Race radios: what’s changing, what’s not changing

Race radio

If you were reading the cycling news back in March and April, one ongoing saga was the story of race radios. I’ve had a couple of readers email for the latest. To recap race radios are the portable devices carried by riders that allow two-way comms with the team car. The UCI had banned them for 2011 except in World Tour races and in time trials too.

The idea is that radios allow teams to organise and shut down breakaways, thus making the sport more boring to watch and therefore banning radios could make racing more unpredictable for TV viewers. Like any change, some liked it and some didn’t and those against the ban started to protest and a couple of races almost didn’t go ahead. At times it was about more than the radios, it was an issue on which some team managers decided to push back at the UCI in order try and ensure they have a say in how the sport is run.

After a partial ban in 2011, the plan was to ban radios in every race for 2012. But this won’t be so.

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Race fixing

Contador and Tiralongo

The sport of cricket has two international players jailed after a trial in Britain. The case is about match fixing, in particular the players conspired to bowl the ball wide in return for money and that these actions would allow a gambling syndicate to bet on the outcome of these mid-game incidents. Rightly so this is a scandal.

But I can’t help contrast match fixing in many sports with professional cycling, where attitudes are very different. Put simply riders sometimes conspire to fix the results of a race. But this is different.

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Ecological protests against Tour de France

Planche des Belles Filles

First up don’t get visions of thousands of Frenchmen waving banners and going on strike. Protests are small but nevertheless the arrival of the Tour de France at the Planche des Belle Filles ski station is filling some pages of the French press.

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Sunday shorts

First up, I’d want to say thanks to Competitive Cyclist for their continued support via the advertising. This is a blog and a lone effort but advertising is like having a good wheel to sit on, it makes it easier to keep plugging away. On the suggestion of a reader I deliberately limited the advertising to one square and if you want to do me a favour, click on the advert over there and see what they’ve got.

Giro poster

Next, the Giro d’Italia have an official poster for the race, click on the image above for the full version, it makes a nice desktop background for your computer. The image was by Jered Gruber who’s making a name for his great photography… and also making me mildly jealous of his travel and shooting skills. Obviously the poster has been tweaked with software but not that much. The rider is real, it’s Peter Stetina from Garmin-Cervélo and it was taken when the Giro tackled the Passo Giau (say “joo”) last May.

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Psychogeography

Psychogeography is a concept designed to let people explore places with a new look on things, to view the land and environment afresh. There are books on the subject but no rules, it is up to you to mix landscapes with what’s on your mind. Writer Will Self said it can be described as

the study of how geography, or a particular place on Earth, affects the behaviour and emotional climate of the humans who live there

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The Paris-Nice revelation

Paris Nice Podium

They call Paris-Nice “the race to the sun” because every March it leaves the Parisian capital and heads south for the Mediterranean and its pleasant climate. It is only a week long but this year’s race gave us plenty of clues for the whole year, from Matthew Goss to Denis Galimzyanov, and Tony Martin and Bradley Wiggins. Here’s a quick look back.

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Eddy Merckx’s shoes

Merckx shoes

All sports have champions from the past. Some have an undisputed “best ever” champion. Boxing has Muhammad Ali, soccer has Pelé. And cycling has Eddy Merckx although the story is never so simple, you could make arguments in favour of other riders, for example Fausto Coppi. But Merckx is a living legend and his name is valuable.

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Book review: Mountain High

Mountain High

I could just say this is a great book that is well-researched and complete with stunning photographs. But there’s plenty more to add.

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Why I hate cyclocross

Cyclocross first began as a way to allow riders to keep fit over the winter by mixing riding, offroad skills and running. But is now a sport in its own right. Yes, it’s fun. Yes, it’s a good workout. But for me so much about cyclo-cross just isn’t right. Here’s why:

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The bike of the future

ipod bike
Already out of date

Visit a motorshow and you’ll soon see the concept cars, with their futuristic designs and science fiction comic book looks. Designers have done the same with bikes but I think we’re at a point were imagination and extrapolation aren’t necessary, in that the technology of tomorrow’s road bike is appearing now.

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