports can't get a ride as they're not PT or ProConti.

Talk about growing the sport into new markets Rolling Eyes
thunderthighs

this race is proceeding well.. may be the bright spot in american riding.. keep fingers crossed..ciao
Enchantress

Like I said, and as MS nicely summed up: I think this event is not going to last very long, at least in this present form.

The best climbs in all of america are in the Sierra's, but the timing of the race and the obvious issue of snow make it all but impossible.

Much more the problem is just who is going to participate? Other than LL & LA? Does anyone in america even care about other riders/races, besides a small diehard cadre of fans who actually know something besides dopestrong?

Yet even if they did know bicycle racing well, internationally, why would they watch the ToC instead of the Giro? I wouldn't, not by a long shot.
thunderthighs

in america its a tuff sell. but "Lance braccioforte" is a salesman.. ciao

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