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Fantasy Cycling

Tour of Germany

by Dr Winston
Sat, Aug 25, 2018 00:08
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I'm intrigued as to what, and who, decides which races achieve world tour status whilst others remain "off the list".

i've just been looking at the results of the Tour of Germany and it's a really strong field, so obviously it's highly regarded by riders and teams alike,  so why is it not a front line race?..same applied for the Tour of the Alps and several other races...What are the rules and deciding factors on a races status?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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Dr Winston | 6 years ago
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Agreed Andy. In terms of quality some of the WT events are poor in comparison to the better races...really poor. I suppose the big hole in the calander is the lack of South American races. Some of those courses they ride on are really challenging.

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Condor Andy | 6 years ago
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It's a combination of everything or just a couple of those.  Look at the Tour of Turkey and the Tour of Guangxi, two of the most unpopular stage races on the calendar are somehow WT level.  I'd much rather the Deutschland Tour tbh, but it can't go after Il Lombardia because of weather perhaps (which is strange when you look at the early season snow fests that can happen).

They review it each year, but new races added aren't compulsary for WT teams.

Some success stories from the last couple of years have been Strade Bianche, Omloop, Dwars Door Vlaanderen, La Fleche Wallone, and Ride London.

Stuff like Turkey, Guangxi, Abu Dhabi etc are made WT because of money and the UCI wanting to branch out.  Oman is the better race in the Middle East and always draws a good field.

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Dr Winston | 6 years ago
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So what criteria do they use Andy?...Is it financial?...popularity?...calander space?....Surely there must be some definition of what defines a WT race, either current or potential...or is it just a finger in the air job because it sounds about right?

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Condor Andy | 6 years ago
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It has a strong field because it's the first time it's been raced since 2008. If it carries on like this it could very well achieve WT status. The problem is the the calendar is already saturated and it'll be competing with BinckBank and Pologne for August week long stage races.

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madcarew | 6 years ago
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It's decided by UCI, so the selection process is arcane, obtuse, obscure and defies logic.

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