World Championship Fever

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  • January 30, 2015 at 4:34 pm #916413
    KayakCyndi
    Participant

    Even the Washington Post has it. Two good articles about the upcoming September World UCI Road Championships in Richmond in today’s Post.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/super-bowl-is-small-fries-compared-to-this-world-cycling-race-is-coming-to-richmond/2015/01/21/5140e2e4-974c-11e4-8005-1924ede3e54a_story.html

    and

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/what-you-should-know-about-the-uci-road-world-championships/2015/01/18/6e415d50-974d-11e4-8005-1924ede3e54a_story.html

    A funny quote from the first article:

    “Bike races are won with a mix of guile, deception, hubris and teamwork. Back-stabbing, sandbagging and collusion among enemies are part of the intrigue. The rider who works hardest rarely wins. Put your money, instead, on someone who does the least pedaling.”

    We’ll be there. Will you!

    January 30, 2015 at 4:42 pm #1021805
    TwoWheelsDC
    Participant

    My in-laws live in Richmond and I was counting on them for a place to stay…until this week when my father-in-law took a job in Raleigh. Not cool.

    January 30, 2015 at 4:50 pm #1021807
    KayakCyndi
    Participant

    @TwoWheelsDC 107053 wrote:

    My in-laws live in Richmond and I was counting on them for a place to stay…until this week when my father-in-law took a job in Raleigh. Not cool.

    I may have two extra hotel rooms in Richmond booked for Friday Sept 25 and Sat Sept 26. Being the over-planner than I am I booked two different sets of rooms in two different hotels back in October. It looks like we’ll only be needing one set but just to be on the safe side I haven’t canceled anything …. Perhaps I’ll raffle them off to the highest bidder!

    January 30, 2015 at 4:54 pm #1021810
    KLizotte
    Participant

    Do you guys believe the eyeball counts they are citing? I find it hard to believe cycling is that popular worldwide. Soccer I could understand but cycling? Even when I lived in Europe I never heard anyone discuss the TdF at the water cooler or watch it in the pubs (on the other hand, football (a.k.a. soccer) was a topic of endless discussion. Rugby, tennis, and golf were also quite popular.

    January 30, 2015 at 5:39 pm #1021818
    TwoWheelsDC
    Participant

    @KLizotte 107058 wrote:

    Do you guys believe the eyeball counts they are citing? I find it hard to believe cycling is that popular worldwide. Soccer I could understand but cycling? Even when I lived in Europe I never heard anyone discuss the TdF at the water cooler or watch it in the pubs (on the other hand, football (a.k.a. soccer) was a topic of endless discussion. Rugby, tennis, and golf were also quite popular.

    The TV ratings may be a bit overblown, but 450,000 people in Richmond wouldn’t surprise me. I was in Nice for the 2013 TdF TTT, and it was one of the biggest crowds of people I’ve ever been in…basically like the 4th of July on the Mall, but covering the entire downtown and beachfront area of Nice. Even Chattanooga gets insane crowds (from the photos I’ve seen) and decent TV coverage for the US Championships, so the Worlds will be even that much bigger.

    January 30, 2015 at 5:43 pm #1021819
    culimerc
    Participant

    Loved the line “strong like a bull, smart like a tractor”

    January 30, 2015 at 5:49 pm #1021822
    Powerful Pete
    Participant

    @KLizotte 107058 wrote:

    Do you guys believe the eyeball counts they are citing? I find it hard to believe cycling is that popular worldwide. Soccer I could understand but cycling? Even when I lived in Europe I never heard anyone discuss the TdF at the water cooler or watch it in the pubs (on the other hand, football (a.k.a. soccer) was a topic of endless discussion. Rugby, tennis, and golf were also quite popular.

    You were hanging out with the wrong people! ;)

    Keep in mind that cycling is very regional within Europe – while people in parts of Southern Italy would only really pay attention to the Giro, for example (as opposed to that other race in a nearby country where the food and wine are almost as good as ours), in the North (the cycling “centre” of Italy) you will get people talking about all the major monuments and most probably also local races in their area. Lots of attention and eyeballs in France, Spain, Benelux, Switzerland and increasingly “non-traditional” areas like UK (the Irish always being more passionate and in the known about cycling – as an aside, Sean Kelly is the man). Cannot comment on on Eastern Europe, Germany or Scandinavia as I haven’t spent enough time there.

    If you want crazed fanaticism try Belgium. I had cars pull over and ask me what team I was racing for while out on training rides (this was a wee few years ago, I was much, much thinner and a bit faster then now, LOL).

    Out of curiosity, where did you live in the Old World? I was intrigued by your golf reference. If you tell someone in Rome that you play golf they may be vaguely aware of its existence. I used to have conversations with my friends about how weird it was that golf even made the papers (this is when I was studying English and reading copies of old American papers) as “who would ever play or follow that”. Then I moved to the US and understood…

    January 30, 2015 at 5:57 pm #1021826
    Raymo853
    Participant

    I am more excited about the World’s CX this weekend.
    http://www.cxmagazine.com/category/2015-cyclocross-world-championships-tabor

    Katie F’ing Compton has all my hopes. Well except for the part that hope Vos does not podium

    January 30, 2015 at 6:00 pm #1021827
    Powerful Pete
    Participant

    Well here’s to hoping it turns out to be a hyper technical WC and that Eva Lechner wins, although Vos is unbeatable on a good day…

    January 30, 2015 at 8:02 pm #1021843
    PotomacCyclist
    Participant

    Cycling may not have been as popular in the UK as in Continental Europe, at least before the rise of British cyclists like Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.

    The Tour de France attracts an estimated 12 to 15 million spectators. Although that is spread out over 20 or 21 days and across thousands of miles and there is no admission charged (except perhaps at small VIP areas near the finish of stages), it does take some effort to make it to the TDF route, especially in the mountains. Even with the difficulties of getting to the mountains and staying there while waiting for the peloton to arrive, those mountain routes are jam-packed with people, which you can see from the TV broadcasts every year.

    Even if you divide the low estimate of 12 million by 21, you still get over 500,000 spectators per stage.

    In Richmond, there will be the novelty of having the World Championship in the U.S. There are a few elite pro cycling events in the U.S. but they don’t always draw all of the top riders.

    January 31, 2015 at 7:23 am #1021899
    KLizotte
    Participant

    @Powerful Pete 107073 wrote:

    You were hanging out with the wrong people! ;)

    Out of curiosity, where did you live in the Old World? I was intrigued by your golf reference. If you tell someone in Rome that you play golf they may be vaguely aware of its existence. I used to have conversations with my friends about how weird it was that golf even made the papers (this is when I was studying English and reading copies of old American papers) as “who would ever play or follow that”. Then I moved to the US and understood…

    Merry ol’ England to be exact; I lived in London. They were football mad and golf was popular because of the courses in Scotland. Wimbledon was a big event. Yes, cycling has taken off in England (watching and participating) over the past five years, esp in London. :)

    I’m surprised long distance cycling events attract so many spectators since there isn’t much to see. The peletons go by in a few minutes and that’s it. You see far more via the TV coverage.

    January 31, 2015 at 6:07 pm #1021909
    PotomacCyclist
    Participant

    I suspect that part of the appeal is the journey to the viewing spots. Similar to how tailgating is considered by many to be a vital part of an NFL game experience. (This is why NFL stadiums are not built with large parking garages or underground parking, explaining the empty sea of asphalt at places like RFK Stadium.)

    Many of the TDF spectators are likely drunk, or close to it. At least some of the younger adults are, and a few of the older ones too. Plus it’s something to report and boast about, seeing the TDF in person. It makes people feel connected to the long history of the TDF, that they were able to witness part of it in person. I would do the same thing if I saw a stage in person. (I had a few easy opportunities to do so, but I didn’t follow cycling back then. What a shame.)

    In some stages, the peloton passes very quickly, but in mountain stages, the viewing experience can be better. (I don’t say this from personal experience though.) The cyclists move more slowly up the steep mountains so spectators have a much better view. The peloton usually breaks apart on those stages, so it takes much longer for the entire field to pass by too. Sometimes the stragglers can be dozens of minutes behind the leaders. At the same time, it can be more difficult to reach those viewing areas. The TV commentators frequently mention that there are few lodging or dining facilities in those mountainous areas. They wonder where all the people came from and where they stayed for the past few days. That’s why you see a lot of campers parked on the side of the roads in those stages.

    Some people have also posted about the events that are held in TDF stage towns. DC Rainmaker had a few blog posts and plenty of quality photos about watching TDF stages in person. (He is now based in France, so it’s not too difficult for him to watch the race live.) He mentions the parade of team vehicles and the promotional freebies that sponsors give away to spectators.

    http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2014/07/checking-france-touque.html

    On Alpe d’Huez, he says that some people started parking through RVs up there nearly 3 weeks before the Tour stage.

    http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/07/spectating-dhuez-france.html

    The views will be better on TV but the experience looks to be completely different. I’ll watch on TV most years, but I’d love to head out there at least once, including one of the mountain stages.

    January 31, 2015 at 6:32 pm #1021910
    hozn
    Participant

    A couple friends and I were discussing riding down to watch (men’s road?) and then back up. I imagine we would have to split that into two days, so maybe we would see more events. I don’t know anything about the route yet or whether that is realistic for us anymore, given the little kids/babies involved now. But it sounded like a blast.

    February 1, 2015 at 1:08 pm #1021943
    Dickie
    Participant

    My wife and I will probably be heading down but we have not looked at the logistics yet…. more likely than not we will drive down, park 10 miles out and ride in the rest of the way. I suspect we will just do a day trip unless hotels are available (doubtful). I’m probably most interested in the men’s road race or the TT but who knows… September is a long way off according to my calendar.

    February 1, 2015 at 11:18 pm #1021963
    Powerful Pete
    Participant

    @Raymo853 107077 wrote:

    I am more excited about the World’s CX this weekend.
    http://www.cxmagazine.com/category/2015-cyclocross-world-championships-tabor

    Katie F’ing Compton has all my hopes. Well except for the part that hope Vos does not podium

    Well, we were both disappointed, but congratulations to Pauline Ferrand-Prevot for a well earned win!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7egDrI6LyXM

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