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Could we see a Grand Tour spanning two continents?

Roar Rookie
25th November, 2015
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Michael Matthews was not happy with German rider John Degenkolb. (AP Photo/Gian Mattia D'Alberto)
Roar Rookie
25th November, 2015
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There have been rumours of late suggesting the Giro d’Italia may hold its 2017 Grande Partenza in Japan.

Reports indicated that the city of Shizuoka, south of Tokyo, would hold the opening four stages of the three-week race, and that spectators would be treated to a stage finish on the slopes of Mount Fuji.

If the rumours are true, it would be the first time that any of the three Grand Tours commenced outside of Europe. However, Giro race organiser RCS Sport has dismissed these claims, saying it would be an impossibility, at least by 2017.

Yet the idea isn’t a new one.

In 2009, Christian Prudhomme confirmed that nations as far afield as Qatar and Japan had expressed interest in hosting the Tour de France’s Grand Depart. The following year, former Giro d’Italia race director Angelo Zomegnan flew to the United States to meet with governmental authorities to discuss a 2012 Grande Partenza in Washington DC. The Italian race would have reportedly taken in monuments such as the White House, the Watergate Hotel and the Freedom Plaza over at least two days of racing.

However, following changes to the local government administration, as well as difficulties obtaining finances, the ambitious plan failed to come to fruition, with the 95th edition of the Giro instead beginning in the city of Herning, Denmark.

We know from previous experience that it is logistically possible to hold a Grand Depart or Grande Partenza outside continental Europe, in locations such as Northern Ireland, Corsica or England, for instance. But could it be pulled off in a country much further afield, with the inevitable issues of logistics, jetlag and long-haul flights coming into play?

The Washington DC proposal and the 2014 Giro Grande Partenza in Belfast provide a starting point for a logistical blueprint for such overseas starts.

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As in Belfast, infrastructure would most likely be completely organised by local contractors, who would provide team cars, media vehicles, podium set-ups, race route barriers, hospitality and marketing tents, and all of the other aspects necessary to stage the race.

In terms of dealing with the inevitably lengthy transfer back to Europe, the UCI would need to provide some leeway, perhaps by permitting the race to commence on a Thursday or Friday, as opposed to Saturday, and allowing one or two additional rest days after the first few stages. This was done for the 2012 Giro to allow riders, team staff, media and the rest of the usual convoy enough time to fly from Dublin to Giovinazzo.

A similar arrangement has also been put in place for next year’s Giro, which commences in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands. With the blessing of the UCI, race organisers have been granted an extra rest day to facilitate the transfer from Arnhem in the Netherlands to Catanzaro in Italy, which brings the total number of rest days in next year’s race up to three, as opposed to the usual two.

The race against the clock presents a further consideration, but it could be dealt with in a few ways. When making plans for the 2012 Giro’s opening time trial in Washington DC, Zomegnan suggested that riders could complete the discipline on regular road bikes. This would have provided a level playing field between teams that could afford to fly over specialised time trial bikes and equipment, and those that couldn’t. This arrangement has previously been carried out at other remote races, such as the Tour of Beijing and Tour of Qatar for this very reason.

However, a simpler solution would be to postpone the race against the clock until the race returns to Europe. Although it’s usually customary for this discipline to be held in the opening few stages of a Grand Tour, the 2014 and 2016 Tours de France, for instance, do not feature a time trial in their first few days of racing. This would again obviate the need to fly over additional equipment like time trial frames, wheels and aero helmets.

Upon returning to Europe, a relatively easy stage could await the riders, to ease them back into the rhythm of racing. But before this, it’s likely that they’d need those one or two aforementioned extra rest days to recover from jetlag and the long-haul flight. With the UCI having already made similar concessions to allow the Giro to commence abroad, perhaps some sort of relevant precedent has already been set, albeit with regards to countries closer to the European mainland. Whether the UCI would be willing to bend the rest-day rules to accommodate a transatlantic migration in the middle of a Grand Tour is another question altogether.

Despite the interest shown by several countries in hosting the first non-European Grand Tour start, perhaps there’s good reason it has ultimately never eventuated.

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With riders aiming to be in peak form for events such as the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, would they really appreciate jetlag interfering with their daily race preparations? Travelling from Japan to Italy, for instance, is a journey lasting upwards of 20 hours, involves at least one layover, and requires adjusting to an eight-hour time difference. Organisers would be running the risk that the transfer is just too long and too stressful.

On the other hand, the concept of bringing the Grand Tours to new markets further afield may ultimately come into consideration for financial reasons. The interest being shown by countries in Asia, the Middle East and America comes at a time when European cities are expressing doubts as to the financial viability of hosting such events.

A few months ago, London publicly declined to host the 2017 Grand Depart, citing concerns about a lack of return on investment. Dusseldorf’s bid to host the 2017 event was almost over before it even began, with its municipal council’s decision to proceed with the bid coming down to the wire in a 40-39 vote. And just this month, it was revealed that the Dutch Cycling Federation filed an arbitration case with the UCI against Tour de France organisers to recover a reported €140,000 in debt resulting from this year’s Grand Depart in Utrecht.

Given this nascent sense of reluctance from European cities to host such events, perhaps looking further afield might be the next option. There’s usually a lot of money on the table for foreign starts, including hefty hosting fees paid to race organisers, and there are bound to be several overseas cities that are willing to pay for the privilege of hosting the first non-European Grand Tour start.

Despite the logistical difficulties inherent to staging a Grand Tour across two continents, it’s likely only a matter of time until one of the Grand Tours starts outside of Europe.

Bringing the Grand Tours to key overseas markets is, in theory, a worthy and exciting idea. There’s no doubt that cycling has gained appeal far beyond Europe, and the success of relatively new 2.HC and even WorldTour races held in Australia, North America, and the Middle East indicates that the globalisation of the sport sought by the UCI is indeed occurring.

But is it the role of the Grand Tours to reflect this growing internationalisation of the sport? When attempting to combine the traditional with the modern, it’s important not to lose sight of what’s practical.

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