Eddy Merckx joins list of unwelcome people in Stuttgart

The organizers of the Worlds in Stuttgart are shrinking the list of people they officially welcome by the minute. Already the previous ambassadors for the Worlds, Erik Zabel and Rudi Altig, were asked to step down. Later it was Gregor Braun who stepped down. The winner of the last Worlds in Stuttgart, in 1991, was also not invited. And now the organizers announced that Belgian legend Eddy Merckx is not welcome, either.

The organisers said that "we have to be a role model," while Merckx found the organizers to be crazy, as Sporza reported on its web site. He bluntly added that "dumb people are everywhere, even in Germany."

NOW WE'RE TALKING - The Tour of America

The success of the recent stage races in California, Georgia and Missouri have sparked interest to step it up a notch and organize a Tour of America. The plan is to easily beat any of the current Grand Tours (Giro, Tour, Vuelta) in length or prize money. The riders will have 30 days to cover the more than 6,000 kilometres. The purse is expected to be around 11 million dollar. The race is expected to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.

Aqu, Inc will hold a press conference at Interbike to announce more details. The media event will be on Thursday, September 27, at 15:00 PDT in the Sands Convention Center. Unlike the current events, which are held within one state, the Tour of America will cross approximately 22 states and hundreds of cities along the way.

Aqu, Inc. President Frank Arokiasamy said that "We are excited to finally bring one of the world's largest spectator sports to the United States through a major international competition."