Guardian article on debate over race radios

"Bronzie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Saw this article on the Guardian website:

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/tourdefrance2006/story/0,,1818177,00.html

John Lelangue (DS of Phonak) is for 'em [well he would have to be
wouldn't he, just to keep the sponsor happy if nothing else] but Marc
Madiot (manager of Francaise de Jeux) is agin' 'em.

Cheers
Bronzie

how long have these radios been around for? May be more recent but I would
have thought 20 if not 30 years (before that it may not have been too
practical to make the cyclists carry around *valve* operated sets 😉 )

Alex

--
Mr R@T / General Lighting
Ipswich, Suffolk, Untied Kingdom
http://www.partyvibe.com

Mr R@t (2.30zi) said:

how long have these radios been around for? May be more recent but I would
have thought 20 if not 30 years (before that it may not have been too
practical to make the cyclists carry around *valve* operated sets 😉 )

I imagine if you trawl through the rules long enough you'll find the UCI
banned them for not being French enough, or similar "reason"...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Mr R@t (2.30zi) said:

how long have these radios been around for? May be more recent but I would
have thought 20 if not 30 years (before that it may not have been too
practical to make the cyclists carry around *valve* operated sets 😉 )

I imagine if you trawl through the rules long enough you'll find the UCI
banned them for not being French enough, or similar "reason"...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

I dont think there was 2-way communication with individual cyclists in
Le Tour that many years ago. The introduction of this technology has
reduced the number of breakaways IMHO. In past decades, if a break went
away, it would be only by identification of well known riders that
would give the peloton a signal to chase the break down. Now, the DS in
the cars will look at their stats and inform the team leaders that 'so
and so' in the breakaway is only 3 mins 40 seconds down on GC,
therefore he cant be allowed to get away, so he isn't.

Also, when chasing a break, the teams can time themselves via the
radios so that the gap comes down in such a way as to contain any other
breaks when the main one was caught, because it is so close to the
finish.

It just takes a little more unpredictability away from the major tours.

Lets go back to just riders' intelligence and the blackboard man ;-)

Two-way radios have been used in pro bike races for about 10 years now.
I seem to remember they were pioneered by Motorola (unsurprisingly).

They must make the DS's job so much easier - they no longer have to try
and drive up to the rear of the peloton and get hold of one of their
riders, who then has to communicate the instructions to the others in
his team by riding up the rest of the bunch.

But you can't help noticing how often a breakaway gets caught on a flat
stage about 5km from the finish so that the sprinters get to play.
They are obviously not relying on the time gap information from the
chalkboard man anymore. It does take away some of that "will they get
caught or won't they" excitement. Or course they'll be caught, or else
every rider in the bunch will be getting it in the ear from the boss!

Bronzie said:

Two-way radios have been used in pro bike races for about 10 years now.
I seem to remember they were pioneered by Motorola (unsurprisingly).

They must make the DS's job so much easier - they no longer have to try
and drive up to the rear of the peloton and get hold of one of their
riders, who then has to communicate the instructions to the others in
his team by riding up the rest of the bunch.

But you can't help noticing how often a breakaway gets caught on a flat
stage about 5km from the finish so that the sprinters get to play.
They are obviously not relying on the time gap information from the
chalkboard man anymore. It does take away some of that "will they get
caught or won't they" excitement. Or course they'll be caught, or else
every rider in the bunch will be getting it in the ear from the boss!

So should they be banned or restricted in information, use?
In my opinion the information they are processing should be resrticted
to voice only without timing or telemetry, it spoils the fun if the
individual effort and planning is replaced by computers and objective
third party planning.

Return to a pure race spirt...leaving aside the historic cheating and
drug taking.

Sniper8052