[vaunTrevi]

http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=11941



The possibility of a Tour of America is more than an interesting idea, as a result we will be setting up a "Tour of America section" on the Daily Peloton Forums where readers can voice their concerns and questions, debate the race and course, suggest routes and interact with race organiser Frank Arokiasamy and his staff.



Tour of America - Proposed Stages:
Stage Date Start Finish Miles/Km Estimated Cumulative Distance
Prologue 9/06/08# Battery Park Central Park New York 7/11
1 9/07/08 Edison, NJ - Baltimore, MD 169/270 176/281
2 9/08/08 Frederick, MD - Monroeville, PA 178/285 354/566
3 9/09/08 Steubenville Ohio - Columbus 149/238 503/804
4 9/10/08 Grove City, Ohio - Greensburg, IN 152/243 655/1047
5 9/11/08# Rushville, IN - Indianapolis, IN 48/77 703/1124
6 9/12/08 Terre Haute, IN - Edwardsville, IL 154/246 857/1370
7 9/13/08 St Louis, MO - Columbia, MO 145/232 1002/1602
8 9/14/08 Columbia - Lawrence, Kansas 165/264 1167/1866

Rest/TransferDay 9/15/08 Lawrence, KS Colorado Springs, CO (via Air)

9 9/16/08* Colorado Sp, CO Georgetown, CO 115/184 1282/2050
10 9/17/08 Vail, CO - Grand Junction, CO 148/237 1430/2287
11 9/18/08 Fruita, CO - Emery, UT 153/245 1583/2532
12 9/19/08* Salina - Cedar City, UT 134/214 1717/2746
13 9/20/08 St. George, - Las Vegas, NV 152/243 1869/2989
14 9/21/08 # Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, NV 25/56 1904/3045

Rest Day 9/22/08 Las Vegas, NV Amargosa Valley, NV

15 9/23/08* Amargosa, Nevada - Lone Pine, CA 144/230 2048/3275
16 9/24/08* Big Pine - Yosemite, CA 118/189 2166/3464
17 9/25/08* Bridgeport - Olympic Valley, CA 121/194 2287/3658
18 9/26/08 S. Lake Tahoe - Davis, CA 120/192 2407/3850
19 9/27/08 Santa Rosa - Santa Clara 120/192 2527/4042
20 9/28/08 Santa Clara - San Francisco 100/160 2627/4202
# Time Trials
* Mountain Stages

[/color]

[color="#cc0000"]

[walt]

The Tour of America according to RTT:

1. The United States should be divided into quadrants and one quadrant raced per year.

RTT, I like your quadrant idea. The USA is just too big to hold a single stage race, unless you had huge transfers all the time. Maybe the quadrant idea could be used to incorporate 4 separate stage races held throughout the year. They could use some of the existing races like Tour of California for the west, TdG for the South, Tour of Missouri for the central. And then develop some kind of stage race in the North East quadrant. The overall winner would have accumulated the most points in all 4 races.

[Haivart]

Sounds almost like a US-40 route, which would get people's interest. US-40 is 3220 miles. It could be done, I think, with only a couple of breaks--not long ones. I'm not a pro, so I don't know how far a "good" stage is, or how many weeks is a "good" race. One problem to be looked at is the time-zone change, but maybe that's not a problem over several weeks. I like it. The quadrant idea may be spread over too long a time--specators want fast results, not ones spread over 4 years. And anyway, you might not have the same riders for each quadrant--not a good idea.

Just my opinions.

[ChrisH]

The aqusports.com link works now, although it is basically the tourofamerica.com site.
http://thetourofamerica.com/index.php?opti...ge&Itemid=1

Is the route pretty much set and they're just tweaking it now?

They need to add a section on accreditation and another on anti-doping or at least talk a little bit about these things.

Yet another audience member asked if Arokiasamy was aware that ProTour teams like the two he mentioned wanting to have race, T-Mobile and Astana, would be unable to race a non-sanctioned UCI race. Arokiasamy's response was confusing, possibly showing his lack of cycling knowledge. "We are not talking about UCI sanctions for year one, we are talking about USA Cycling sanctions." He also said the plan was to entice teams to race with the $11 million. "Richard's first reaction was that the best cyclists won't come, and they never really have. That is why I think we need something really grandiose. When you look at the prizes, they are overboard and overkill. And they are intended to be that, to be 'wow!'"

So are they now commited to the UCI (America Tour and later the ProTour) through USA Cycling or are they going to join the USA Cycling Professional Tour only (kind of like situation with the RCS and Unipublic's races) or are they trying to get USA Cycling to work independently of the UCI like the ASO has tried to do with the French cycling federation?

References:
http://www.usacycling.org/protour/
http://www.velonews.com/race/dom/articles/13387.0.html
http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/13403.0.html
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=fea...ofamerica_sep07

[sundaymorning]

A huge problem with this proposal is that you may be putting on an extensive route covering the US, but you won't be putting on a compelling bike race. If you attract a Tour of Georgia caliber field you aren't going to have teams that can control the race during your extremely long stages. You are going to have breakaways get big time gaps early. You have the possibility of a break getting 45 minutes or more by the end of the first week. Have you thought about 11 man teams? That may help. Still, the 77km and 56 km TT are going to produce huge gaps as well.

I guess the only hope for a close, interesting race for the general classification would be someone taking a big lead on the flat, only to have a rider come back on the mountains or TT. The most interesting thing about any bike race is the competition, seems to me you are obviously sacrificing that.

I like RTT's idea of quadrants.

[vaunTrevi]

Personally I don't even think the tour needs to go from coast to coast to be successful.

It might be accomplished by having the rest days be two days with one being a transition day to a different quadrant of North America. Perhaps starting in Quebec!
I can see the race crossing the border into Canada or Mexico as part of some routes.

But from the start you have to create a mixed course that will produce an interesting course. I'd like to see some of the great eastern Sierra climbs, some in Colorado... the cobble sections in NY city or Philly. Anything is possible. Unlike tour of California the course doesn't have to be designed as a Spring warm up race with out big climbs.

By the way there was a tour of America at one point which started in Colorado and finished in California but it wasn't a GT, the opportunities expand with a three week schedule. Coors Classic did the same thing, once including Hawaii!!

I think properly done it will take cycling in the Usa into higher levels of interest as a pro sport.



By the way: Frank and his team would like to meet you in a chat to talk about the project. When would be the best time for us to meet up and do a chat in your estimation... perhaps one early evening or on a Saturday afternoon with the colder weather on the way.

Suggestions please.

Thanks,

Vaughn

This post has been edited by vaunTrevi: 06 November 2007 - 02:34 AM

[kevin]

I like the quadrants.

I don't like that it doesn't come anywhere near me in GA.

[vanishingPoint]

(Edit).



I wonder why there are so many California stages.

This post has been edited by vp: 07 December 2007 - 01:19 AM

[sundaymorning]

By the way: Frank and his team would like to meet you in a chat to talk about the project. When would be the best time for us to meet up and do a chat in your estimation... perhaps one early evening or on a Saturday afternoon with the colder weather on the way.

Suggestions please.

Thanks,

Vaughn

A chat sounds like a great idea, Vaughn. Seems like more people are around on weekday evenings.

[Jan the man]

77 km TT

Wow...don't think the climbers'll be fond on that.
Reminds me of the good days of Grand Prix des Nations.

[Kiwi]

The latest:

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/tour...criticism-13607

[vaunTrevi]

http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=12019

Also check Book review for a description of the Whitney Portal Climb which will be a summit finish at the start of the Whitney trailhead.
http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=12018



Tour of America
Stage Date - Start Finish - Miles/Km - Cumulative Distance
1 9/06/08 Central Park, NY Philadelphia, PA 122/195.2 122/195.2
2 9/07/08 Philadelphia, PA College Park, MD 135/216 257/411.2
3 9/08/08## Olney, MD Frederick, MD 30/48 287/450.2
4 9/09/08 Winchester, VA Morgantown, WV 139/222.4 426/681.6
5 9/10/08 Fairmont, WV Athens, OH 142/227.2 568/908.8
6 9/11/08 McArthur, OH Cincinnati, OH 125/200 693/1108.8
7 9/12/08# Greenfield, IN Indianapolis, IN 27/43.2 720/1152
8 9/13/08 Casey, IL St. Louis, MO 143/228.8 863/1380.8
9 9/14/08 St. Louis, MO Columbia, MO 134/214.4 997/1595.2
Rest & Transfer Day 9/15/08 Columbia, MO Denver, CO (via Air)
10 9/16/08* Denver, CO Buena Vista, CO 120/192 1117/1787.2
11 9/17/08* Poncha Springs, CO Pagosa Springs, CO 135/216 1252/2003.2
12 9/18/08 Farmington, NM Gallup, NM 118/188.8 1370/2192
13 9/19/08* Window Rock, AZ Winslow, AZ 125/200 1495/2392
14 9/20/08* Cameron, AZ Williams, AZ 113/180.8 1608/2572.8
15 9/21/08 Kingman, AZ Las Vegas, NV 110/176 1718/2748.8
16 9/22/08# Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, NV 35/56 1753/2804.8
Rest Day 9/23/08 Las Vegas, NV Barstow, CA
17 9/24/08* Ridgecrest, CA Whitney Portal, CA 92/147.2 1845/2952
18 9/25/08* Big Pine, CA Yosemite, CA 118/188.8 1963/3140.8
19 9/26/08 Harden Flat, CA Sacramento, CA 127/203.2 2090/3344
20 9/27/08# Napa, CA Santa Rosa, CA 40/64 2130/3408
21 9/28/08 Santa Rosa, CA Palo Alto, CA 107/171.2 2237/3579.2
# Time Trials ## - Team Time Trial - * Mountain Stages - Rest Day (2)

[sundaymorning]

Great to see that they have made the route more reasonable. I still have a few criticisms.

-Somebody is going to have to control the race, or you could see some crazy breaks go away-which will kill the competition. I can't see them drawing strong enough teams to do that.

-The race will be going on during the World Championships.

I think the first version of the race will be very much a learning experience.

[Kiwi]

Great to see that they have made the route more reasonable. I still have a few criticisms.

-Somebody is going to have to control the race, or you could see some crazy breaks go away-which will kill the competition. I can't see them drawing strong enough teams to do that.

-The race will be going on during the World Championships.

I think the first version of the race will be very much a learning experience.

Yes, plenty of challenges!

A quick glance at the stage lists also suggests that there are lots of transfers, which are very tough on the riders, especially with only two rest days. France, Italy and Spain are quite a bit smaller than the US, and even they have issues with the number of transfers in their tours.

Perhaps someone with a better knowledge of US geography (or time to look at a map) can comment further?

[Haivart]

Yes, plenty of challenges!

A quick glance at the stage lists also suggests that there are lots of transfers, which are very tough on the riders, especially with only two rest days. France, Italy and Spain are quite a bit smaller than the US, and even they have issues with the number of transfers in their tours.

Perhaps someone with a better knowledge of US geography (or time to look at a map) can comment further?

Some of the start towns may be neighbors/suburbs of the day before. I'll get out my maps this weekend.
(at least it still comes through Ohio, though not as close as before). I'm actually getting excited about it.

[vaunTrevi]

Great to see that they have made the route more reasonable. I still have a few criticisms.

-Somebody is going to have to control the race, or you could see some crazy breaks go away-which will kill the competition. I can't see them drawing strong enough teams to do that.

-The race will be going on during the World Championships.

I think the first version of the race will be very much a learning experience.

It will be almost impossible to bring top talent and top teams to the race... though I'd assume some of the continental teams might be enticed to the event because of the purse? It really makes you wonder if the UCI schedule can or will ever be able to accomodate more than three GT's in a year.



Will be a crowded schedule with a lot of event overlap also:
Vuelta a Espana: August 30 to September 21
Worlds: September 23 to 28th
Tour of America: September 6 to 28th
Tour of Utah: August 13-17 - 2.3

tour of Missouri September 11- 16 (last year)
And
Interbike : [/color]

[color="#8b4513"]Outdoor Demo
Sept 22-23, 2008
Interbike Expo
Sept 24-26, 2008

Will stretch the riders/teams and press to cover all the events...

[Haivart]

Yes, plenty of challenges!

A quick glance at the stage lists also suggests that there are lots of transfers, which are very tough on the riders, especially with only two rest days. France, Italy and Spain are quite a bit smaller than the US, and even they have issues with the number of transfers in their tours.

Perhaps someone with a better knowledge of US geography (or time to look at a map) can comment further?

After mapping and checking everything from Maryland to Arizona, the longest transfer is only about a 2 hour drive and most are less.

I don't know this path through the Applachian Mountains, but I find it hard to imagine that the riders would miss the mountains completely. My other small concern is more business and being fair to the Navaho reservation-- but that's not cycling, so that's all I'll say here.

[Kiwi]

After mapping and checking everything from Maryland to Arizona, the longest transfer is only about a 2 hour drive and most are less.

Interesting. I guess it was an issue taken into account by the organizers.

Thanks for checking!

[kevin]

I don't think it will happen next year, but I still say that $$$ (how do you make a Euro symbol?) will get riders anywhere. Yes, it would have to be significant to overcome a schedule overlapping with the Vuelta and/ or the world championships (actually, for the latter, they may simply have to avoid that) but money could bring bigger and better teams over.