Is the Giro under threat?

14 May 2009 | 0:00 - By Matthew Keenan

The Giro d’Italia may well be the second most important tour on the cycling calendar but due to the recent date changes of the Tour of California that position may now be under threat.

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The peloton descends the Passo Rolle of the Giro d'Italia (AAP)

The Giro d’Italia may well be the second most important tour on the cycling calendar but due to the recent date changes of the Tour of California that position may now be under threat.

After four successful years in February time slot, the Tour of California is America’s premier race. But the race is now moving to May, running from 16 to 23 May, and creating a direct clash with the Giro d’Italia.

Many cycling traditionalists would scoff at the prospect of the Giro’s status being challenged by the Tour of California.

But think about how cycling is funded and then put yourself in the shoes a team manger or directeur sportif.

A team’s funding is all based on how much exposure a sponsor can get for their money and in what market they get that exposure.

With that in mind there would be few sponsors of ProTour teams that wouldn’t want the exposure on offer in the American market.

This time next year directeur's sportif will be weighing up who to send to California and who to send to Italy in May knowing full well there are plenty of races, other than the Giro, they can use to get exposure in Europe.

Secondly much of the exposure a sponsor gets is determined by television coverage and America has long been a world leader in broadcasting sporting events, which would make the Californian race very attractive to many networks around the globe.

Also consider that last year AEG, the organiser’s of the Tour of California, formed an alliance with the ASO, the organiser’s of the Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Nice, and, and, and.

Being associated with ASO’s strong track record would have to increase teams, sponsors and television networks confidence in the Tour of California.

Plus the date change allows the race itself to improve even further thanks to the better weather that will let the race use the high mountains in the region, give more incentive for spectators to stand on the side of the road and increase the attractiveness of the race to leading riders wanting to prepare for the Tour de France.

The Giro’s spot as the second most important stage race on the calendar shouldn’t be challenged, after all it has so much wonderful history, but just because it has held that position for 100 years doesn’t mean it always will.

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20 May 2009 20:24 AEST

Jorge de Sebastián

From: Madrid

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Best races have the best commentators... Matthew will be in Tour de France and Vuelta a España this year.

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19 May 2009 13:10 AEST

Matt Keenan

From: Melbourne

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Thanks for asking Andrew, I really appreciate your concern. The neck brace came off last week and I’m just about fully recovered. I’d love to be in Italy covering the race, maybe next year. As for the status of the Giro, hopefully the competition from the ToC helps to improve this great race even further – I’ve enjoyed reading the debate/comments on this topic.

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19 May 2009 10:23 AEST

Andrew

From: Brisbane

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Matt ... The Giro's fine ... but what many of us really want to know is: How are you? And why didn't SBS send you to do commentary? Because although they've fixed up the initial Paddy A debacle, the final result still isn;t as good as it would be if you were over there doing the race.

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19 May 2009 8:05 AEST

Col

From: Brisbane

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Having followed the Giro over the internet for some years, the mountain climbs are generally as steep,if not steeper than the Tour climbs, but a look at the average speed over the three weeks demonstrates that there are days when the pace lets off. The Tour de France however, rarely has a slow day, and the attrition of the first week, even without a lot of classified climbs drains even the hardest Tour riders.

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18 May 2009 23:31 AEST

Ian Golledge

From: Brisbane

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The TOC ain't no Giro. Apart from the extra expense of taking a team to the US, a very different time zone, the TOC is no preparation for the TDF. During May, if riders aren't riding the Giro, they're preparing by riding the sort of climbs the US doesn't have, or scouting Tour routes. Are riders going to want interrupt their schedules, travel to another continent, just for six days racing? And what looks better on your palmares?

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18 May 2009 14:31 AEST

Leo

From: Sydney

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After the events of today in Milan, the race organisers should be shaking in their boots at the lack of control. Parked cars on the course? It wouldn't happen anywhere else. Bring on the ToC.

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18 May 2009 14:01 AEST

Tracey

From: Caboolture

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Thanks Mike for commentating the Giro, you are the best!! Our enjoyment of the Giro is now at 100%

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16 May 2009 8:58 AEST

Stephen Hintz

From: Cleveland, QLD

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Totally agree with Peter of Gympie, Paddy is not a commentator, I've given up watching the telecast late at night and will only watch and listen to Mike and Trent on the morning highlights, mumbling and stuttering makes for painfully boring monotone noise.

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15 May 2009 22:32 AEST

Mike

From: Victoria

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I suspect the international status of the Giro is less important to Italians than that an Italian wins it. Every Italian wants to win it and will still enter it and give 110%, and if the ToC draws away the foreigners, or weakens their teams, all the better. Quite right that the international teams will have to weigh their sponsors' desires in choosing where to send their stronger team, but the fact is that ProTour teams have up to 30 riders on their rosters so they can easily enter both. Both will be major events on the calendar with sufficient numbers of riders targeting the overall win. It's important to remember that these days almost no rider aiming to win the TdF will attempt to win the Giro, because they can't maintain their physical peak for three months and must choose one or the other. Many don't even ride the Giro (e.g. Evans, Contador this year, Armstrong in years past). A one-week ToC in May could possibly fit with these riders' build-up and see the major TdF contenders appear in the USA, even if they're not riding to win. Sponsors would rejoice. Doesn't matter in this living room how SBS handles the conflict, because either way we'll be shown bike racing, and seeing either race is better than nothing. As for the conflict between the TdF and the Ashes, don't start me.

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15 May 2009 20:05 AEST

Stuart

From: Sydney

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It would be a shame to see the Giro eclipsed by ToC for reasons not to do with the relative merits of each event but for reasons to do with the sponsorship dollar. With its broadening popularity it is only natural that cycling and the sponsorship thereof will find new homes and new markets. Its been on the cards for some time that the ToC would look for more attractive scheduling. Lets hope that the sport's governing bodies keep up and ensure that the old and the new can both thrive.

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