No tour of Ireland this year

Fredo

I received the following a few minutes ago. this is very sad.

"NO TOUR OF IRELAND CYCLE RACE THIS YEAR
Organisers plan its return for 2011 The organisers of the Tour of Ireland international cycle race have announced that the race will not go ahead as planned between 18th-22nd August this year. Despite significant commercial and public sector funding, current economic conditions have meant that the
additional investment required to make the event viable has not been forthcoming in time for this season.
The professional race, revived in 2007 after a long absence, has been hit by the current economic situation. Televised worldwide, with exceptional coverage in Europe and the USA, the race has attracted top cycling stars to Ireland during the last three years. “We fully intend to bring it back for 2011 when the private sector environment is stronger,” said organiser Alan Rushton of Tour of Ireland Cycling Events Limited.

petethedrummer

Boards Tour of Ireland anyone?

ednwireland

couldnt get lance so didnt bother eh !

annoying though mind you i will be in france that week so wouldnt be here

jwshooter

so much for a boom time for cycling .

ROK ON

Just read on Bloomberg. Links to Irish Times article by Shane Stokes.
Pity.

Lumen

Undeleted thread from yesterday and merged ROK ON's post. To explain, the release yesterday was embargoed until today.

fran oconnor

was going to follow this for a few days it a pitty..

ednwireland

comment from roche
http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/cycling-roche-stunned-as-plug-pulled-on-tour-of-ireland-2202046.html

even though it went to the wrong part of the country shame to see it off

(nothing on the website :rolleyes: )

Lumen

Rushton:

"We need to start working now for 2011. We fully intend to bring the race back when the private sector environment is stronger."

2031?

Captain Havoc

:mad:

gbee

Fredo wrote: »

Televised worldwide, with exceptional coverage in Europe and the USA, .

This merely means it goes out on satellite. If enough people had actually WATCHED it, then it would have triggered the TAM Ratings and attracted the more lucrative advertising.


Anyway, I see no harm in running event every two or three years, people get jaded and tired of the annual interruptions to traffic ~ which are zealously enforced by our boys in blue ~

A rest may be the best thing, and besides we need to prove we are in recession, going off topic, the Government took no notice of our recessions as long as people spent billions at Christmas times, Charity Events, Sporting Events, etc ... the implication means there is still a lot of money to be tapped ...

I hope they make a big news of the fact that they can't run it because they are broke.

Caroline_ie

Yes I am gutted ... I am going to have to use my TOI week off to go on a holiday...

garminguy

this comes as no surprise and the company running it seemed to be making it up as they went along.
the situation with the car at the bottom of st. patricks hill really said it all.
having been to the poor excuse of a tour of ireland last year and the tour of britain, they were years apart on every level.
if anyone is expecting this to return next year don,t hold your breath.
it will be a long time before we see a protour race here again.
its a shame a race like this did not become more established during the celtic tiger and would be run properly by now.
maybe we should get the people who run the tour of britain and the fbd ras to get together and salvage this years event?
but i suppose the company who ran it for the last four years will sday that they own the rights to it and would prevent anyone else doing what they cannot do .
sorry if there is any anger in my post but its a bit like the banking crisis, the wrong people in charge!

Slideshowbob

garminguy wrote: »

this comes as no surprise and the company running it seemed to be making it up as they went along.
the situation with the car at the bottom of st. patricks hill really said it all.
having been to the poor excuse of a tour of ireland last year and the tour of britain, they were years apart on every level.
if anyone is expecting this to return next year don,t hold your breath.
it will be a long time before we see a protour race here again.
its a shame a race like this did not become more established during the celtic tiger and would be run properly by now.
maybe we should get the people who run the tour of britain and the fbd ras to get together and salvage this years event?
but i suppose the company who ran it for the last four years will sday that they own the rights to it and would prevent anyone else doing what they cannot do .
sorry if there is any anger in my post but its a bit like the banking crisis, the wrong people in charge!

it wasnt a pro tour race even though there were pro tour teams in it

as for having it every few years those type of events wouldnt really shoe horn into this scenario - the world cup and olympic games work like that but not nationa cycles tours etc

pity its gone - with Dermot Dignam handing over ras organisation it could have meant the ras might have an opportunity to go back to county rider emphasis and leave the pros to contest the TOI

emtroche

No surprise at all. The only reason it happened last year was because Armstrong was in it.

I've said it before and i'll say it again - Give me the Ras any day.

capuccino

garminguy wrote: »

this comes as no surprise and the company running it seemed to be making it up as they went along.
the situation with the car at the bottom of st. patricks hill really said it all.
having been to the poor excuse of a tour of ireland last year and the tour of britain, they were years apart on every level.
if anyone is expecting this to return next year don,t hold your breath.
it will be a long time before we see a protour race here again.
its a shame a race like this did not become more established during the celtic tiger and would be run properly by now.
maybe we should get the people who run the tour of britain and the fbd ras to get together and salvage this years event?
but i suppose the company who ran it for the last four years will sday that they own the rights to it and would prevent anyone else doing what they cannot do .
sorry if there is any anger in my post but its a bit like the banking crisis, the wrong people in charge!

Ahh..this is the same Tour Of Britian people that had to neutralise the middle of a stage because they did get the pass from the authorities in time and the race that got lost in Tesco's car park one year and where Tom Boonen said he would not ride again because it was so dangerous for him one year?

To be accurate..I don't think the Tour of Ireland was a ProTour event...

And of course there's the FBD Ras where this year several riders crash head on into a oncoming car and had to go to hospital...

emtroche

capuccino wrote: »

And of course there's the FBD Ras where this year several riders crash head on into a oncoming car and had to go to hospital...

From the sound of what happened (and i'm not claiming to know all the details) this was the sort of freak accident that could happen during any race.

capuccino

emtroche wrote: »

From the sound of what happened (and i'm not claiming to know all the details) this was the sort of freak accident that could happen during any race.

I would agree in principle but I'm just pointing out that garminguy is pretty misguided if he thinks the other two race organisers have been canonized

Actually, I believe insurance underwriters claim that all accidents are avoidable..

iregk

"You also need television coverage"

Have to say for what is the biggest race in Ireland this year, the RAS, the national carrier made an absolute show of themselves in their coverage. For god sake "British" Europsort that we get over here show the english leauge racing and yet RTE take no notice of the RAS.

garminguy

capuccino wrote: »

Ahh..this is the same Tour Of Britian people that had to neutralise the middle of a stage because they did get the pass from the authorities in time and the race that got lost in Tesco's car park one year and where Tom Boonen said he would not ride again because it was so dangerous for him one year?

To be accurate..I don't think the Tour of Ireland was a ProTour event...

And of course there's the FBD Ras where this year several riders crash head on into a oncoming car and had to go to hospital...

while i accept that the orgainisers of the tour of britain made a lot of mistakes in the first few years, they seemed to have learnt from them, while the toi seem to make basic and preventable mistakes each year.
two years ago they had a stage coming down a country lane with grass growing in the middle of the road!
there was the car at the bottom of st patricks hill last year etc.

it would be interesting to see the breakdown of the figures for the cost of running the event, especially on apperance money for some cyclists who just climbed off in cork.

i know it is not a protour race, what i meant was it had protour teams in it.

what happened in the ras with regards to the crash was just unfortunate, but i find it hard to understand how a national {fbd ras} race for 8 days can be orgainised year in and year out for a tiny budget,yet this race grids to a halt after 3 editions.

RobFowl

garminguy wrote: »

while i accept that the orgainisers of the tour of britain made a lot of mistakes in the first few years, they seemed to have learnt from them, while the toi seem to make basic and preventable mistakes each year.
two years ago they had a stage coming down a country lane with grass growing in the middle of the road!
there was the car at the bottom of st patricks hill last year etc.

it would be interesting to see the breakdown of the figures for the cost of running the event, especially on apperance money for some cyclists who just climbed off in cork.

i know it is not a protour race, what i meant was it had protour teams in it.

what happened in the ras with regards to the crash was just unfortunate, but i find it hard to understand how a national {fbd ras} race for 8 days can be orgainised year in and year out for a tiny budget,yet this race grids to a halt after 3 editions.

Saw this in the Indo

"Although Failte Ireland were prepared to back the race again, a further cash injection was needed to keep the it alive. According to Rushton, the race costs €1.5m to run every year."

I know the RAS is run for a very small fraction of that........

niceonetom

RobFowl wrote: »

Saw this in the Indo

"Although Failte Ireland were prepared to back the race again, a further cash injection was needed to keep the it alive. According to Rushton, the race costs €1.5m to run every year."

I know the RAS is run for a very small fraction of that........

Care to take a guess what fraction of that €1.5m went as appearance fees to a certain asymmetrically gonaded rider? Not a very small fraction I'm guessing based on what it took to get him to Australia. I doubt that Cav turns up for free either.

garminguy

surely its the organisers job to find the sponsors and financial backing , its been over 9 months since last years race and it seems that alan rushdon and his company have failed to do this.maybe its time to find a company who can deliver on its promises.

sorry if i seem to be ranting and raving here , but i have looked forward to this event for the last few years and now its probably gone again.

we in ireland went 15 years without an event like this and it looks like its gone again regardless of what was promised for next year.

ROK ON

I think they really should rethink their strategy cost base and what teams they will target.

I would prefer a competitive race between the SojaurSol/Vacansole/Skil Shimano plus a few teams like Sky (their non Tdf team would likely be very strong) plus the main Irish pros.

Just thinking here. LA was a big name but fans would probably like a riveting race between teams hungry for victories. That said the Eneco tour is slotted cor same time in calendar.

A predominantly ProConti tour with AG2R, Garmin and CTT could make for a cracking field of tearaway riders.

RobFowl

Have to agree. There are almost 100 smaller pro teams who would love the chance to compete in a 2.1 race. 3-4 British pro teams a few national squads and the non TDF rostered riders from the likes of the ones ROK OK suggested.
It would make for more aggressive racing and less if any appearance money.
I would think a five day race with the right organisers could be done for a lot less than the figures suggested.
Realistically these races will never compete with the grand tours and established races so should target another market.
Throw in a few evening crits in town centres as part of festivals and there is the makings of a good addition to the Irish and European calendar.

Have to say I was not clear what the recent editions were trying to achieve. Each race seemed to be quite different to the ones before with out a sense of evolution or development.

ROK ON wrote: »

I think they really should rethink their strategy cost base and what teams they will target.

I would prefer a competitive race between the SojaurSol/Vacansole/Skil Shimano plus a few teams like Sky (their non Tdf team would likely be very strong) plus the main Irish pros.

Just thinking here. LA was a big name but fans would probably like a riveting race between teams hungry for victories. That said the Eneco tour is slotted cor same time in calendar.

A predominantly ProConti tour with AG2R, Garmin and CTT could make for a cracking field of tearaway riders.

jwshooter

watching a group of the top cyclists in the world crossing mt leinster in full bloom "what a sight it was" ,cycling through some of the most beautiful country side we have .
what better promotion for our country could we have ,saying that a back street in cork "twice" did noting for it .

The RAS what excellent event ,these guys gave it all .so many unnamed and non paid gave 15 + hour days to make it work. 30 bloody minutes of tv coverage ,considering the cxxp that rte have on and the thousands that seen the ras every one involved must feel short changed .

maybe the money should be pumped into the ras , promote cycling in ireland and our lovely country to-boot .

RobFowl

jwshooter wrote: »

watching a group of the top cyclists in the world crossing mt leinster in full bloom "what a sight it was" ,cycling through some of the most beautiful country side we have .
what better promotion for our country could we have ,saying that a back street in cork "twice" did noting for it .

The RAS what excellent event ,these guys gave it all .so many unnamed and non paid gave 15 + hour days to make it work. 30 bloody minutes of tv coverage ,considering the cxxp that rte have on and the thousands that seen the ras every one involved must feel short changed .

maybe the money should be pumped into the ras , promote cycling in ireland and our lovely country to-boot .

The Ras is a great event but FBD are as good a sponsor as an event could hope to have.
When it's not broken don't try to fix it.

There is definitely room for a second UCI ranked stage race in Ireland though. Especially around August.

jwshooter

RobFowl wrote: »

The Ras is a great event but FBD are as good a sponsor as an event could hope to have.
When it's not broken don't try to fix it.

There is definitely room for a second UCI ranked stage race in Ireland though. Especially around August.

i agree to a point rob , 30 minutes on tv is not what you would call extensive coverage .

it does not really benefit cycling ,the event ,the sponsor, or the men of the ras .
RTE for all the money we pump into them are doing very little to promote the country .

capuccino

garminguy wrote: »

surely its the organisers job to find the sponsors and financial backing , its been over 9 months since last years race and it seems that alan rushdon and his company have failed to do this.maybe its time to find a company who can deliver on its promises.

sorry if i seem to be ranting and raving here , but i have looked forward to this event for the last few years and now its probably gone again.

we in ireland went 15 years without an event like this and it looks like its gone again regardless of what was promised for next year.

Geez...you haven't got a clue have you?

The guy's name is Rushton not Rushdon and he is responsible for bring the Nissan, Tour de France, City Centre Cycling and the Tour of Ireland to Ireland.

You need to do a little research before you start slagging somebody. I am so glad you are in the minority. You have no idea what it takes to run a 2.1 race with world wide TV...the Ras is on a completely different level - there's absolutely no comparison.

There's a recession on...no one has the big marketing budgets they had in previous years.

You are ranting...a rant based on very little knowledge of big time bike races

jwshooter

To be accurate..I don't think the Tour of Ireland was a ProTour event...

[/QUOTE]


some statement that . what would you put this down to ? .

garminguy

capuccino wrote: »

Geez...you haven't got a clue have you?

The guy's name is Rushton not Rushdon and he is responsible for bring the Nissan, Tour de France, City Centre Cycling and the Tour of Ireland to Ireland.

You need to do a little research before you start slagging somebody. I am so glad you are in the minority. You have no idea what it takes to run a 2.1 race with world wide TV...the Ras is on a completely different level - there's absolutely no comparison.

There's a recession on...no one has the big marketing budgets they had in previous years.

You are ranting...a rant based on very little knowledge of big time bike races

apologies if i spelt his name wrong,
the aso and the fact that france were holding the world cup at the samr time as the tour in 1998 was probably the main reason why the tour came to ireland,

the city centre cycling was over 20 years ago!

and if alan rushton can be credited with bringing the tour of ireland , he must also be credited with not bringing it this year.

capuccino

garminguy wrote: »

apologies if i spelt his name wrong,
the aso and the fact that france were holding the world cup at the samr time as the tour in 1998 was probably the main reason why the tour came to ireland,

the city centre cycling was over 20 years ago!

and if alan rushton can be credited with bringing the tour of ireland , he must also be credited with not bringing it this year.

Yep, I am right, you don't have a clue and do not know what you are talking about...

RobFowl

capuccino wrote: »

Yep, I am right, you don't have a clue and do not know what you are talking about...

The trash heap has spoken

garminguy

capuccino wrote: »

Yep, I am right, you don't have a clue and do not know what you are talking about...

wow, you really blew me away with that line of reasoning.;)