USA Cycling Announces 2007 Varsity and JV Schedule

USA Cycling released their 2007 schedule of races November 6th. The most notable change in the calendar is the separation of the National Racing Calendar and the inaugural USA Cycling Pro Tour. The NRC still holds the bulk of the races, totaling 41, across 19 states, giving away 1.5 million in prize money. However, it has now been classified as the JV league with the creation of the USA Pro Tour. The addition of the Pro Tour gives the United States a portion of the elite cycling pie. Races like the Tour of CA, Tour of GA, Rochester Twilight Criterium, the US Pro Championships, and others have been linked toward the naming of the best male, female, and Men's and Women's Teams to race in the United States. At first glance it closely mirrors the UCI Pro Tour, due to the fact that these races are largely UCI sanctioned events.
Is it wise to make this division? On paper, it makes sense. The schedule is not as overbearing as the UCI Pro Tour which stretches teams and riders to their limits. And while it calls for an invitation to at least five foreign teams, it also recognizes that the primary races are in Europe and these races are not mandatory for elite foreign teams. This will also alleviate the NRC to include more amateurs, creating a "minor league" or "development league". And with the growing talent of Saul Raisin, Tom Danielson, and David Zabriske to name a few there seems to be some truth to the notion that some young US athletes are now considering cycling as a viable option for sport in their early years. I still have to believe that the mind set of the US organizers is a bit optimistic if they plan to compete directly with Europe for talent. With over a century of cycling ingrained into the European continent, you just can't overcome history. Our best option is to do it the American way and just throw money at everything and hope for the best.