Tour of Beijing - SPOILER

[Willo]

Good showing of GB riders, 4 out of top 5 in ITT, albeit Martin way out in front in 1st.

I only saw the end of the highlights but given it was a TT over a short distance why did they not use TT bikes, helmets etc. Is this a race specific reg or am I missing something re the status of this TT?

 

[rich p]

The logistics of lugging all the TT bikes over wasn't worth it apparently.

Amazing result for the GB riders though, I agree.

 

[rich p]

Good but doomed effort by Froome to get away but a great 1-2 for Ireland with Roche and Deignan.

 

[raindog]

Still alot of problems to be ironed out for this race, but I expect that's to be expected for such a new project. Don't understand why the sport "needs" to be globalised though. If countries with no bike racing culture want to get on the bandwagon, then surely it will happen naturally, without organising dodgy races that no-one wants to watch?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mixed-feelings-over-tour-of-beijng

and, bloody hell..........
"During the competition, the day on which there was the least pollution we had 210 mg/m3 (of carbon dioxide) in the air. The maximum limit in Europe is 40 mg/m3. You really felt the lacking oxygen," one rider said."

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Still alot of problems to be ironed out for this race, but I expect that's to be expected for such a new project. Don't understand why the sport "needs" to be globalised though. If countries with no bike racing culture want to get on the bandwagon, then surely it will happen naturally, without organising dodgy races that no-one wants to watch?

http://www.cyclingne...-tour-of-beijng

and, bloody hell..........
"During the competition, the day on which there was the least pollution we had 210 mg/m3 (of carbon dioxide) in the air. The maximum limit in Europe is 40 mg/m3. You really felt the lacking oxygen," one rider said."

I agree. I don't think is was popular with anyone, the UCI had to blackmail the teams into going, the Chinese authorities were controlling spectators in their usual manner, the course was ho-hum and the racing dull (it was basically decided in the opening TT), and the pollution was dreadful.

If they wanted a World Tour race in East Asia, the UCI should have gone first to the relatively longstanding, excellently-run and generally challenging, Tour of Langkawi, and upgraded it.

 

[Leilei]

The UCI, like the rest of the world, are chasing money, and China is the place to go or that. Beijing is not the best place to hava a China tour because of the polution but then a lot of Asia has that problem.