(Originally published in the May 6 to 12, 2012 issue of the Baguio Chronicle ---
a weekly newspaper based in Baguio City, Philippines ---
by Sly L. Quintos, Associate Editor.)
THERE are 988 bicycling competitions (or 19 a week) scheduled to happen worldwide this year under the Union Cycliste Internationale or UCI (International Cycling Union in English) --- the world’s governing body for international competitive cycling events.
Of the 988, five hundred thirty-three (or about 54 percent) are road races, nearly 200 are mountain bikes and almost 60 are indoors. The rest are trials, BMX, track, cyclo-cross and para-cycling.
France is undisputedly the cycling competition capital of the world with 117 of the 988 competitions scheduled worldwide this year happening there. Of the 117 (of which 16 happen this month of May), 86 are road race (ranging from one to 4 stages) while 17 are mountain bike.
The toughest cycling competition in the world is the three-week Tour de France (road race) which attracts the world’s top riders and teams. First staged in 1903, its route changes every year, but the race always finishes in Paris. Since 1975, the climax of the final stage has been along the Champs-Élysées. It is considered the most popular of the “Grand Tours” --- referring to the three major European professional cycling stage races to include the Giro d’Italia (established in 1909) and the Vuelta a España (established in 1935).
This year’s Tour de France will run from June 30 to July 200 covering 3,479 kilometers with one prologue and 20 stages (9 flat stages; 4 medium mountain stages one with a summit finish; 5 mountain stages with two summit finish; two individual time-trial stages and two rest days).
Another multi-stage cycling competition happening in France every March of each year is the Paris–Nice --- more popularly known as “The Race to the Sun”. It was first run in 1933 and was won by Alfons Schepers of Belgium. The most successful rider in Paris–Nice has been Sean Kelly from Ireland, who won seven consecutive races from 1982 to 1988. During the 2003 race, Kazakhstan's Andrei Kivilev died due to head injury sustained in an accident. His death prompted the UCI to mandate the use of helmets in all competition, except for the last part of a race with an uphill finish. Subsequently, the rule was changed to require helmets at all times.
Also held every March each year in France is the Tour de Normandie in the region of Normandie, France. The race was first run in 1939, but was not held in the periods of 1940-1955 and 1960-1980. It was originally a race for amateurs, but was opened for professionals in 1996.
Of the almost a thousand cycling competitions scheduled this year all over the world, 61 were held in January, one of is the 11th Asian Indoor Cycling Championships held in Hong Kong.
In February this year, 85 competitions were held (to include the Asian Cycling Championships in Malaysia and the Le Tour de Langkawi also in Malaysia) while 115 were held in March (to include the Asian BMX Championships and Asian BMX Junior Championships, the Tour de Taiwan) and 146 were April --- to include the Princess Mamackakri Sirindhon's Cup Tour of Thailand, the Maha Chakri Sirindhon's Cup Women's Tour of Thailand, the Le Tour de Filipinas, the Melaka Governor’s Cup in Malaysia, the Tour de (South) Korea, and the Tour of Borneo.
This month of May, there are 136 races scheduled to be held across the globe to include the Tour of Chongming Island World Cup in China; the Yawatahama International Cross-Country Race in Yawatahama City, Ehime, Japan; the Tour de Kumano in Japan, and the Tour of Japan. Other Asian major cycling competitions scheduled are the Tour of Singkarak in Indonesia in June and the Tour of Beijing in October.
Following France as the cycling competition capital of the world is Belgium with 112 competitions scheduled this year of which 11 will happen this May alone. In Italy, 107 competitions are scheduled this year, of which 10 will happen this May.
Of the 988 UCI-sanctioned cycling competitions scheduled this year all over the world, only one happens in the Philippines --- the Le Tour de Filipinas.*
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