It's not exactly a cycling governance issue but here goes... When you hear commentators saying that the Tour of California is the "fourth grand tour" they are engaging in a bit of hyperbole. This is surely a message put forth by marketing types to pump the race up a bit for American audiences.
The Tour of California is a great race with a lot of long-term potential. And as long as it continues it will attract a top-flight field. But I suspect this is (at least for now) primarily due to the high value of U.S. market exposure for so many of the sponsors. I just saw an ad on American TV for Rabobank that said they have 120 branches in California. Who knew?
Flipping things around a bit, consider how many teams target the Tour de France before they even have sponsor, let alone a sponsor who is targeting the French market. It's not the French economy that draws them.
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