Monday’s Mailbag: The one-man show; cycling on TV; comeback, schmomeback; and the other jerseys

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

I went to the inaugural San Francisco Grand Prix bicycle race (and to all the other subsequent races) and it was met and viewed by racing and non-racing fans with the enthusiasm and passion of the Europeans – and it was televised locally from start to finish. The cycling expo was huge and well attended. It was the talk of the San Francisco Bay Area, getting a lot of airtime and ink the days before and after the race. The enthusiasm and television coverage was generally the same whenever Lance Armstrong made his token appearances (never ever finishing the race) in the subsequent years.

This year, the Barclays Global Investors Grand Prix, nee San Francisco Grand Prix, without Armstrong, was not televised from start to finish (only a poorly edited one-hour highlight show), the expo was much smaller and attendance was not as the previous years despite the appearance of Ivan Basso, Fred Rodriguez, Bobby Julich, Levi Leipheimer, Chris Wherry, John Lieswyn, Chris Horner and George Hincapie. Names that should have merited at the very least bottom of the front page of the sports section, especially with the local angle on Rodriguez and Leipheimer.

This was an opportunity to put another face of road racing to the casual or non-fan. Instead they got no coverage and the race merited a few paragraphs in the back pages of the local paper. The event came and went with barely a whimper.

I don’t know what needs to be done to get wider coverage for bicycle racing. I’m just thankful for VeloNews and others like you that provide fans with meaningful coverage.

Rufino Santos
San Francisco, California

Cycling’s a tough sell
Editor:
Why isn’t there more TV coverage of cycling? I really would like to see a lot more races from Europe and the U.S. being televised. The truth is, though, most of us Americans have the attention span of an ADHD kid who just sucked down three power gels and a Coke!

Kids and adults really enjoy action like X-Games or football – pretty much there has to be a constant threat of a crash or injury, and road cycling doesn’t give that. Plus, you have to really understand the sport to appreciate it, and most people don’t have a clue what a peloton is.

My feeling is that those are the reasons big sponsors aren’t lining up outside OLN’s and ESPN’s door, looking to sponsor the Fargo GP or the Akron crit.

Josiah Sell
Cleveland, Ohio

Regarding the comeback
Editor:
I’d gladly give you the quarter to call someone who gives a rip about this story. Move on!

Chip Sistare
Jacksonville, Florida

Explain the other jerseys, please
Editor:
I try to follow the other grand tours in your magazine. However, the lack of American coverage makes tracking the winners difficult. While we’re all familiar with the pink jersey (Giro) and the golden jersey (Vuelta), it would be nice to give a little more attention to the other winners in the tours. Could you discuss what the different jerseys mean, and when you post winners, could you include the various jerseys other than the golden jersey and pink jersey?

Bill Marshall
University Park, Pennsylvania

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