Critérium du Dauphiné 2020

[Gen]

Meanwhile, at Tour de Wallonie:

 

Rider safety continues to be highlighted as a concern after Greg Van Avermaet crashed and broke his bike due to a pothole. [emoji3544]

 

(The Olympic champ is okay)

I saw a photo of the one strech of road.. it looks like some of the roads here by us, more potholes than tar, I can not understand that they expect riders to race on that..shocking Edited August 17, 2020 by Gen

[The Ghost]

Different race, but still on the subject of road conditions for races

 

http://www.stickybottle.com/races-results/video-sam-bennett-clearly-not-happy-on-tour-de-wallonie-stage-2/

[Vetplant]

Different race, but still on the subject of road conditions for races

 

http://www.stickybottle.com/races-results/video-sam-bennett-clearly-not-happy-on-tour-de-wallonie-stage-2/

Wow, shocking! Not even our local fun-rides would allow people to ride through such terrible road conditions.

 

I can feel the pressure mounting, I wonder what will be the final straw for the teams to step up in unison.

[Long Wheel Base]

Wow, shocking! Not even our local fun-rides would allow people to ride through such terrible road conditions.

 

I can feel the pressure mounting, I wonder what will be the final straw for the teams to step up in unison.

I saw a tweet from Impey(he may even have been responding to Van Avermarts tweet?) saying they won't stand for this much longer. I thought to myself why say MUCH longer. Just protest now! It is like the old toppies here at work that for the last 3 years have been saying stuff this I am taking early pension and then they stay till pension and then ask to come back. Stop threatening and just do it. The UCI/management etc know it is just all smoke and no fire as for years people have been complaining but in the end they just go ahead and put themselves in danger. Thing is we like sheep and unless it is everyone together then no one will stop. Imagine the oke who always comes last is the only guy that decides to race and the organisers allow him to race on his ace and he wins, the guy that always comes seconds last will be furious because he could have won............

My point is they must stop ranting on social media and actually act on their concerns.

[Wayne pudding Mol]

Wow, shocking! Not even our local fun-rides would allow people to ride through such terrible road conditions.

 

I can feel the pressure mounting, I wonder what will be the final straw for the teams to step up in unison.

This is why my gravel bike is now my road bike - for me no problem but these guys need their speed machines

 

A safe course should be a bare minimum for a race organiser to get a permit and the riders should skip the organisers and go straight to the local governments because this is getting crazy.

[Wayne pudding Mol]

I saw a tweet from Impey(he may even have been responding to Van Avermarts tweet?) saying they won't stand for this much longer. I thought to myself why say MUCH longer. Just protest now! It is like the old toppies here at work that for the last 3 years have been saying stuff this I am taking early pension and then they stay till pension and then ask to come back. Stop threatening and just do it. The UCI/management etc know it is just all smoke and no fire as for years people have been complaining but in the end they just go ahead and put themselves in danger. Thing is we like sheep and unless it is everyone together then no one will stop. Imagine the oke who always comes last is the only guy that decides to race and the organisers allow him to race on his ace and he wins, the guy that always comes seconds last will be furious because he could have won............

My point is they must stop ranting on social media and actually act on their concerns.

I agree with you 100 percent but I think the problem is the cyclists don't have the power of other sportstars.

 

Pro cycling sits in a precarious position where every year teams and events hang in the balance and perhaps this causes the riders to live in fear of losing their jobs

[J Wakefield]

Not my favourite Colnago - a bit of a "me too" aero frame with dropped stays and disks. Also made on the East, like most other aero disk bikes. A bit meh

 

This is the VR3 - its like a SWorks or Ultimate, its not aero based at all like a Concept. The bikes since being bought out are now being built and designed elsewhere, just before our camp in Sestriere I was at a factory where we did some R&D.

 

 

[eddy]

This is the VR3 - its like a SWorks or Ultimate, its not aero based at all like a Concept.

 

Not bad, but when you fetch Waynemol's one, could you get me a nice lugged one - say a C64 - size 53 please. Rim brakes will do. Edited August 18, 2020 by eddy

[Gen]

I agree with you 100 percent but I think the problem is the cyclists don't have the power of other sportstars.

 

Pro cycling sits in a precarious position where every year teams and events hang in the balance and perhaps this causes the riders to live in fear of losing their jobs

They should just nutralise every stage and every race until things change.

 

This has always been a problem they make a lot of noise but never actually do anything. There can not be racing if the riders don't race.. teams should talk to their sponsors as well..and decided together that something needs to be done. If they have their financial partners on board that will give them some piece of mind... 2020 is perhaps the best time..

 

Sposors also dont want to see favourites crash out either because that means their brands won't be seen winning races.

Edited August 18, 2020 by Gen

[TNT1]

They should just nutralise every stage and every race until things change.

 

This has always been a problem they make a lot of noise but never actually do anything. There can not be racing if the riders don't race.. teams should talk to their sponsors as well..and decided together that something needs to be done. If they have their financial partners on board that will give them some piece of mind... 2020 is perhaps the best time..

 

Sposors also dont want to see favourites crash out either because that means their brands won't be seen winning races.

Wont happen IMO. Riders contracts are weighted towards performance/results. 

 

Effectively striking during racing, ie. not racing hurts, the sponsor that pays your salary, as they don't get the TV time they desire. It does't really hurt the race organiser - it might hurt the organiser months down the line if you keep doing it, but by then sponsors have pulled out and riders are unemployed anyway.

 

As evidenced by the crackdown worldwide, sponsors can't continue to support a team when there is no racing.

Edited August 18, 2020 by TNT1

[DieselnDust]

I saw a tweet from Impey(he may even have been responding to Van Avermarts tweet?) saying they won't stand for this much longer. I thought to myself why say MUCH longer. Just protest now! It is like the old toppies here at work that for the last 3 years have been saying stuff this I am taking early pension and then they stay till pension and then ask to come back. Stop threatening and just do it. The UCI/management etc know it is just all smoke and no fire as for years people have been complaining but in the end they just go ahead and put themselves in danger. Thing is we like sheep and unless it is everyone together then no one will stop. Imagine the oke who always comes last is the only guy that decides to race and the organisers allow him to race on his ace and he wins, the guy that always comes seconds last will be furious because he could have won............

My point is they must stop ranting on social media and actually act on their concerns.

 

 

 

just goes to show, there isn't a peloton leader like Bernard Hinault around at present. He'd have rallied the troops and got them off their bikes for a sitdown. May even have thrown a few proper punches in there to get the point across too. Millenials are too soft, want to talk about their feelings and *&^%, maybe shed a tear for sympathy before crashing and saying its a shame.

[Wayne pudding Mol]

just goes to show, there isn't a peloton leader like Bernard Hinault around at present. He'd have rallied the troops and got them off their bikes for a sitdown. May even have thrown a few proper punches in there to get the point across too. Millenials are too soft, want to talk about their feelings and *&^%, maybe shed a tear for sympathy before crashing and saying its a shame.

Maybe its the lack of EPO and testosterone in the modern peloton

 

LA would have sorted this chop chop

[Mountain Bru]

I think the tour is probably the right place to have a proper protest. It's the biggest stage in the sport with the most coverage, so definitely the right place to throw your toys. Maybe these guys are giving the UCI a chance to take action, but saving their matches for the tour....

 

I'd love to see the whole peleton sit down for an hour every day just when the TV coverage starts to really make their point. As boring as it would be listen to the full history of every random building in the area while the producer desperately shows every piece if B-Role film they have, it would really force action. I want to watch racing, and see the best rider win. Crashing is part of racing I guess, but crashing due to terrible roads, or crashes being made worse by crap barriers etc shouldn't be whats defining every race we watch.

[Vetplant]

I think the tour is probably the right place to have a proper protest. It's the biggest stage in the sport with the most coverage, so definitely the right place to throw your toys. Maybe these guys are giving the UCI a chance to take action, but saving their matches for the tour....

 

I'd love to see the whole peleton sit down for an hour every day just when the TV coverage starts to really make their point. As boring as it would be listen to the full history of every random building in the area while the producer desperately shows every piece if B-Role film they have, it would really force action. I want to watch racing, and see the best rider win. Crashing is part of racing I guess, but crashing due to terrible roads, or crashes being made worse by crap barriers etc shouldn't be whats defining every race we watch.

I like the idea.

 

I'm sure they can get a protest formula to satisfy everyone.

 

With "only" 21 stage victories up for grabs, I don't think you will get everyone to sign onto neutralising an entire stage, the guys need wins.

 

But you might be able to do a protest in the middle of a stage, especially if there is no breakaway or a very small breakaway up the road and the rest of the peloton is together. You coordinate with team radios and you stop the entire procession. Obviously it needs to be when the TV cameras are on. It doesn't even have to be very long, 5 to 15mins tops, everybody just sitting in absolute silence, not engaging with the race commissar, nothing.

 

Then in one swift moment, everyone just starts again where it was left of.

 

Afterwards, you use the media interest and social media to punt your criticism on the lack of rider safety considerations.

Edited August 18, 2020 by Swift&Aero