Banning Power Meters

starockets

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere but I have been musing over the thoughts that this years TDF have become boring.

I have an odd thought in my head that if Power Meters were banned whilst racing , riders like Wiggins would have to rely on their own feel as to how they are performing and how they might perform up the climbs. All I have heard since the tour started was how Sky were riding their tempo at a "X" amount of watts and if anyone was to make a move then they themselves would have to go into the red. If the information was not on the screen in front of them or in their ear, then surely the individual riders would have to make personal judgement calls each time an attack came as opposed to looking at the numbers. Surely good old fashioned tactics and nous need to be relied on not some laboratory spreadsheet.

Could this lead to more impulsive and exciting racing up the climbs.

I look forward to being put in my place :oops:

rick_chasey

See here: viewtopic.php?f=40002&t=12866589

rebs

Won't happen purely because manufacturers and sponsorship. The same applies with any form of computer being attached to the bike to help judge efforts.

Same of course can apply to radios. I'm in the pro radio came. I like how they help bring a working team together. The way Sky ride to temp is impression although not exciting to watch. Getting rid of computers/power meters would make this harder to judge but manufacturers would lose a package if these were banned. I'm sure those rich enough to buy powermeters love them but would not have thought about them if they wern't in the pro ranks.

Plus the fact that the data from these is slowly becoming more and more available does add another insight to how people race and give a value to the efforts they produce even for the casual viewer.

mroli

You'd have to ban hr monitors too - and possibly also GPS computers that calculate VAM.

napoleond

Yeah, it'd be great, far more exciting like the days of Indurain.

amaferanga

Once you've been riding with a power meter for a while you get very good at estimating the Watts you're putting out without actually seeing a number so I doubt it'd actually make much difference.

shinyhelmut

NapoleonD wrote:

Yeah, it'd be great, far more exciting like the days of Indurain.

nweststeyn

I was watching some footage of the 'good old days' of le Tour and I think the OP has a point. I, however, propose we take it a step further and ban the use of shifters, chainrings and cassettes as they give riders an unfair advantage.