Race radio

Frank the tank

I think that racing would be better if they went back to the days when riders were not in contact via radio ear-pieces. Certainly in time trials at the very least.

Just wondered what others on here think of it.

alihisgreat

Wouldn't every break just get chased down immediately?

You'd have a situation where you have to be Cancellara if you want to get away?

Vino'sGhost

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

Wouldn't every break just get chased down immediately?

You'd have a situation where you have to be Cancellara if you want to get away?

Well they didnt use to, theres no reason to suppose they would and there would still be roadside watchers and the chalkboard to keep the DS up to speed.

Anonymous

Look how the Olympic RR turned out.....what a fiasco!

ddraver

Can we just have a link to one of the zillion other discussions on this please?

Frank the tank

ddraver wrote:

Can we just have a link to one of the zillion other discussions on this please?

I do beg your forgiveness oh great one.

I thought when I posted it was a subject that no doubt has been discussed many times before but, if some are newcomers they may not be too interested in trawling through a million posts trying to find one. So I just thought I'd regurgitate the subject.

I might do the same again some time if it's going to offend you so much.

Don't comment on this thread firk off and comment on one of the ZILLION others. :P

P_Forrest123

I get the support for this idea like racing will be more adventurous, breaks will be brought back later or stay away for longer, uncertainty from the peleton might make them ride faster to bring it back and we will see riders for who they are rather than the DS directing them

iainf72

It won't make racing more exciting. Would no radios have improved Paris Roubaix? I'm with RchN95 on this, let us hear what they're saying as they did in Flanders a couple of years ago

thomthom

Frank the tank wrote:

ddraver wrote:

Can we just have a link to one of the zillion other discussions on this please?

I do beg your forgiveness oh great one.

I thought when I posted it was a subject that no doubt has been discussed many times before but, if some are newcomers they may not be too interested in trawling through a million posts trying to find one. So I just thought I'd regurgitate the subject.

I might do the same again some time if it's going to offend you so much.

Don't comment on this thread firk off and comment on one of the ZILLION others. :P

This was the first thing that came up when searching for something as simple as 'radio'.
viewtopic.php?f=40002&t=12910187&hilit=radios

shinyhelmut

ThomThom wrote:

Frank the tank wrote:

ddraver wrote:

Can we just have a link to one of the zillion other discussions on this please?

I do beg your forgiveness oh great one.

I thought when I posted it was a subject that no doubt has been discussed many times before but, if some are newcomers they may not be too interested in trawling through a million posts trying to find one. So I just thought I'd regurgitate the subject.

I might do the same again some time if it's going to offend you so much.

Don't comment on this thread firk off and comment on one of the ZILLION others. :P

This was the first thing that came up when searching for something as simple as 'radio'.
viewtopic.php?f=40002&t=12910187&hilit=radios

Come on ThomThom, you really are digging up the past there. That thread is almost 5 weeks old. Thousands of people will have joined the forum since then.

deejay

No to radio's
I enjoyed the Roma Maxima race which would have been another boring race with radio's. !
Because R.V.V. and Roubaix are real races with little tempo in the last 80 Km's that, with or without radio's I don't mind.

A lot of this boring (Radio's) racing came about with the Motorolo Team and because Armstrong liked the contact it gave him, he took the radio into Cofidis and USP to become standard issue in all teams.

I have an outstanding memory of pre Radio in the TDF where the team Super Confex would bring the "Break" back as though they were standing still.
This was achieved with the aid of the motorbike Blackboard only.

LeicesterLad

Ay up Frank! Not often I see you round these parts!

On the whole Race-Radio thing: I think a change in the points system would do far more for racing than taking away or keeping race radio. Also there is the issue of congestion if they take away race radio with team car's trying to get to their riders to give instruction.

RichN95.

If you want to make racing more exciting like it was before radios then ban Eurosport. The races always seem more exciting when all you have is a half hour highlights program and a report in Cycling Weekly like you did back before radios.. It's 3 hours of unedited coverage that makes the races boring.

inkyfingers

RichN95 wrote:

If you want to make racing more exciting like it was before radios then ban Eurosport. The races always seem more exciting when all you have is a half hour highlights program and a report in Cycling Weekly like you did back before radios.. It's 3 hours of unedited coverage that makes the races boring.

Very good point.

Watching an hour long highlights DVD of the 1989 Tour makes excellent viewing, but it must have had some boring bits as well.

danlikesbikes

LeicesterLad wrote:

On the whole Race-Radio thing: I think a change in the points system would do far more for racing than taking away or keeping race radio. Also there is the issue of congestion if they take away race radio with team car's trying to get to their riders to give instruction.

Personally I don't think it would make a difference as looking the other way some teams can't seem to get it right with radios but perhaps its their riders rather than the info they are given.

LL care to expand on what changes you mean? Would be interested to hear another option is all.

Frank the tank

I believe that certainly TTs should be radio-less I accept it's debatable as to the effect on ordinary races. I'd just like to see it's effect.

I know one race this season the guy who came second celebrated his "win" 'cos due to no race radio the peloton hadn't realized that the winner had been well out front. (I can't remember which race it was though).

inkyfingers

Frank the tank wrote:

I know one race this season the guy who came second celebrated his "win" 'cos due to no race radio the peloton hadn't realized that the winner had been well out front. (I can't remember which race it was though).

The same thing happened in the Vuelta last year, when they had radios.

danlikesbikes

Frank the tank wrote:

I believe that certainly TTs should be radio-less I accept it's debatable as to the effect on ordinary races. I'd just like to see it's effect.

I know one race this season the guy who came second celebrated his "win" 'cos due to no race radio the peloton hadn't realized that the winner had been well out front. (I can't remember which race it was though).

Was Roma Maxima I think?

afx237vi

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

Wouldn't every break just get chased down immediately?

You'd have a situation where you have to be Cancellara if you want to get away?

This is kind of already happening, regardless of race radios... I'm not really sure why. Pretty much every classic this season, I've tuned in with 80-100 km to go and the breakaway has been a minute up the road. A few years back it would have been 10 minutes.

I think it was Brian Smith talking about it in commentary, that smaller teams enter the big races with the main aim of getting into early breaks and getting TV exposure, but it's becoming more and more difficult because the bunch just won't give the break as much rope as they used to.

afx237vi

inkyfingers wrote:

Frank the tank wrote:

I know one race this season the guy who came second celebrated his "win" 'cos due to no race radio the peloton hadn't realized that the winner had been well out front. (I can't remember which race it was though).

The same thing happened in the Vuelta last year, when they had radios.

And here's Jani Brajkovic "winning" 2nd place in Lombardy...

inkyfingers

afx237vi wrote:

inkyfingers wrote:

Frank the tank wrote:

I know one race this season the guy who came second celebrated his "win" 'cos due to no race radio the peloton hadn't realized that the winner had been well out front. (I can't remember which race it was though).

The same thing happened in the Vuelta last year, when they had radios.

And here's Jani Brajkovic "winning" 2nd place in Lombardy...

I'd forgotten about that. That's always going to be embarrassing, but in a monument it must be heartbreaking.

Frank the tank

LeicesterLad wrote:

Ay up Frank! Not often I see you round these parts!

On the whole Race-Radio thing: I think a change in the points system would do far more for racing than taking away or keeping race radio. Also there is the issue of congestion if they take away race radio with team car's trying to get to their riders to give instruction.

Might be a while before you do again, too many sarky b@st@rds here.

Pross

The often quoted argument for radios is safety but I still can't work out how the DS in a car behind the race can be aware of safety issues the riders aren't. If it is a genuine concern then have the riders on a radio link to race officials and allow safety issues to be conveyed that way.

RichN95.

Pross wrote:

The often quoted argument for radios is safety but I still can't work out how the DS in a car behind the race can be aware of safety issues the riders aren't. If it is a genuine concern then have the riders on a radio link to race officials and allow safety issues to be conveyed that way.

What language will the race officials speak?

rick_chasey

Same language as race radio.

RichN95.

Rick Chasey wrote:

Same language as race radio.

Felly, mae gennych rhybuddion diogelwch sy'n dim ond hanner y beicwyr deall.
Nid wyf yn meddwl eich bod wedi meddwl o ddifrif hyn drwy gywir.

rick_chasey

RichN95 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Same language as race radio.

Felly, mae gennych rhybuddion diogelwch sy'n dim ond hanner y beicwyr deall.
Nid wyf yn meddwl eich bod wedi meddwl o ddifrif hyn drwy gywir.

Home advantage.

edhornby

one of the reasons that gets trotted out is safety, which is a concern as the riders should know if they are about to round a corner into a pileup, but that needn't be the reason to keep the open channel for the DS to instruct if they don't want to

why not have - officials talk to everyone - riders talk to team cars only and listen - team cars listen only (or talk to officials only)

TheBigBean

RichN95 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Same language as race radio.

Felly, mae gennych rhybuddion diogelwch sy'n dim ond hanner y beicwyr deall.
Nid wyf yn meddwl eich bod wedi meddwl o ddifrif hyn drwy gywir.

I knew the riders were multi-lingual, but I didn't realise half spoke Welsh!

frenchfighter

Frank the tank wrote:

I know one race this season the guy who came second celebrated his "win" 'cos due to no race radio the peloton hadn't realized that the winner had been well out front. (I can't remember which race it was though).

Pozzato in Roma Maxima.

I used to be in agreement of no radios but now I just think it means that without proper information passed away someone could slip away and be forgotten about and take a win not based on merit but luck.

Rich made a good point in his first post.

I like the idea of being able to listen to the radios as a 'sound' option but then how would the ES execs feel about that.

ddraver

Oh Franky do you need a hug? Bless, is the whole MT thing bringing you down...?

Anyway - one actual piece of recent news - Cav in an ES interview said that they so rarely discuss tactics on the radio that he doesnt care if they use them or not, but that they are very useful for safety.

Make of it what you will, He's dominated races with and without so meh...

Personally i think Rich and LL are spot on, with or without them certain races/stages will still be dull flat and long and only worth watching for the last 20km and making winning the race more appealing (which it appears is needed) would have a zillion times more effect