Originally Posted by
burnthesheep
1. I think the US or at least the Americas as a whole should organize and focus on themselves as much as the Europeans as so insular and egocentric about the cycling world revolving around 3 grand tours and monuments within a land area the size of Texas.
2. The Americas should organize enough that they put up a legitimate grand tour alternative. It doesn't have to be a 3 week race. It could be an omnium of the most popular Americas based cycling events that puts up some big money for the winners. An omnium of Tour of California or Utah, Dirty Kanza, and another option.
We can't continue to pay homage to a group of countries and cycling culture that clearly does NOT want us there. Why you think the American dopers vs. Euro dopers dichotomy exists? Euro centric cycling culture.
I'm not a nationalist, at all. But the US and the Americas has to stand up for itself and figure out what works for us instead of trying to setup our entire system just to funnel one to two US riders to the world tour each year.
That's really freaking sad to thing all of USACycling in the past has been setup pretty much to try to get riders to "that show" with pretty dismal results when we could be focusing on "OUR SHOW" instead.
Not exactly true. Lance was just plain a gigantic jagoff and a frankly awful human being, in addition to being a cheat. Then Floyd "Fairness Fund" (LOL), and Zabriskie denied it, and Hamilton denied it...all lying through their teeth and everyone knew it. Froome is less and less welcome (and is getting the same treatment)...but Froome, at least, wasn't a complete jagoff throwing his own teammates under the bus and
ruining their names/careers lying about it.
Meanwhile gravel races and the like, in the USA, have a massive popular following....because they are antithetical to Tour of California and Utah. They're grassroots and don't have an officiating organizing body. They also are events where anyone can enter, not just multi-million-dollar-teams with top riders. Which is antithetical to racing series and organizing bodies.
The thing about gravel riding/racing...it is a throwback to the Old Days of TdF before it was exclusively a race for selected professionals. With team convoys, and team camper vans, and team hotels, team masseuses, and team wrenches that would literally fix your bike while you stood there. Which is why it is so popular, here. Also there's lots of dirt roads to choose from. Old school hard-man style rides/races. It works, and we know it does--which is why those rides/races need a lottery system to make it fair to get in on them...because the registration day otherwise crashes BikeReg with interested riders.