Dippofix wrote:
Thing is, German cycling really needs a GC rider. Nobody gives a fuck here about people winning stages left and right, winning worlds, monuments. The only thing i can think about that would make cycling popular again over here would be a clean German TdF contender.
Well, I don't know how you folk tick precisely, but I always thought of my big-neighbour as a very cycling-affine country, like people ride their bikes and are interested in it. However, since the Team Telekom and Gerolsteiner days there's quite some major disturbance between the media and german cycling. Seems to me like they are really unwilling to report and thus it's rather impossible that a true hype can build upon guys like Kittel, Martin or Degenkolb? Additionally, a big german team is missing with a big german company behind it. NetApp is good annd fine and a great team, but I don't think german media (and viewers?) particularly cheer for it or consider it "their" team, especially since it's missing the big riders? Eurosport is also not enough for that, even if the results come in and Eurosport has record viewerships. It'd certainly need Axel Springer, ARD/ZDF and a general discussion and word-to-mouth to really make it a mass sport again.
It's similiar in Austria with our media and I was also quite shocked when I read Lachi's comment that SF turned off the coverage during Cancellar's winning run at Ronde this year.
Everyone cheered for Ullrich and Schumacher back then.
Then, they were busted and German broadcasting media (ARD/ZDF) jumped on the bandwagon that everyone's doped anyway, and stopped cycling coverage (or if they broadcasted, they showed a 30-minute item about doping hunters and 20 minutes of actual racing).
Public image distroyed.
Subsequently, there was no effort from media to reinstall faith, rather continuing to beat up the corpse wherever possible, often without substance.
So the consumer bought into that and does not recognize the recent success because it's not featured anymore in media.
And yeah, another point is that GT's are massively overfocused on, and media's expectations for German stage racers (Klöden/Martin in recent years) so high that they can only fail and leave everyone saying "oh even though they're doped they're so bad".
Example:
10 newspaper lines about "Martin loses another 5 places in yesterday's TdF stage".
15 newspaper lines about "Ciolek wins Milan-San Remo".
So viewing figures are horrible and most who watch probably are seniors who stay with the program after zapping through channels because the landscape is so beautiful...
Jesleyh wrote:
Nerz maybe? At least he's closer than Herklotz atm, but I'm not sure he got it in him to be a real contender.
He's decent and he has shown glimpses, but we talk about at least podiuming GTs here.
He could be good for Top 10's sometime, maybe a Vuelta Top 5 if BMC stick with him and TvG.
Edited by cio93 on 11-04-2014 17:45
But how they can restore faith Cio, when we are seeing so much bullshit with Horner, Cobo, Froome,.... in last years? Even we fans are fed up with it, so how can "ordinary" people believe in cycling?
Avin Wargunnson wrote:
But how they can restore faith Cio, when we are seeing so much bullshit with Horner, Cobo, Froome,.... in last years? Even we fans are fed up with it, so how can "ordinary" people believe in cycling?
I don't say that we're the only nation not believing in cycling, but we have the hardest preconditions to restore faith as you say, and sadly there's no interest without faith here, while people somehow do not condemn athletics or boxing despite them having at least the same issues...
Noone cares about Powell being banned, but one cycling case and everyone's ranting about that band of frauds.
I've been trying so hard to convince people I know that cycling is such a diverse and intense sport with broad skillsets and a great mixture of team and individual sport...
Let them age, hope that the new generation really doesn't get caught and promotes the dope-free sport (not that Sky hypocrisy) and put Herklotz leading Stölting to a Tour victory.
As someone said, no identification with a good German team is another issue, and noone knows about NetApp here.
Edited by cio93 on 11-04-2014 17:54
Avin Wargunnson wrote:
But how they can restore faith Cio, when we are seeing so much bullshit with Horner, Cobo, Froome,.... in last years? Even we fans are fed up with it, so how can "ordinary" people believe in cycling?
I don't say that we're the only nation not believing in cycling, but we have the hardest preconditions to restore faith as you say, and sadly there's no interest without faith here, while people somehow do not condemn athletics or boxing despite them having at least the same issues...
Noone cares about Powell being banned, but one cycling case and everyone's ranting about that band of frauds.
Let them age, hope that the new generation really doesn't get caught and promotes the dope-free sport (not that Sky hypocrisy) and put Herklotz leading Stölting to a Tour victory.
As someone said, no identification with a good German team is another issue, and noone knows about NetApp here.
Nicely said, i agree. Cycling unfortunately has this very bad position in comparsion with other sports (where is doping too).
That's unfortunate. I've actually met him in person before.
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Yep, the situation in Germany is so sad. We've got Degenkolb, Kittel, Greipel and Martin and still no big german company wants to get involved.
It was rumored that Alpecin thought about it, but since Frank Schleck got popped the idea was thrown away, allegedly, as they wanted to build a team around the Schlecks... the Slogan "Doping, but just for the hair" couldn't work so anymore
But this shows, as long as there isn't any (clean) GC-Contendor from Germany, Austria or german-speaking region nobody gives a damn thing about cycling here. I hardly doubt that NetApp ever made some newsline except on cyclingnewspages.
But lets be honest, who can blame them... Cycling around 2006-2008 was just ridiculous. 2006: first Ullrich, then Landis as the winner of the Tour popped. 2007: Ullrich proved doping, Sinkewitz positive during the Tour, Causa Rasmussen dominated the news, Contador, a client of Fuentes winning the Tour. 2008: Schumacher and Kohl are now the center of the attention, both popped during/after the Tour...
I can remember Linus Gerdemann as the big german hope. Once with Milram and probably clean there wasn't anything heard from him again here in germany. Edited by bigggassi on 11-04-2014 23:48
Maybe you are just comparing to old times. Perhaps faith is lost, but even so.
As an example, there was a survey of 50 English people. None of them had heard of Froome or Cavendish, and they were the best in the world/are. If that is true there, maybe it is not the cyclists fault or even the media, it just takes time.
This Germany issue. This is stupid to keep ignoring and punish a amazingly popular sport like cycling is. Hate the cheaters not sport himself.
It is almost 10 years ago when this campaign started..fuck this morale enjoy Giro.
Germany is hugh ..ofcorser they will find another rider who can take mountains and TT. This cycling tradition is theyr blood.
cio93 wrote:
So viewing figures are horrible and most who watch probably are seniors who stay with the program after zapping through channels because the landscape is so beautiful...
I agree with most what you wrote, however I'm rather sure that Eurosport views are actually increasing and I believe I read somewhere that last year was the most viewed Tour de France on Eurosport? Some friends of mine actually tuned in for the first time after years of my constant, well-meant blabbering throughout july.
I'm also rather certain that Eurosport mostly promotes Eurosport HD because of the steady viewership and only risks this in hopes of a nice profit margin. Consider it an experiment. If it's successful I'm sure they will include more races in that Eurosport HD package. If this means at some point that they'll televise more races (more spring classics, more fall classics, some Cylco-Cross & more Track in winter?), share more information and documentaries and most importantly, offer comfortable ways of viewing the content - e.g. via smartphone at work - I'm willing to pay for it.
On the other hand however, it of course excludes the not-so-interested people and people who have no interest in cycling have no chance of viewing the content. But, does that really matter? Would they watch it anyway? Would they even tune in on a rainy afternoon? The Tour continues to be the main magnet to draw in possible new folk, simply because it's everywhere at that point of the year. All the other races are only there for the hardcore bunch, may as well pay some euros per month for it.
Additionally, those seniors, who apparently only stay on the channel because of the landscape, are one of the most important market groups for bike manufacturers. Those guys have both the money and the time to afford quality bikes and take good use of them. I see that on every ride, at least 50% of the guys I encounter on my trips are elder guys in some times fantastic shape, sometimes they try to get back into shape.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
I found out the funny coincidence that Maxime Monfort rode a 22th place in Ruta del Son, Paris-Nice and Tour of Basque Country this year. Very promising for the Giro, it seems like he's the replacement of Francis De Greef for Lotto
