did the lack of radios make a differnece (to the racing)?

jimycooper
jimycooper Posts: 740
edited July 2009 in Pro race
personaly, i think they did. only slightly though...

the chase after the breakaway was to no real pace, it was like the riders didnt know when to "turn on the gas" and reel them in?

thoughts?

Comments

  • markwalker
    markwalker Posts: 953
    FRom my perspective as a viewer it didnt seem to make much difference, perhaps a long mountain stage could have allowed more confusion in the following group and mayhem may have ensued. Perhaps it needs bad weather and the mobile and sat communications problems too.
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    The riders were doing a semi-protest today, they let three riders go, plus Dumoulin came across soon after. Ignatieff was told not to work by his DS Tchmil because Katusha have a different view about earpieces. The whole day was a little bit of a farce until the last 20km
  • jimycooper
    jimycooper Posts: 740
    were the 3 that got away, 3 designated riders then?
  • drenkrom
    drenkrom Posts: 1,062
    I doubt premeditation on the move. One of the riders was from FdJ and Madiot has been one of the crusaders for the radio ban for years now. Skil sniffed out the chance of easy visibility. Cofidis, being a French team, were also not going to collaborate on any protest.

    I hope this test was only to shut up Madiot and Bernaudeau for a while. Not the bightest tactical minds out there (IMO), they've been the main advocates in the current peloton. Anyone who's followed the French cycling media in the years since the end of the "cyclisme à deux vitesses" crusade will probably have read quite enough about the radios already. They did it, it sucked, let's move on into the future now.
  • donrhummy
    donrhummy Posts: 2,329
    No but this stage wasn't the type that it would have made a diff on. You need much tougher mountains and more technical descents/sections for a lack of radios to make a diff. On an easy, flat stage, all the peleton has to do is ride a little faster and they'll catch the breakaway. Not hard to control. With tough mountains though...everything's different.

    The real question though: did it make it more exciting? Because THAT is the reason they wanted to get rid of radios. And the answer is no.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,874
    yes they had a moan aout it and went on a go slow....
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • jimycooper
    jimycooper Posts: 740
    im beggining to think cyclists are becoming a bit pathetic! they dont get radios = go slow, have to ride i crit in the giro = go slow... :P
  • meagain
    meagain Posts: 2,331
    Who knows? Difficult to tell when there was no racing!
    d.j.
    "Cancel my subscription to the resurrection."
  • Sun Dodger
    Sun Dodger Posts: 393
    Difference was that usually you would see the break get 10+ mins then a "will they-won't they" chase. Today the peloton kept the break on a much closer leash.

    Dull as ditchwater IMHO.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,874
    there is a second take on this

    apparently some riders just enjoyed a relaxed day out with out someone screaming in your ear.
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • Sun Dodger
    Sun Dodger Posts: 393
    mididoctors wrote:
    there is a second take on this

    apparently some riders just enjoyed a relaxed day out with out someone screaming in your ear.

    Nice.

    But I have a lovely day out on the bike every Sunday myself.

    If I watch the tour, I rather expect something a little more exciting.
  • all show no go
    all show no go Posts: 542
    Not really a great day to see the peloton without radios. I'd be interested to see how much of a difference it would make in the mountains and time trials. Mid-tour flat transitional stages without radios aren't likely to cause much chaos in the pack at the moment IMO. Team DS's writing petitions complaining about it all using the safety argument was a bit sad to see as well.
    Let's close our eyes and see what happens
  • Moomaloid
    Moomaloid Posts: 2,040
    Should have done it on a mountain stage...
  • jackhammer111 - banned
    jackhammer111 - banned Posts: 245
    If that wasn't an organised slow down it was about the lamest breakaway I've ever seen.

    Lance still needed a workout. He keep right on going past the finish line and rode out of town.
    Game on.

    http://www.livestrong.com/lance-armstro ... 9b27c07bb/
  • Chip \'oyler
    Chip \'oyler Posts: 2,323
    I still can't understand why all the pros need to listen to 'Chris Moyles and 'Women's Hour' anyway while their racing!
    Expertly coached by http://www.vitessecyclecoaching.co.uk/

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  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    Hopefully they stick to their guns and have another day without radios on Friday - yesterday's protest was pathetic.
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • bobtbuilder
    bobtbuilder Posts: 1,537
    It needed to have been at least a transitional stage to have made it a worthwhile exercise.

    According to cycling news, the peloton just kept the breakaway much closer than usual so they were easier to reel in towards the end.
  • SimonPieman
    SimonPieman Posts: 206
    How did they manage 10 years ago. Stop whining and get on with the job of riding, the Arches is not very show biz anyway.
    1990 - Trek 950
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  • tray-zee
    tray-zee Posts: 1
    Somehow I liked to see the Tour go back to basics with riders having to use their own initiative. It must've been a welcome break to some of the riders!!
  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    Kléber wrote:
    The riders were doing a semi-protest today, they let three riders go, plus Dumoulin came across soon after. Ignatieff was told not to work by his DS Tchmil because Katusha have a different view about earpieces. The whole day was a little bit of a farce until the last 20km
    It could have worse too - apparently the 14-15 protesting teams wanted to bumble along all the way to 20 km short of the finish, then have a sprint. Good job a few riders decided to play different.
    drenkrom wrote:
    I hope this test was only to shut up Madiot and Bernaudeau for a while.
    Whatever one thinks about radios or about Bernadeau, he was correct to say the riders, with their go-slow because they disagreed with the ban, showed disrespect to the organisers, to their sponsors and also to the spectator public and fans.

    Apart from the breakaway being smaller, what was different about Wednesday, with radios?
    Well I suppose the daily crash involved more riders. :?

    mayhem_1443918i.jpg

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