Vuelta a Espana boss Javier Guillen has explained that the recent doping scandals and economic crisis has hurt his race. Interviewed by Dario Vasco, he told that it's difficult to find money to organise the three-week race.
"The crisis has affected us a lot. In fact, it continues to affect us. We had two crises. First was a consequence of doping that was terrible and did us a lot of damage, and later the economic crisis of 2008. It was also a crisis that directly affects the financing channels of cycling, because we’re talking about institutions in stages, sponsors, advertising and we are talking about TV rights", Guillen explained. "That will force you to do more with less, to be more aggressive and it finally allowed us to have a more aggressive Vuelta."
To have an attractive race, Guillen decided to have ten summit finishes in this season's race. He thinks that it's the only possibility to attract more spectators and more people behind the TV screens. "On the one hand, they are right because we are a race that looks at the sky. We like the mountains or a ramp to the finish on the flat. In a Vuelta of 21 stages, there is room for everyone, but we believe that the show is in the mountains, and we have a very diverse country, where there are mountains or hills, and we want to use them. We look at what we think the public wants and when the formula works."
Gontrand ARTU 50 years | today |
Simon ZUPANCIC 38 years | today |
Chiara SACCHI 20 years | today |
Gareth MONTGOMERIE 42 years | today |
Darcy ROSELUND 36 years | today |
© CyclingQuotes.com