Are we in danger of losing Ventoux if the World Series Cycling happens? Quite possibly.

The concept is 14 teams or so, with 20 riders competing in 10 events, plus select races which include the three Grand Tours and five monuments. The funny part of the equation is that this group has given a “stake” in the venture to the UCI (rumoured to be 52%) as announced by the Gifted Group’s Jonathan Price when he met with the Change Cycling Now people. That’s right, Price met with the group during their London summit to explain that based upon the UCI’s agreement to pursue this, it’s pretty much a done deal. Price also took that opportunity to meet WADA’s David Howman during the summit, at the behest of Jonathan Vaughters. Interesting times indeed.

There is real trouble with this concept. Firstly, cycling will be saddled with ten additional races in which there will be only fourteen teams racing.  What happens to the other teams? The other riders? As we see in the corporate sector, takeovers always create “redundancies” which always, and I mean always, lead to layoffs and a heavier workload for those remaining. Whose right is it to say that the calendar should then be expanded to contain more events that 20 riders are supposed to compete in? Aren’t the riders complaining about the demands of the sport already?

If this concept takes hold, you’ve just eliminated eight rider jobs. Congratulations. You’ve put money in the owner’s pocket, and not only that, but you’ve technically reduced the competition from 20 teams per event down to 14, so there will be a culling of the herd when it comes to teams. Then let’s factor in the exodus of sponsors because they can’t get into the top tier of races, so they look to other sporting spectacles for investment. After all, you’re going to see the elimination of races like Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico because, well, they just don’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

So in essence, this plan, if executed correctly, will shrink the sport rather than grow the sport. Isn’t this counter to the UCI’s mission to grow the sport of cycling? I really doubt the UCI can gaze into their crystal ball to see how the future of professional road cycling will be viewed in years to come, but there is a greater challenge to this concept than the UCI, the Gifted Group, and rest of their ilk fail to realise. Just imagine how the transition would work to the new series, considering the UCI has already given licences out to some teams through 2016. How are you going to adjust and incorporate the WorldTour into this format? How will this effect the pro-continental circuit, and the continental circuit? Will they only have 20 riders as well?

However, unlike in Formula 1 – the much-touted format almost all the cycling revolutionaries are married to at the current time – regular people can actually ride bikes. They can’t drive Formula 1 cars as transportation, nor can they drive like them during daily life (some try and end up in jail). Bikes are different. People use them to go to the store. People use them to commute. Children ride them. There are road bikes, there are BMX bikes, there are mountain bikes, there are cruisers. Bicycles are woven into the fabric of our society. Not only this, but there are endurance events and triathlons, there’s the exploding world of mass-start races called Gran Fondos. And the best part? You can ride the same way and at the same speeds (if you’re in healthy enough shape) as the professionals do.

Cycling has to compete with itself. The danger professional road cycling faces with this concept is that if the fans won’t support it, you’ve got no volunteers to help get these events off the ground, and no one to watch them because they’re too busy climbing the Galibier themselves. The reason why Formula 1 works as a spectacle is not everyone has the ability to drive one of those cars themselves. They can’t drive the circuit like these drivers do. Therefore it creates interest and drama. Professional road cycling has a rich history and used to have brilliant pageantry. Marketing moves like the WSC group’s efforts have slowly yanked the spirit out of the sport (always be concerned when words like “product” and “marketplace” enter the vernacular). Why would someone in France tune in to a race in Brazil, when instead, they can call up a few mates and spend the day climbing Mt. Ventoux?

Professional cycling’s drama comes from the long kamikaze breakaways in regions steeped in history. It comes from the cobbles of the classics. The climbs in the Alps and the Pyrénées. The heat of Spain in August. The leaves falling in Lombardia. It comes from riders wanting to conquer the course first, and then competing with their fellow riders second. There in no history in these new events, and WSC is trying to borrow the history of others to give itself relevance. It’s a glorified cycling parasite. Hell, even the newest race RCS created, Bianche Strade, has incorporated previous historical significance of racing in the area, and the history of the area itself.

Personally, I’ll take the history of Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico over some four-day homogenised course that features boring and predictable plot lines. I’m not interested in the battles between the combatants. I’m interested in if my mates in the peloton successfully navigated the grupetto to the finish prior to the time cutoff. I’m interested in hearing the roar of the fans heading up classic mountain climbs that those from the 1930s attempted to tackle.

I’m more of a fan of Ventoux than of a particular team. That’s where my support lies.

Call me a dinosaur.

Mosley offers bid to the UCI to “improve the sport of cycling.” (photo courtesy of BBC News)

“My extensive experience in creating success at the FIA is well-documented. Since I’ve been ejected from the Formula 1 circuit based on misconstrued and alleged incidents during my reign there, I’ve decided to assist my good friends Pat McQuaid and Hein Verbruggen in pulling cycling out of its tailspin,” stated Mosley’s press release.

Mosley’s press release went on to point out that the sport lacked a “McLaren, Williams, and Tyrrell to prevent the UCI in their bid to globalise the sport and sign rights agreements on behalf of all stakeholders.” The F1 legend went on to describe that his  concept of a Champions Circuit would be a better move than Bakala’s “closed” proposal, which wouldn’t allow teams to move up and into the “elite tier” of cycling.

“The Champions Circuit would incorporate all the current races, guaranteeing five-year licences without a yearly review to cause instability. However, licence fees would double as trade-off for the stability. While Bakala is a dynamic businessman, he lacks sport governance experience to realise just how damaging his proposal would be for the sport. I will say his numbers for revenue-sharing for the teams are in line with what should have been occuring in Formula 1, as the teams there now take too great of a share away from FIA coffers,” continued Mosley’s press release.

When asked if his record in Formula 1 and the controversy surround his leadership would detract from his proposal, Mosley was candid.

“Look, I empathize with Pat and Hein. They’re going through a similar mutiny as I experienced when Ecclestone outplayed me for control of the sport. I see “Blame McQuaid” and “Blame Verbruggen” comments on Twitter similar to the signs demanding my removal at F1 races a few years ago. I think Pat and Hein are running their show exactly the same way I used to run mine. I think there’s nothing wrong with their governance. The parallels to my reign at the F1 upper echelon are identical, so if I can help them stay in power, I will,” concluded a defiant Mosley.

Pundits around the world were rather surprised to see Mosley come out and support Verbruggen and McQuaid.

“All I can say is, thank goodness we haven’t seen compromising snaps of Pat and Hein caught in twisted bondage games with dubious consorts so far. The timing of Mosely’s support is most unfortunate for the duo. Who’s next to support them? Donald Trump?” commented a pundit who may or may not have been Road.cc’s Simon McMichael.

The UCI refused to confirm or deny support for Mosley’s proposal, but Verbruggen himself acknowledged he was “honoured and flattered” to have Mosley’s support for maintaining control and dominance over cycling.

Boonen on the podium after his Flanders win. Reports hint that the brunette podium girl was the other occupant of the Ferrari

Initial police reports indicate that Bakala gave Boonen the keys to the vehicle after a “riotous” dinner party with several local celebrities, and Boonen proceeded to drive the vehicle at high speeds in the area of Oudenaarde before taking the Enzo onto the grounds of Park Baron Casier in Waregem. According to Boonen’s statement to authorities, he was doing “Enzo Endos” on the grounds of the public park.

The vehicle was found upside down near the castle on the grounds of Baron Casier Park, with Boonen stripped to the waist standing on top of the overturned super car, twirling his shirt over his head, singing loudly to the LMFAO song “I’m Sexy and I Know It.” According to anonymous bystanders, the female companion was clad only in “her knickers.”

The grounds of the park sustained significant damage due to the high-speed racing by Boonen in the Ferrari. One of the gates, at Market Street, sustained significant damage where Boonen crashed Bakala’s car through, and the vehicle itself was described by sources as “an utterly complete farcical write off.”

Several fountains sustained damage, and the castle itself underwent what could only be described as “tagging.”  Boonen’s camp is denying any involvement with the fountain damage, nor the graffitti on the castle, and has not issued any formal statements in relation to the escapades.

Belgian authorities are refusing to confirm if drugs or alcohol were factors in the events leading to the defacing of a local cultural icon, but eye-witness accounts commented on the size of Tom’s “Booner,” which might indicate use of certain products of a sexual enhancement nature.

Boonen himself refused to issue any statements to the media in relation to the unfortunate event, however Bakala was quick to come to the defense of Boonen.

“Hey, it’s only a car. I’ve got another 40 in various houses around the world. I’m sure the check I write to the town of Waregem will make this all go away. I look forward to Tommeke winning in Roubaix next week,” smiled a rather soused Bakala.

It is unknown at this time whether Boonen will be charged with any crimes.