Tour of California (with SPOILERS)

[Flying_Monkey]

Is anyone else watching this?

The amazing plus is that Peter Sagan has just been dominant - winning three stages in a row regardless of the terrain. He really is coming on this season.

The downside so far is that the impressively challenging hills have made little difference because, presumably for commercial reasons, the stages all seem to have to end in an urban area, thereby largely neutralizing the long-term effects of any attack.

 

[Nearly there]

I have Peter Sagan is certainly one to watch apparently he wants the green jersey at the tdf

 

[rich p]

I have watched it and it all seems a little second division after the Giro. I'm not sure the quality of the race, the racing itself and the commitment of some of those in it.
Sagan is a talent, no doubt, but I'd like to see him do it in the big ones.

 

[Kiwiavenger]

Im watching it, as it's my first season properly watching tours im not too clued up on names (other than the big ones like schleck, boonen, uran, Goss etc.) the size of the field is remarkably smaller than the main tour and I think lots of the teams are making a token effort to please the sponsors. Doesnt stop the riders trying to get noticed though!

Sent from my LT15i using Tapatalk 2

 

[iLB]

Sagan taking the p1ss! Well done to him

 

[oldroadman]

California a couple of years back was on a roll, but seems to be stalled now. It doesn't help that it's all big roads and lack of character compared to Italy. Feels a bit flat (not in the terrain sense).
The field size is something the organisers have control over, up to 200 is the UCI limit (so we have 22 teams of 9 in the Giro, TdF, Vuelta) or 25 teams of 8 in the classics. A lot of Belgian races (the deadly "interclubs" are 25 teams of 6 - and are darn hard for "elite zonder contract" - sort of amateur races - until the speed goes on!
California may have teams from 6 - 8 riders, plenty of local US domestic type teams, and as many (up to the limit) as the organisers can afford/invite, including 6 world tour teams.
It not likely to be less than around 100 total. For example, the Tour of Britain has run 16 teams of 6 up to now.
It's a bit dull to watch, though, and all that whooping the spectators seem to like to do gets on your nerves after a while!

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I agree, ORM... and incidentally, Sagan won again today - 4 in a row, which is still impressive even with the less than stellar field. He is still beating both strongmen like Boonen and pure sprinters like Kittel...

 

[raindog]

I've not been following this, but first four days to Sagan? WTF is going on - couldn't they vary the stages a bit?

 

[oldroadman]

Is anyone else watching this?

The amazing plus is that Peter Sagan has just been dominant - winning three stages in a row regardless of the terrain. He really is coming on this season.

The downside so far is that the impressively challenging hills have made little difference because, presumably for commercial reasons, the stages all seem to have to end in an urban area, thereby largely neutralizing the long-term effects of any attack.

That's about right, races have to chase the money. Want a stage finish outside your shopping mall, MassiveCorp? That will be x thousand dollars than. Very few major races pull in enough cash to be able to go where they might always like, only really the Grand Tours and a few classics.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

That's about right, races have to chase the money. Want a stage finish outside your shopping mall, MassiveCorp? That will be x thousand dollars than. Very few major races pull in enough cash to be able to go where they might always like, only really the Grand Tours and a few classics.

And I don't suppose the small amounts advertising revenue from the TV audience really makes much difference in races like this, so they don't care if the race is unspectacular to TV viewers.

I think there should be questions asked about the high UCI status of this race after this, but there won't be. After all, if Qatar and the Eneco Tour are considered top level races, then this one looks no worse...

 

[zizou]

Do they have the on bike cameras this year?
Really liked it from last year added a different dimension to the footage