Jasmine, you have your list. Comments?????

[Fausto Coppied]

So Jasmine, you have your list. Any comments????



Quote:
Originally Posted by Fausto Coppied
Oh, God, this question again! I have been answering it since 2003. If you want it done hire me and I'll do it.

OK, one more time:

originally posted Pedalmag.com
Feb 10, 2005 10:18 am Post subject:

Anonymous wrote:​

Instead of taking personal shots at each other, we should be discussing what should be happening and is there anything we can do beyond making this public discussion which we know they read.​

Excellent idea.


Is there anything we can do beyond making this pulbic discusssin. Yet bet there is. Here is a whole list of things they could do. You can pick you favorites and write to Bill Kinash and the CCA Board of Directors (all addresses at CCA under "contact us" on a PDF document or write to me and I'll send all you need). Write to your provinces. Write to your newspaper and tell them how screwed up things are and ask why nobody is paying attention. Do we have to wait for a total meltdown likeat Swim Canada. Write to Pedal, Canadian Cyclist and VeloNews and ask why they are buryng their heads in the sand.

Write to this guy, he oversees what the CCA gets.:
Tom Scrimger
Director General/Directeur général
Sport Canada
Rm. 5, 16th Fl., 15 Eddy St./Pièce 5, 16e étage, 15 rue Eddy
Gatineau, QC K1A 0M5
(819) 956-8153 /Fax (819) 956-8006

[email protected]

Here is a short list of things that was posted many times.

Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2004 8:21 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What would I do about it? I have already outlined much of that elsewhere. I will do it again here.

1. I am ready and willing to handle the CCA's Marketing and Communications. I would have no problem working with Brett Stewart (current Interim Director General running to be the new Chief Operating Officer) and I do not think he would have a problem working with me. Having had to work under Hutsebaut is like having shared going to war together it brings people closer and creates a bond only those that were there can understand! They need only ask.

2. I would see to it that the CCA focused on domestic racing, all racing, and NOT send our best riders overseas to chase UCI points as was the case for the last ten years.

3. Short term that might mean a loss of Sport Canada funding so we would have to work to wean the CCA off the Sport Canada teat and find it corporate sponsors, in the same way Ski Canada, which used to get $5 million in sponsorship now gets $13 million. They get the same $1.2 million base from Sport Canada. The CCA now gets about $400,000 in sponsorship. How can skiing be 30 times more popular than cycling? I do not think it is more popular at all but even if it is, it surely is not 30 times more popular. The only difference is one person, Ski Canada has Ken Read (before Read they still had $4,000,000, more than the CCA). The CCA has left its Marketing Director job vacant for 21 months. How can you find sponsors if you refuse to even look? That is incompetence and negligence two stated reason for impeachment in the by-laws.

4. I would improve communications at the CCA and see to it that it trickled down to all those provincial associations who are not doing it properly. Quebec would be excluded since they regularly hold press conferences which are well attended and get good coverage.
4 a) simple thing, host a discussion forum on the CCA site to discuss future plans and get **** from people like you, instead of creating rumours and misinformation on sites like this.

5. I would work closer and more open channels to all the mainstream players in the media, picking the key reporters who like the sport and want to see it covered. This is not very difficult. There are only about a dozen key players to focus on across the country. I'm already on a first name basis with most of them.

I have spoken with the Sports Editor of The Leader Post in Regina, CCA President Bill Kinash's hometown. The Editor was not aware of Bill Kinash until I made mention of him. Twenty years of work with the Saskatchewan Cycling Association and his hometown doesn't have a clue who he is. How can you put that guy in charge of the sport nation-wide? The Editor there said "cycling is less than vibrant in SK". Sports Editors at most newspaper across the country already know who I am and respond to my calls and emails. Some have even come to post here, haven't they...

6. I would separate all Master National championships from Junior, Espoirs and Elite National Championship to focus on the young categories where development is needed if there is to be any future.
6. a) This should allow both championships to grow and make for better races for all categories. It creates another big sponsorship opportunity. It differentiates the groups and makes it easier to target the markets sponsors are looking for.

7. A well-sponsored national road series WITH NEW EVENTS would be a very high priority.
7 a) To know what well-sponsored was I would open up CCA financial statements and post them on-line, instead of keeping them a secret. The only reason to hide this information is because it is bad news and embarrassing. If the deals with Louis Garneau and Tim Hortons are poor we should know about it. It should not be hidden from us.

7 b) There should be at least one national road race in every province.

8. Cycling Tracks in downtown Montreal and Toronto would be very high priorities. Now that the CCA has this charitable foundation, I think I would use it to launch a dedicated fund aimed only at build a velodrome. I would consider the possibility of asking for a surcharge on each and every racing license in the country until there was enough money. There could be a cycling referendum on it. That’s what we did as students at McGill to build the new sports complex. For years while I attended McGill I paid into this a fund each semester like all other students to get the new field house built. I have never stepped into the place but I paid five bucks every course or every semester like everybody else until they had enough to launch the project. Some corporate donors matched the funding.

9. Sales of CCA promotional item across the country via Internet and better bike shops would be undertaken.
9 a) Create a list of "CCA-Approved Bike Shops" nation-wide to sell CCA promotional stuff and to let licensed riders get small discounts and know which shops are racing-friendly (ie they sponsor riders, teams, or events)

10. I would re-instate an Official National Criterium Championship for Juniors, Espoirs and Elite (men and women), another important marketing opportunity.

11. I would eliminate Master A and add more riders to the Elite field or find a way to incorporate them into Elite field. More riders, better show.

12 I would seek to bring back into the sport all those people with great experience and much knowledge that Pierre Hutsebaut and Brian Jolly have so ****** off that they have left or will have nothing to do with the sport. I’m thinking of guys like Mirek Mazur and others.

13. Present a full slate of qualified candidates for every position that will be open at the next CCA Annual General Meeting. Announce these candidates to the general public not just Provincial Presidents far in advance of the AGM. Have the candidates agree to work with one another on a platform that will have been presented openly and publicly and discussed beforehand with the cycling community on forums like this
13 a) Make the delegates who vote at the AGM public and accountable so their provincial constituents know what they done in their name.

That’s a good start.

If we could get rid of current CCA President Bill Kinash now by impeaching him and electing Lesley Tomlinson President, as allowed and laid out in the CCA by-laws, we would not have to suffer through another season of his mistakes and inaction. Instead of wasting three years we will have wasted only two.


Once those things were implemented I would then work on some bigger changes…

We are told the CCA has a 12-year Strategic Plan. Have you seen it? Why is it a secret as well? I can post my plan but the CCA wants to keep theirs in the dark.

Do Bill Kinash and his Board of Directors own the CCA???? Do they have shares in it?

Last time I looked it was supposed to belong to taxpayers. That being the case why hide everything from the public?

It can only be to hide what a poor job they are doing of managing it.

----------

Not many of these suggestions written three or four years ago have been done.

I would add today, Sept. 17, 2007:

1. Fire Lorraine Lafrenière (now than Kim Sebrango was fired, something I called for for months). Hire somebody with experience and understanding of the sport going in. not somebody who has to learn on the job. Hire somebody who is passionate about the sport and can communicate that passion to others. Sounds like common sense does it. It still isn’t happening, Kinash and now Pierre Blanchard continue to hire people who know nothing about the sport.

2. Move the CCA out of its disarray of crappy but very expensive ($52,000/yr.) office space in Ottawa and put it near the Forest City Velodrome. Create a complete cycling complex with tracks, mechanic shops, testing and training facilities. Leverage the $600,000 Hamilton Legacy being ****** away in $2000 payments and use it to bargain with a municipal, provincial and federal governments to match it with grants ($600,000 to a municipal $600,000 for $1.2 million to a provincial $1.2 Million for $2.4 million to match a federal $2.4 million for a total of $4.8 million). Show sponsors that were are serious about the sport. Make big plans you get big sponsors.

3. Dump the current sponsors who are undervaluing the sponsorship (i.e. Tim Horton’s and Louis Garneau). If we have to go without sponsors for a year so be it better that than to give the sport away.

4. One serious dialogue with the cycling industry in Canada. The players have big bucks. They sponsor foreign teams and do little at home.

5. Focus on bringing back road racing to downtown major metropolitan areas. That is key.

I’ll give you more but how is that for starters.

 

[Fausto Coppied]

Jasime, you have your list what do you want to do with it?

 

[kclw]

Some good idea's some good ones, some weak ones, and a whole lot of mis-information.

1. Chasing points particularly for the road is a waste of time and resources. For example Symetrics has spent a fortune on chasing points so we can have three starters at road worlds. Realistically the best we can hope out of our team at road worlds is someone finishes.

Spending money on mens road racing internationly is a dead end. If we want to succeed in road racing we do need to do, (as you have mentioned many times) develope a national series. It is very difficult for a road racer in Canada to develope, the only nationally attend road race is nationals. Unfortunately for developing athletes nationals is typically too quick or the coarse is too selective.

2. It is a shame that there is no national road series. I think the main challenge to this is cost. A provinical level road team does not have the budget to send a team across the country. Also most of the provinical level riders work and can't take time off to travel. Maybe a road series modelled after the MTB series might work; a block of racing in the east, a block of racing in the west. But I think a provinical road race in each province would be too difficult for all but a few racers to attend.

The other challenge is what I call the "Ontario sydrome". Ontario has lots of very talented MTBer but they are interest in winning the O-cup then competing at a Norba (where riders like Derick could race in the top 10). In road racing you get the same thing except to a much higher degree. Winning local races is much more important to racers and sponsors then winning a Canada Cup on the other side of the country.

3. I don't agree with seperating the masters categories. It would be nice it is was different right now most of the specators at races are racers. Seperating the masters nationals would result in a loss of specators. Without specators sponsors are not interested. I like the way that nationals is currently works with the elite races being the peak event of a series of competitions.


4. Getting ride of masters A is a great idea. Actually I am totally against the idea of masters racing at anything other than nationals/provinicials. I like to categorize by ability, if you are 50 and fast enough to race 1-2 you should race 1-2. If you don't like it, train less.

5. I am sorry cycling is not skiing. It is safe to say the skiing in Canada is 30 times as popular as cycling. I have raced both at a high level and the numbers in skiing are stagering. Towns of 8000 have ski clubs with 140 kids in them. There probably isn't 150 kids racing bikes in BC. That is just racing.

Participation in skiing is huge, a moderate size ski hill will have 20 000 skiers on it per day during the peak season. You just don't see those numbers in cycling.

The money in skiing was exceed that of cycling, just the gear along. I typically put on 10 000km/year on my road bike. It cost 2500 and last about 5 years. I ski 60 days a year and typically wear out a set of $800 ski's each season. I spend about $2000/year on lift tickets and ski trips. As skiers go I am low cost.

Put it this way when is the last time someone spent 1.5 million on a cycling condo?

But you are cycling does need to get money from corporate Canada. Just don't go comparing cycling to skiing, it makes you case look weak.


6. Track is dead and a waste of money. The only reason it still is of interest in Canada is because it is an easy medal. Nobody is going to develope out of track racing, it may help some racers, but it isn't going to recruit anybody or increase fan base.

The fact is track is boring. Point races, scratch races, and sprints can be exciting (but often are not), but the rest of the stuff, kilo's, pursuits, ect.. are boring.

7. You shouldn't have anything to with the CCA. You are too out of touch with modern cycling community.

 

[Fausto Coppied]

Please indicate the misinformation.

The "modern cycling community" in Canada no longer exists. It used to but doesn't anywhere.

Instead you have small, disorganazed groups usually paying to play on bike in some park.

As you marginalize the sport you slowly kill it.

 

[kclw]

Please indicate the misinformation.

The "modern cycling community" in Canada no longer exists. It used to but doesn't anywhere.

Instead you have small, disorganazed groups usually paying to play on bike in some park.

As you marginalize the sport you slowly kill it.

I did. Can't you read?

A couple of other things. People riding and racing now don't want anybody from the past involved in cycling. It is the old guard that is responsible for the current state of cycling.

You go on about what a great job you did 20 years ago. Really you like most of the other people in you era where nothing more than a leechs, took from sport and did nothing to continue it.

The modern cycling community does exist you just aren't a part of it. Guess what you are not wanted in it. Few who are racing want anything to do with you.

 

[Fausto Coppied]

I ran the 2003 CDN National and worked for the 2003 Road World Championships, hardly 1985.

You did not point out any misinformation. You disagree about how popular skiing is relevant to cycling. You have only ancedotal information. StatCans will tell you cycling is far more popular using many different criteria.
I know people who have bought million dollar condos at Mont Tremblant who seldom ski.

You disagree about track but cannot provide any info as to why. I can point you to a growing number of tracks and filled seat in them.

I doubt you leave BC very much to compete or view cycling anywhere else.

 

[Prairie Boy]

I ran the 2003 CDN National and worked for the 2003 Road World Championships, hardly 1985.

Don't forget to mention that your inability to do a quality job resulted in your termination from Worlds. But that's not what you stated, you did, in fact, work at it for a brief period of time. It's interesting how you can present half truths and make yourself sound slightly better then what you really are.

 

[Fausto Coppied]

I worked for six month instead of nine. My work was fine. I was the only person looking after the psort. Everybody else lined their pockets.


Results NOT ONE NEW SPONSOR FOR THE SPORT AFTER THE EVENT WHEN $15,000,000 WAS PENT BY THE GOVERNMENT.

Shameful!

 

[kclw]

I ran the 2003 CDN National and worked for the 2003 Road World Championships, hardly 1985.

You did not point out any misinformation. You disagree about how popular skiing is relevant to cycling. You have only ancedotal information. StatCans will tell you cycling is far more popular using many different criteria.
I know people who have bought million dollar condos at Mont Tremblant who seldom ski.

You disagree about track but cannot provide any info as to why. I can point you to a growing number of tracks and filled seat in them.

I doubt you leave BC very much to compete or view cycling anywhere else.

I have been on 4 continents this year for cycling events. Can you say the same?

Track is dead, you just don't know it yet. Prove your statement about track. I have been to plenty of track race (include world cups) and fans turn out is horrible. There is more specator at Test-Of-Metal then a track world cup.

StatsCan counts the 60 years old couple who rides sea-wall as cyclist.

You are right about the people with the condos. But they can marketed to them through skiing (come on ED marketing 101). The point is skiing has so much more money associated with it. I bet more money is spent at Whistler then on cycling world wide.

 

[kclw]

I worked for six month instead of nine. My work was fine. I was the only person looking after the psort. Everybody else lined their pockets.


Results NOT ONE NEW SPONSOR FOR THE SPORT AFTER THE EVENT WHEN $15,000,000 WAS PENT BY THE GOVERNMENT.

Shameful!

The problem was the idiot that wrote that aritcal in Velonews.

You are incompetent Ed, not fit do anything.

Oh btw I remember being at 2003 road nationals, probably the worst run road nats in past 10 years.

 

[Fausto Coppied]

Wel, since you are a coward afraid to leave your name we cannot vouch for your credential, so you can say whatever you like.


CDN Nats in Hamilton were fine, especially given all the problems caused by the City of Hamilton, Hamilton 2003 and the fact that because the course was not tested the year before it required a UCI internationally sanctioned event on it before the Worlds and the Nats had to be open to US riders and run by UCI team rules which confsued everyone.

My blogs in Velonews were to only good PR the event had. HGll, the were just about the only PR they had.

If you din't like the content complain to Hutsebaut, Norm Miller and Charles Pelkey the VeloNews Editor, they all vetted the stuff and liked it. Many others did too, I got emails from across North America with positive comments.

 

[kclw]

Wel, since you are a coward afraid to leave your name we cannot vouch for your credential, so you can say whatever you like.


CDN Nats in Hamilton were fine, especially given all the problems caused by the City of Hamilton, Hamilton 2003 and the fact that because the course was not tested the year before it required a UCI internationally sanctioned event on it before the Worlds and the Nats had to be open to US riders and run by UCI team rules which confsued everyone.

My blogs in Velonews were to only good PR the event had. HGll, the were just about the only PR they had.

If you din't like the content complain to Hutsebaut, Norm Miller and Charles Pelkey the VeloNews Editor, they all vetted the stuff and liked it. Many others did too, I got emails from across North America with positive comments.

Your right I am scare to say who I am.

You are crazy, the last thing I want is you theatening me like you do to other people.

I have heard about you and your guns.

 

[Fausto Coppied]

Coward.

 

[Jasmineminor]

Your right I am scare to say who I am.

You are crazy, the last thing I want is you theatening me like you do to other people.

I have heard about you and your guns.

Yes anyone who has the nerve to disagree with him will get bombarded with emails, berated to anyone who will listen (although fewer and fewer do) and have reason to fear for their well being should they come into actual contact with him.

The real reason he was fired from the 2003 Worlds was because he harassed the other staff so badly. But he will always say it was someone elses's fault. It always is.

And he actually thinks the CCA should hire him to run the association??

Nuts... plain nuts!

 

[Fausto Coppied]

So, once again, when presented with facts, you have no comments other than about me.

You do know that the entire Events staff of three, Laura Zamprongan and her two assistants, quit after I was fired only about one month before the event began. Explain that.

Unles you were there you have no idea how messed up things were.

Further proof to that point is that not one sponsor for the CCA was found even after the $15,000,000.

Complain about me all you want, the problem is the lack of management skill and leadership at the CCA.

Do you think they are doing a good job?

No new events.
No new teams.
No new sponsors.
Half the staff cut at the CCA. Half the revenue cut from $2.7 million to $1.7 million.

Dismal international results.
No development.

Tell me everything is Ok.

 

[Jasmineminor]

So, once again, when presented with facts, you have no comments other than about me.

You do know that the entire Events staff of three, Laura Zamprongan and her two assistants, quit after I was fired only about one month before the event began. Explain that.

Unles you were there you have no idea how messed up things were.

Further proof to that point is that not one sponsor for the CCA was found even after the $15,000,000.

Complain about me all you want, the problem is the lack of management skill and leadership at the CCA.

Do you think they are doing a good job?

No new events.
No new teams.
No new sponsors.
Half the staff cut at the CCA. Half the revenue cut from $2.7 million to $1.7 million.

Dismal international results.
No development.

Tell me everything is Ok.

FACTS? What facts?

HEre are a few;

I do know that hiring you would make things worse. That is a fact that has been proven over and over again by those who make the mistake of hiring you.

I did some interviews with the staff of the 2003 Worlds (after you left BTW) and everyone said you were a major disruption.

Laura Zamprongan and her two assistant LEFT because their job was done.

The 2003 Worlds got so much bad press that who would want to sign on as a sponsor. And this was NOT the CCA's fault. The Provincial gov't (after signing on the throw XX$$ in the pot), turned around and blackmailed the feds. THe agreement was thet no $$ from the feds could be deleivered until teh province also delivered theirs at the same time. This bickering chased away many potential sponsors. PLUS the city of Hamilton's new mayor and city council did everything possible to smear the organization. Nice really nice.

But why would the CCA get any new sponsors from hosting a world Championships anyway.

No new events

The CCA does not run events. So not understanding this one.

Nnew events do you mean like the Tour de PEI that took place this year?
The Montreal Boston was a planned as new event..
Montreal Quebec has a UCI sanction, so attracts more riders
Since 2003 the BC superweek has gotten bigger and added new races

No new teams.

Team Symmetrics has arrived and impressed everyone.
There arenow 4 men's teams registered as UCI contintal teams.
There are 3 women's UCI trade teams registered.
Team RACE will be a UCI trade team in 2008

There is a Velodrome in London ontario
The Velodrome in Burnaby is running a full slate of programs

No new sponsors

H&R block is new so is ARC and they have not lost their other sponsors

Half the staff cut at the CCA. Half the revenue cut from $2.7 million to $1.7 million.

That is more a Harper Gov't move than anything else. They PC's are cutting everywhere. The Environment Canada (secifically the Cdn Wildlife federation) just had it's funding cut in half. In September 2006 the Harper gov't cut funds to 66 programs, including programs for women, children and social programs. Sport Canada has had their budget cut by the feds so they in turn have cut the budgets to all programs and enacted a no medals reduced funding program.. So the CCA is not the only sports body suffering.

The feds have cut spending to health care, post secondary education, social services, childcare and infrastructure.

Is all this the CCA's fault too?

Dismal international results.

Maybe specifically in men's Protour road racing (which is all you care about) but Canadian riders have had very good results this year:

Svein Tuft won the UCI America Tour, won the US Open and the tour of Cuba
Canada ranks 3rd in the UCI America Tour and this got us 3 riders at worlds.
Martin Gilbert won Pan Am Rd Champs and the US pro champs
Cath Pendrell won gold at Pan American Games MTB
Ann Samplonious won gold at Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro
Marie Helene Premont was 2nd overall in the World Cup
Alison Sydor won Trans Alps and Trans Germany

No development

According to Steve Bauer (you remember him don't you?). I think he's knows a thing or 2. Steve has recently stepped back into the local scene and was doing a bit of racing in 2006 and now is helping to mamage team RACE.

He says:

"There's more depth domestically than when I was racing, there's more opportunity with teams, there's more possibility to get in a squad. It's much deeper and there's more opportunities now than back in the 90s, even during the Evian/Magicuts and Canadian Tire days. The North American circuit is very strong and there are more of Canadian teams with budgets and good opportunities. That being said, more needs to be done."

So how about those FACTS!

 

[Fausto Coppied]

You comment about Zampronga and her two employees is ABSOLUTELY FALSE. THEY QUIT AND NOT BECAUSE THEIR JOB WAS DONE, that's ridiculous, they quit in disgust over Dana Cunningham and Neil Lumsden. They were supposed to be a vital component of the event itself. They were to handle all the event management DURING THE EVENT. Simple proof they were to be in charge of all overall radio communications.

With this statement you have proven you are a complete liar.

Why would the CCA get sponsors from the Worlds you ask?

Are you daft?

Are you totally lost?

After the Worlds in 1974 and Olympics in 1976 the sport gained a lot of ground in Caanda and especially in Quebec. Sponsors stepped in.

What a stupid question.

The Worlds could have been a perfect showcase for the sport.

Instead the CCA left the marekting sport vacant for six months leading up to the event and for fifteen months after it, even Bill Kinash admitted it was a mistake.

As for Steve Bauer, he has his own agenda. He always has. It isn't always what is best for the sport in general, it is what is best for Steve Bauer.

For instance, Bauer bought up all the hotel rooms in Hamilton in 2003 thinking he woud make a killing with his tourism business. Instead, becuase all the hotels had pre-sold their rooms they didn't care what happenned to the event and did not promote it all. Many people stayed outside of Hamilton.

Just becuase Bauer says somethign doesn't mean it si true.

Gord Fraser at his retiremwnt pary last year in Ottaw (were you there? I was) said the very opposite, he wished things were as they had been with Magicuts and Evian.

 

[Jasmineminor]

You comment about Zampronga and her two employees is ABSOLUTELY FALSE. THEY QUIT AND NOT BECAUSE THEIR JOB WAS DONE, that's ridiculous, they quit in disgust over Dana Cunningham and Neil Lumsden. They were supposed to be a vital component of the event itself. They were to handle all the event management DURING THE EVENT. Simple proof they were to be in charge of all overall radio communications.

Not what I was told..... Besides you were fired and no one was talking to you.. So nice story to make up to divert from you being fired.....

Why would the CCA get sponsors from the Worlds you ask?

Are you daft?

Are you totally lost?

After the Worlds in 1974 and Olympics in 1976 the sport gained a lot of ground in Caanda and especially in Quebec. Sponsors stepped in.

Quebec does not count. Quebec has always had a huge cycling fan base. Olympics or no Olympics. We are talking CCA and Canada.. so like who stepped in as sponsors? Don't say crappy tire. That was in 89? 13 years after Montreal.

The Worlds could have been a perfect showcase for the sport.

I agree it could have been but all the media was interested in was pointing out the bad news. The fights between the various levels of Gov't, the complaints of the hamilton residents, the bad, instead of promoting the good that could be.
Why would any large company want to support an event that is being slammed like that?

This is my problem with the general media. The "if it bleeds it leads" mentality is such ****. But it pays my mortgage so I have to go along.

Instead the CCA left the marekting sport vacant for six months leading up to the event and for fifteen months after it, even Bill Kinash admitted it was a mistake.

Better to leave it vacant than to hire a 'vacant' body just to fill the space.. or better yet let EA write that **** that was published on VeloNews.......

But Bill K was so ineffective anyway. Probably better he was not there.

As for Steve Bauer, he has his own agenda. He always has. It isn't always what is best for the sport in general, it is what is best for Steve Bauer.

For instance, Bauer bought up all the hotel rooms in Hamilton in 2003 thinking he woud make a killing with his tourism business. Instead, becuase all the hotels had pre-sold their rooms they didn't care what happenned to the event and did not promote it all. Many people stayed outside of Hamilton.

So the hotels didn't care. Saying outside of hamilton or staying cheap is a cycling thing. In europe they all travel by "caravan" (camper trailer) and live on teh side of the road to follow their event. Skiers on teh other hand stay in expensive hotels and eat in teh best restaurants.

What does that tell you about all the "opportunities" for cycling, when cyclists themselves do not support the biggest event in Canada... down the toilet before the event ever had a chance.

Steve at least did a lot to support the event. He worked a lot of hours helping out, promoting the race in Europe and at his events.

Could it be also be that SARS kept many people out of Canada? Again the media hyped that one way way WAY over the top. Friends of mine from Europe changed their plans to come BECAUSE of SARS.

Tourism in Canada has never returned to it pre -Sars levels. And that is a FACT

Just becuase Bauer says somethign doesn't mean it si true.

So now you are slamming Steve Bauer?

Anybody else you care to take a swing at. Anyone who does not follow the Arzouian party line I guess is fair game.

Gord Fraser at his retiremwnt pary last year in Ottaw (were you there? I was) said the very opposite, he wished things were as they had been with Magicuts and Evian.

Yes I was there actually. I saw you slithering around trying to relive your glory years through your "friends" ... sad really. Cycling has passed you by....

I think you will find that Gordo has changed his tune somewhat 1 year into retirement. Besides Gord spoke to you, one of the few who did not try to run the other way or were palying 'nicey' to you just so you would go away. . so you dare not slam him.. yet.

 

[Yojimbo_]

Geeze.

I'm quite disgusted by the lot of you. Why don't you drop the juvenile rants at each other, and instead focus on having an intelligent fact based discussion?

You are worse than the politicians in Question Period.

You should all be ashamed to show your faces in public - that is, if you are really adults and not a bunch of 12 year olds who haven't grown up yet.

 

[Jasmineminor]

Geeze.

I'm quite disgusted by the lot of you. Why don't you drop the juvenile rants at each other, and instead focus on having an intelligent fact based discussion?

You are worse than the politicians in Question Period.

You should all be ashamed to show your faces in public - that is, if you are really adults and not a bunch of 12 year olds who haven't grown up yet.

so join the discourse!

What do you find important about the developement of cycling in Canada?