[The Rake]

In his new role as UCI representative on the Pro Cycling Council, Stephen Roche has outlined his biggest bugbears that he wants to improve:

http://www.cyclingne...mage-of-cycling

1. Team cars helping riders back onto their bikes after toilet breaks or mechanical problems

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At crashes, riders fall and spend five minutes on the ground straightening up their shirt and tie and making sure everything is okay before getting back on the bike again. You should be getting back on as fast as possible and then realise your shoulder is broken. They aren’t getting back on straight away, they’re waiting because they know there's a car to tow them back on. Its not ethically right, it’s a form of cheating and it confuses the public

It doesn't confuse me. I guess in a sense it is a form of cheating, though i think that at the business end of the race, there is still no way a rider can get back in the peloton through taking a tow. It is also usually flagged by the commissaires who will allow it for a few hundred metres and then flash the headlights or beep the horn. Most other sports the game stops for injuries (football, rugby, safety car in motor racing) Of more concern to me, is the proximity of the motorbikes at the front, which are regularly chased down by attacking riders for shelter and a tow.

2. Unzipped Jerseys

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You can see their Christmas present from their wives hanging round their neck, but nobody's getting any value out of it. If you don’t stop it now, they’ll have no jerseys on shortly. They talk about heat, about not being able to breathe. Bull####. Footballers, every time they score a goal, pull their jersey off, but it was banned because it didn't look nice. Why do we tolerate it in cycling?

Seems a bit pointless. I can hardly imagine cyclists riding without jerseys: for one they will burn, and for two, they will be chased down by Oxfam and force fed protein biscuits. It's not like they are doing it to show off rippling torsos. Perhaps not great for sponsors, but I've always enjoyed the "professionalism" at the end of the race when the lone breakaway looks around, zips up his jersey (used to put on his little cotton cap, with the peak turned up) and shows off the sponsors.

I'd rather football fans were forced to wear tops. The sight of 20-odd stone Geordies chanting and wibbling their bellies has always been quite off putting. Also, I don't think it was banned in football because it "didn't look nice", but because the players were often showing messages on their undershirts (sometimes political), or, in the case of Diego Furlan, because it always took him too long to get the shirt back on again.

3. Race Radios

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They say they need them to communicate with each other, but why? Can’t you put your hand up and call your friend over? Talk to him – you don’t need a radio to do that. I’m all for modern tech but there are certain things that should be left aside or bike riders will just become robots.

They’ve been looked upon as zombies, no brains, for years, and all the credit for tactics has been given to the team managers in the car. I wouldn’t have liked to have had people thinking all my results and tactical skills had come from the car behind.

Inclined to agree with him on this one, though I am not close enough to the sport to see how much difference it makes. Intuitively I feel that a DS watching the race from a car can easily talk tactics and (e.g.) tell the leader when/how to attack. I know there is the safety argument, but again I'm not close enough to know that Bruyneel is telling Lance about bollards two kilometres further down the road....


What do others think? Are these pressing issues? Vaughters disagrees:

http://www.cyclingne...s-bigger-issues

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I'm concerned with the image of the sport too - the first and foremost is to make sure doping is finally eradicated. You can't keep harping on that, but when you're down to the level of unzipped jersey and sock height maybe we have enough energy to focus on some larger scale projects.

Because of the unique nature of cycling and drafting, if you're out of the draft you can't get back in - it can't be compared with other sports. You can't call a time out if someone gets hurt or has a puncture. Because we can't, we have to be able to adjust for those mishaps on the fly, and one way we can do that is to allow riders to use the caravan

FWIW, his key issues seem to be:

1. Doping
2. Rider retirements and pensions
3. UCI Points system

I think his issues are much less trivial than Roche

[VdB]

Thanks for that analysis Rake. While I agree with Roche on the radios, the other stuff sounds like the grumblings of an old man rather than any serious opinions you'd expect from the representative of the UCI. You'd think that, in a sport like cycling, doping would be priority number one on everyone's list. Even if not for the sport's image, then just for the riders' health.

I wish i could be the dictator of cycling. I'd change so much...the points system, the radios, doping, rider wages, the calendar, division of payment, etc.

More specifically about the radio bans, I think the last year has shown that many races became a lot more exciting without DS control and that we didn't see a diminished 'rider safety' (it was always a BS argument) at all. I'd like to see more of it, preferrably at the big races. Notice how these races, being exempt from radio bans, almost all of them turned into 'I'll just wait for the last hill' snoozefests.

Oh and @ fat Geordies and Furlan. So true.

[crockett]

VdB, on 03 May 2012 - 12:04 PM, said:

Thanks for that analysis Rake. While I agree with Roche on the radios, the other stuff sounds like the grumblings of an old man rather than any serious opinions you'd expect from the representative of the UCI. You'd think that, in a sport like cycling, doping would be priority number one on everyone's list. Even if not for the sport's image, then just for the riders' health.

I wish i could be the dictator of cycling. I'd change so much...the points system, the radios, doping, rider wages, the calendar, division of payment, etc.

More specifically about the radio bans, I think the last year has shown that many races became a lot more exciting without DS control and that we didn't see a diminished 'rider safety' (it was always a BS argument) at all. I'd like to see more of it, preferrably at the big races. Notice how these races, being exempt from radio bans, almost all of them turned into 'I'll just wait for the last hill' snoozefests.

Oh and @ fat Geordies and Furlan. So true.

Agree on most of this, although I'm not ready for February to become Vdbruary.

[The Rake]

crockett, on 03 May 2012 - 01:04 PM, said:

Agree on most of this, although I'm not ready for February to become Vdbruary.

You could then apply for Crocktober..............I'll get me coat

[Burkni]

The Rake, on 03 May 2012 - 02:00 PM, said:

You could then apply for Crocktober..............I'll get me coat

[VdB]

crockett, on 03 May 2012 - 01:04 PM, said:

Agree on most of this, although I'm not ready for February to become Vdbruary.

Maybe if it was April...but that doesn't work out well with the name.

[mapeifan]

Here's my take-

Unzipped jerseys- really, this is a problem? I'd rather see guys opening up the jersey, because it shows the human effort, than a team of 9 guys riding on the front all day breathing through their noses with no visible effort. Don't like the helmet rule either, but I get why it's in place and have no problem with it.

Race radios- Hate them, always have. The appeal of road cycling to me is the tactical aspect- knowing the route, parsing out your strength when it makes the most sense, feeling the right time to attack, counter, etc. All this comes from the team car now (with some notable exceptions- Gilbert, Voeckler, et.al) "DS to rider, DS to rider. There is a 6.75% grade for 236 meters following the 46 degree righthander after the 4 bedroom, 2 bath yellow house with the blue Skoda parked in the drive- after that attack for 17 seconds at 345 watts and then drink from the blue bottle for 4 seconds. Await further instructions. DS out." I love the quaintness of the chalkboard moto in the modern race scene- nobody looks at it, they have time checks in their ear every 5 seconds. To me the biggest issue in rider safety today is course design- some of the places they take the peloton through are just ridiculous as far as traffic furniture, tight turns, etc. And get rid of all the needless motos on the course- they get in the way at key points of the race and provide unfair advantage at times.

I'm OK with coming back through the caravan from wrecks you didn't cause, (although I would say your placement is your responsibility- just don't be back there) or punctures. There is already a rule in place for abusing this- just enforce the existing rule with time penalties with increasing penalties for repeat abusers. If I'm seeing the 40mph, 8 second power bottle handup, why don't the commissaires?


As for the calendar, in my world there would be only 4 seasons and no months-

Cross Season, Classics Season, Grand Tour Season, The Dark Time

[shag]

mapeifan, on 04 May 2012 - 04:01 PM, said:

Here's my take-

What he said.

[The Rake]

mapeifan, on 04 May 2012 - 04:01 PM, said:

"DS to rider, DS to rider. There is a 6.75% grade for 236 meters following the 46 degree righthander after the 4 bedroom, 2 bath yellow house with the blue Skoda parked in the drive- after that attack for 17 seconds at 345 watts and then drink from the blue bottle for 4 seconds. Await further instructions. DS out."

Wonderful

[N.B.O.L.]

Well said Mapeifan.

[buddy]

I don't have any problem agreeing with what is being said here:

1. Race radios I hate and should be thrown out. The DS has way too much influence. Riders need to start riding with a brain of their own. As for safety if that was a big issue then they could have an offical radio that was purely there for safety and mechanicals.

2. unzipped Jerseys - seriously Mr. Roche. And I am a huge fan of yours. What is better than seeing the absolutely shagged rider conquer a mountain sumit and just have enough in the tank to zip up the jersey for the benefit of the team sponsor. If I was the sponsor that is the moment I would love to see. Everybody knows who the freakin riders ride for anyway.

3. Motorpacing back through the convoy. Lke it didn't happen in Mr. Roches day. Why shouldn't the domestiques be given a bit of a break in carting water bottles etc. I don't even mind the 8 second waterbottle grab. They staill have to get back up front to their team mates. And if a rider punctures why should a mechanical cause even more of a penalty to a riders than having to chase back. It not like they can grab onto the door handle and the team car drop them off at the front of the bunch. There is still a fiar bit of effort put in to get back.

Thanks,

Buddy