Build the NRS from the Tour Down Under up

In Australia, our domestic National Road Series (NRS) runs from April to October. The NRS has riders and teams competing for an overall title as either the best individual or the best team of the series.

It is hotly contested but it still lacks some serious meaning.

It’s not quite on par with, say, winning the national championships (which, incidentally, have just been run and won).

As I’ve discussed in another article, the timing of such a big race is a bit odd. Nonetheless, having the championships in January allows national selectors to use them as a form guide for selecting the UniSA team to compete at the coming Tour Down Under (TDU).

I’m just going to throw this out there though — it’s time for a change.

A change that will create more excitement at the TDU and a change that will invigorate each and every NRS event.

The team that wins the overall Subaru National Road Series Teams Prize should be allowed to enter the Tour Down Under. This is what cycling in Australia needs.

But continental teams aren’t allowed to enter the TDU? Yes, that’s the whole point as you’ll soon see.

As I’ve stated before, we face a problem whereby the World Tour status of the TDU means domestic teams cannot enter. Only World Tour, Pro-Continental and national teams can enter the race.

As a contrast, the Tour of California has gone to specific lengths to avoid World Tour status so that local American teams can race. As mentioned in my Herald Sun Tour article, this was a unique opportunity offered by the Sun Tour whereby domestic and World Tour teams would rub shoulders.

Although riddled with downsides, the upsides of World Tour status are indeed enormous.

It forces the biggest teams and some of the biggest riders to come and race. Although it’s not ideal for local development, it captures the eye of people who would normally overlook such a spectacle.

It captures the mainstream, and this is invaluable.

In the past, the minor consolation has been seeing the UniSA backed national team ride the TDU. The team is usually comprised of an older, more experienced pro or two whose team is not riding the TDU, a couple of younger AIS riders and the remaining spots are reserved for those who performed well at the national championships.

Thus some domestic riders do get a chance, and this is a fantastic thing.

For those who may not know, riders whose teams are already racing an event but are not selected within that team are not eligible for national team selection. For example, if Stuart O’Grady is not selected for Orica-GreenEDGE he cannot still ride the TDU with the national team

There’s no doubt that since the inception of the TDU, the UniSA national team has been an integral part of the race and the list of standout performances from underdog riders is long.

The most notable of these would have to be Pat Jonker’s emotional overall victory in 2004 and Will Clarke’s epic all day breakaway in last year’s race.

It would be sad to see this go. Change is, however, the only way forward. And it’s definitely time for domestic cycling to take the next step.

Now here we are going to face conflict, and to resolve it someone has to lose out.

I’m asking you though, just hear me out on this one. Get stuck in on the comments if you think it’s the worst idea ever, but the more you think about it, the more it just makes sense.

I believe the best way to use the national team slot, is to offer what will provide the most amount of opportunities to the most people.

This idea stems from one simple fact. Sit down and speak with any current or prospective domestic cycling sponsor within Australia and you will hear three words. Tour. Down. Under.

That’s it.

At the moment cycling sponsorship in Australia still exists in a quasi-good faith, ‘love of the sport’ entrepreneurialism that rewards the heart strings of sponsors but not necessarily their bottom line.

If, however, we were see the GPM-Data#3 National Team – as an example – front up at the TDU, that would all change. We simply fill the national team slot for the TDU with riders from the team that won the previous year’s NRS team classification.

We then allow that team to use their naming rights sponsor to name the national team. Every domestic sponsor and every domestic rider would see stars in their eyes. I envisage a big increase to the financial enthusiasm of local sponsors

So how will this provide more opportunities for more riders?

Currently, if we look at a typical UniSA national team we can see that it hands a great opportunity to all of the riders. All seven of them.

Moreover, for the riders from an AIS background it is fair to say they have already had, or are yet to have, a number of international races that their domestic competitors will never see.

Even then the standout riders from a Drapac, Huon-Genesys or Budget background will still most likely have had a few good chances to show their stuff.

Instead of looking at the benefits one national team can offer to seven riders for just one race, think of the benefits increased sponsorship can have on all the riders of a domestic team season after season.

We are talking better support for a hundred or more riders. We are talking bridging the gap from the grassroots to the stratosphere. We are talking about a brighter future for all involved.

This brighter future is set to include more sponsors who will help the new look Subaru National Road Series gain traction, and shock horror, we might start to get more domestic races that people actually want to watch.

When I ride down Beach Road in Melbourne I hear about Cadel, the Tour and maybe an offhand Jens Voigt quote.

I want to hear people talk about Drapac, talk about Budget and talk about Huon-Genesys. I know the sponsors want the same thing. The question is, what do you want?