Robots. Automatons. Modern professional cyclists. I am tempted to say these three terms are interchangeable, but I know that’s not right because a “robot” endeavors to convey the impression that it acts of it’s own intent, whereas automatons and professional cyclists are merely self-operating machines.
It is difficult for a Velominatus to look at old cycling photos and not have their minds wander to days gone by when racing was inspiring, unpredictable and, above all, courageous. Take this photo: it looks like Hinault has just attacked so hard that Joop Zoetemelk’s eyebrows got dropped. The Guns of Navarrone have been fired and it is clear from the look in his eyes that Hinault reckons he’s got two options: continue the attack until he’s worn the tape off his bars and dropped the two Dutchman clinging to his draft, or die. Obviously he favors the first option.
This year’s World Road Race Championships distinguished itself from the other races this season in two principle ways. First, it put on display some of the most courageous and exciting racing I’ve seen in ages. Second, it was held without the use of race radios. I’m not the first one to say it, but in my estimation, the lack of radios directly fed into the quality of the racing that saw the riders demonstrate that they can still show initiative, patience, cleverness, and loads of Rule #5 without having instructions yelled in their ear.
The argument for allowing race radios generally revolves around safety concerns for the riders, citing improved communication about road conditions, crashes, and any other hazards one might encounter during a bike race. The argument against radios mostly centers on the fact that they help make races less exciting by taking the tactical decisions away from the riders and placing them in the hands of the Directeurs Spotif who instruct their riders based on loads of realtime data available from inside the team car. Like most things, this matter is probably a much more complicated one than it appears on the surface, but I intend to ignore all the “facts” or “reasons” why this might be the case and instead focus on the points that are easy to think of and support my viewpoint.
The finale of the Elite Men’s Road Race was sparked by Phillipe Gilbert big-ringing it up the last climb. Sure, you can do that with a radio, but if you did you can bet your DS would be peppering you with statistics that show a correlation between riding in a big gear and knee injuries. I don’t need to tell you that kind of information can be very distracting when you’re racing.
Behind, the chase was led by an impressive Cadelephant who showed no consideration whatsoever for riding a “smart race” and instead grabbed the race by the short hairs and gave it the berries. No one telling them to look around for help, no one telling them the bunch was bearing down from behind. Just execution of one of the most simple principles in cycling: to go faster, you push harder on the pedals. The rest of the guys in the move did what they could to hold the wheel in front of them and contribute to the pace when possible. No games, no passengers, just full gas until the bunch plucked them up like a falcon does a field mouse.
There were no robots to be seen, and I have a feeling it might have been a refreshing change for the riders, too. It didn’t revolutionize the race – all the big names still made the big moves and the bunch still caught the break, – but the racing showed something we haven’t seen in quite a while: courage, guts, and glory.
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View Comments
@Marcus
1. It was hardly the "whole field", much like Milan San-Remo isn't a sprinters race as only 20/30 riders tend to get to the finish together.
2. Nice dig. Neither would it have stopped Cancellara or Voigt being dropped
3. If the escapees didn't want to work then radios wouldn't have made any difference
4 Gilbert more than likely would have been advised to wait until the last hill. Whether he would have listened is another matter. Besides, it might have been that attacking earlier prevented one of his team-mates attacking before him.
However, I think it was a decent experiment and should be continued in other one-day races. The only real downside was seeing Hoste attacking while Van Avermaet punctured. Wouldn't have happened with radio,s
I would think that everything would have stayed together with radios and would have had 50/60 it it at the end.
Anyway, I really enjoyed the women's race
@Jarvis
Suggest you re-read my comment. I used the phrase "what was left of the field" to describe the final sprint and used the "whole field" when describing their initial entry onto the circuit - where they were indeed only a few minutes away from elimination. Sheesh!
@frank
I don't miss Liggett and Sherwin at all. I was watching Eurosport and they almost missed it - I think nearly everyone did!
I just wish there was a way of being able to take the pictures from one source and the commentary from another with cycling like I do for cricket - TMS is simply the best for that. But that would depend on having good commentary available, so I refer back to my first sentence.
And I'm aloud to take the piss out of the BBC, but couldn't possibly say why...
@Marcus
I agree with what you say in terms of the results - which is also a really refreshing fact: the best riders are capable of reading and animating a race with or without radios. But what we DID see was much more aggressive and courageous riding that we're normally treated to. And that's what is what I'm really anxious to get out of a ban on radios.
In fact, the last paragraph of the article reads,
The glaring omission from the "riders who did well without radios" group - as has been said here before as well by the community - is our dreamy-eyed here, Fabian. I'm jumping wildly to conclusions, but for a guy who's record this season depended greatly on information being sent to him over the radio, it's quite a coincidence that he would factor out of the race without the radios.
@frank
Think cance also struggled because we work off a different AC voltage system down here - so the motor couldn't get re-charged after the TT.
@Marcus
Olé!
Keep in mind that these national teams typically lack the cohesion of the Pro Tour teams if only because these guys aren't used to riding with their compatriots and national team coaches. I can't imagine you'd see the kind of peloton cooperation that gave rise to the protest over the TdF radio ban protest last year or even the Stage 2 fiasco from this year. I can't see the TdF revisiting the radio ban in spite of a very cool Worlds that demonstrated that you can and do get good racing without them.
@frank
Could be making a bit too big a jump here. Remember that least year, the course suited him a bit more and he was riding on home turf. For a guy who is fiercely (and charismatically) proud, that was added incentive. At the same time, it's a plausible argument that he's all brawn and the perfect amount of dumb. Of course, he also did just win the TT for a pretty incredible fourth straight time (and that TT rainbow he wore this year is several pints of awesome), and you have to figure that with more competition coming up the ranks he probably put everything on the line there and couldn't quite make the recovery. In all, then, I dunno. I find it more compelling than Motorcus, but I just don't know.
RE Phil's saddle:
original Flite with extra padding. Evans is riding the same. Shame it is Pro only issue.
@Ron
Another interesting perspective (two, actually) on the question of radios and the relationship between riders and directeurs, here.
@Steampunk
That's a sweet story. I forget how much I like reading MB's stuff.
@Frank
Great piece and lovin' the phrase Gun-Envy ; I have that too.