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Wednesday's Mailbag: The Tour of WHAT?

Published: Sep. 26, 2007

The Mailbag is a regular department on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have read in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to webletters@insideinc.com. Please include your full name, hometown and state or nation. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month. The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside Communications, Inc.


Yeah, we're wondering, too
Dear readers,
Based on a news release and a very unofficial look at a preliminary website,our readers are taking a wait-and-see attitude toward the proposed "Tourof America."Again, we have to reiterate that our information is basedsolely on a press release and a website we found Googling a few names. Take itfor what it's worth. We thought of sitting on the story, but thought you, too, should have a look. We promise you, it’s sure got us scratching our heads.
Editor

Yahoo!
I am ecstatic about the possibility of a Tour of America. (see "AU.S. grand tour? North Carolina company says 'yes'") I have alwaysfanaticized about going to France to witness the Tour first hand but thatis just a dream.Right now, I am content just to watch it and any racing coverage I canfind on TV. However, if this Tour of America would come to fruition,I would put everything on hold and take time off work to see every stagethat I could. I mean, for a cyclist living in America with very littleexposure to professional racing on TV and especially live, that would behuge for the sport in the States.I am not sure the top professional riders would be willing to give upthe Vuelta or world's to come and ride such a lengthy race at the end ofthe season but you can count on one cycling fan to do everything possibleto be able to witness it up close.
Sincerely,
Eddie
Austin, TexasThe effort
Dear Velo,
Heck, why not 150-mile uphill TTs? I had to take EPO just to readthroughall the stages! No way it'll ever happen.The Tour de France, Vuelta and Giro will always be the most prestigiousstage races. Why try to out-tour them? Give us a reasonable race. How abouta Tour of America that takes in a different region each year?No one is going to go through that nonsense after they do the Tour deFrance. The Vuelta is shorter for a reason. This means they will not getthe best racers and no one will care. Most Cat 3's & 4's have realjobs and can't be away touring ('cause they wouldn't be racing) for fourweeks. Nor can they do four weeks of 200 mile stages. Can anyone?At least the Tours of California, Georgia and Missouri are placed inthe calendar so that Americans racing in Europe might participate and theycan attract some European teams. I'd love to see one or more
of the above races grow to three weeks but that might actually hurtthe races.If these guys have that much cash and are that dumb, I've got overseasaccounts I their need help with. No? Need a bridge?
William Kincheloe
Atlanta, GeorgiaGreat concept, but...
Dear VeloNews,
First: Cool! Having just returned from the Tour of Missouri (wherethey did everything right, btw), I recently had the discussion of the opportunitiesthis country offers for a Grand Tour. I'm excited to see something likethis being planned.However, 27 days in the beltline (and south) of the country inSeptember may prove too long and too hot to be sustained. You wouldn'thit all the cities you want to if you cut it by a week, but that's thegreat thing about a tour of the US: we could go ten years and never usethe same host city twice.The conflict with the Vuelta concerns me... I never watch it, but it'sa pretty big deal in the Pro calendar, and a revered old race. Unfortunately,trying to avoid the bigger tours leaves you with May and August. If youhave to have a conflict, though, the Vuelta would be my choice, too: Maymight be too early for a Grand Tour, and August in the US could kill them!
Bronwyn H. Nelson
Portland, MaineWhat day is it?
I thought April Fool's day was already past! 200+ mile stages?Sounds just a bit insane/unrealistic.
Patrick, Lee
San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaIt'll either be brutal or boring
Editors,
That's an insane schedule! And I mean that in the rubber-room& straight-jacket kind of way. Fourteen days of "racing" forover 200 miles, some as far as 250 and 260!!? 10 hour stages!?You've got to be kidding me. The teams and riders would balk at themere mention of such a schedule. Even if they did show up to participatethe racing would be LAME. Even at Le Tour a 140 mile stage is prettybrutal.Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of a U.S. tour, but that route willnever fly with those insanely long stages. Back to the drawing boardon that idea.
Sean Mulhall
Jacksonville, FloridaIt’s a joke, right?
Guys,
This ToA thing has to be bogus…just look at the stage lengths….manyover 200 miles and some nearly 400km.There is no way this is a real race. It’s a prank.
Bob Fousch
Atlanta, GeorgiaCut the distance and add some mountains
Velo,
I am an avid cyclist and would love to see an event like this in theU.S. However, I think it should be shortened to three weeks with some greatclimbing stages in the Rockies. Looks like a pretty boring route otherwise.Anyone remember this years Vuelta? Cycling needs some spice!
Brad Buchanan,
Ft. Collins ColoradoShorter, faster
Editors,
Wow. Looks like a really flat, really long race. Who'sthat good for? Too long for sprinters, too flat for climbers, toopoorly timed for top teams, too tough for amateurs, and doesn't sound likeit'll be much to come out for or watch on TV. I sorta hope they don'tpull it off. And if they do, maybe some shorter, faster, more realistictargets would be better.
Rob Stel
Nova Scotia

The Mailbag is a regular department on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have read in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to webletters@insideinc.com. Please include your full name, hometown and state or nation. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month. The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside Communications, Inc.