Vuelta: Dumbest Idea Evah?

Cordero had this idea a couple of years ago.

The point is not to actually change the race but to direct attention towards the vuelta.

Cordero has been casting about for some time now on how to improve the visibility/viability of his race.  Earlier this year he also wondered about moving it back to a spring race.

I think Drew is right here about its last place in the calendar leading to a lesser competition.  Not easy  to solve that problem.  No wonder the Tour of America is looking at a September start as well.  Does anyone know what time of year this proposed Tour of Russia (which also has grand tour aspirations even if they don't look likely at this point) might happen?

the dumbest idea was the one about having time trials inside a building (sports stadium or sth like that) using stationary indoor bicycles. No, I'm not kiding. This is exactly what he said:

http://www.deportistadigital.com/ciclismo/18/09/2007/cordero-director-vuelta.html

-¿Cómo será la Vuelta de 2020?
-Cambiarán, por ejemplo, las `cronos'. Ahora crean un problema de logística brutal. O las haces por autovía o cortas una ciudad durante cinco horas. Se puede plantear una contrarreloj dentro de un polideportivo. Los 180 corredores sobre bicicletas estáticas, todos a la vez, y con el público viendo el resultado en las pantallas. Y hay algo que va a revolucionar el ciclismo: ajustarse a la parrilla de televisión. Puede ser parecido al ciclocross. Vueltas a un circuito y que el recorrido no se mida por kilómetros, sino por el tiempo. Se llega a meta cuando conecta la televisión.

a dance off!

Since he's fetching for such dumb ass ideas, he could possibly attract more attention if they started it with a bib short competition...  Just saying...

go back to starting right after the Ardennes week.  Since they went to September, it's basically been an afterthought, as most of the big names are focusing on the Worlds.  

I know the organizers want to enhance the prestige of the race, but it will always be the orphan stepchild of the Grand Tours, no matter what they do.

The Vuelta has waxed and waned in popularity with the riders through the years, and perhaps the best approach would be to shorten the race, and get rid of some of those stages with all the wind and heat of the plains. 15-17 stages are going to be far more attractive to guys racing in September - two weeks might be the ideal length.

Keep the drama high with a couple of TTs, a handful of stages for the sprinters, and of course, three or four days in the mountains.  Minimize the transition stages.  Yep, two weeks sounds about right to me, and then you'd only need one rest day. Why try to be just like the Giro or Tour, as it hasn't worked in the past?      

Cordero say: "The riders taking part in the playoffs would not necessarily be the ones participating in the rest of the race,"

how do you see if that team is better than other if the riders aren't the same who ride the Vuelta?

Didn't the Giro start a little later too?  Of course in 1994/95 when guys like Rominger or Berzin did both the Giro and Tour it must have been a relief to take a little more time off between events wich is what moving the Vuelta meant.  Now it's a non-issue since nobody really attempts the double anymore.  Also, the end of the summer would be dead without the Vuelta (IMHO).  It would be nice to see a meaningful race between Liege and the Giro though..

    Too often it is used as a training race for the worlds.  Too often there are riders entered who aren't interested in their results and they leave the race early for their final preparations for the world's.  I think the potential is there for a good race if rider's were using the Vuelta as a place to redeem their season after poor early results and injuries.  It can also be a stage for riders looking to secure a new contract for the following season.

    And because they try to get three weeks in before the worlds they have no way to avoid the oppressive heat of late summer.  

Spain is the only big cycling nation where the regional tours have had more traction and history than the national one. The lack of enthusiasm on the part of Spanish fans is evident... not total lack, but not at the level of Italy or France, obviously. And a three week race can really drag on if fans aren't lining the road screaming. This is a problem, and I don't see any way of turning it around.

    Less Pro tour teams and more continental teams.  Let the people who want to be invited race it.

If so, you've got the job. Señor Cordero, please vacate your office by the end of the day.

There is a great JV essay in Cycle Sport that gives insight into Spanish racing.  Basically he says, it's less about the tactics of wind, hellings and cobbles and more about the strongest guy up a big hill wins.  

Races like Subida a Urkiola bring generational fans out by the droves.  Whole families turn out to watch these boys race uphill.  Great Stuff... why not roll with it?

Carve the Vuelta down to 2 weeks of the business, up hill and down!  A double Paris-Nice.  It could really embrace the local cultural character and make it several little regional hill climbs with a few TT's thrown in.  If the WC were moved to a time prior to the Vuelta you could ditch all the sprint stages.  Leaves those guys ENECO and Paris -Tours.

You'd have all these climbers turning out to rip it up.  Stages could be shorter and you easily do away with the wind blasted heat marches across Andalusia.

Regardless of where your sympathies lie, there are quite a lot of ongoing low-level attacks, and any major event that glorifies a unified Spain is going to draw would-be attackers.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04/20/spain.bomb/

Would the riders want to ride under those conditions?  Don't know.  Would it help if the government went out of its way to promote regional identity in the areas involved?  Don't know.  They clearly prefer to turn their Tour into "Spanish Idol--the cycling edition."  I think we must add  a "bulls vs. bikes" special race.  (Now THAT would be an elimination race...and as a plus, Versus would give it several extra hours of coverage, for the "beef with horns" factor.