The Phantom Posted July 9, 2023 Share Posted July 9, 2023 1 hour ago, The Voice of Reason said: Thanks I am no cyclist but it seems strange these are allowed. Doesn’t the use of such batteries lessen the integrity or purity of the sport? No more so than radios, GPS or heart rate monitors. Which to be honest, some people debate the same. The bike is 100% human powered still, the gear changes are just (supposed to be) more accurate and efficient. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTeapot Posted July 9, 2023 Author Share Posted July 9, 2023 A total shame for Cavendish. He was going to win a stage. Yesterdays intermediate sprint he didn't try for the line, he stuck to Philipsen's wheel, didn't try to go past, still learning. Incredible cyclist, his early success is what made me pay attention to pro cycling, i'm so into it now. And today the race continues, and how! Oh yes! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackwhite Posted July 12, 2023 Share Posted July 12, 2023 On 7/9/2023 at 7:52 AM, The Voice of Reason said: Thanks I am no cyclist but it seems strange these are allowed. Doesn’t the use of such batteries lessen the integrity or purity of the sport? Any sport you do know about well enough to speak of? If so, it's likely some technology is used to enhance or improve performance. Things like analytics perhaps or just the latest technology in shoes or whatever it may be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTeapot Posted July 14, 2023 Author Share Posted July 14, 2023 Absurd mountain they're going up right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Posted July 14, 2023 Share Posted July 14, 2023 (edited) I've only just got round to watching the Tour docu on Netflix ala F1 Drive to Survive. It's definitely worth a watch. I'd forgotten about Pidcock's win it or bin it descent from last year! It was brilliant to watch again but this time seeing all the team/support's reactions. A lot of these mountain bikers that cross over to the pro road teams are some of the most entertaining for sure. Edited July 14, 2023 by The Phantom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTeapot Posted July 14, 2023 Author Share Posted July 14, 2023 I've not watched the netflix thing, but I'm not sure its aimed at me anyway - i'm already a fan! Pidcock is good, still figuring out if he wants to or can be a GC rider really but looking pretty good this year. Riding GC is very different from stage hunting or one day races. Still got Olympic mountain bike ambitions I think, and he also rides cyclocross which is where exciting riders like MDVP and WVA come from. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Voice of Reason Posted July 14, 2023 Share Posted July 14, 2023 On 7/12/2023 at 10:25 AM, jackwhite said: Any sport you do know about well enough to speak of? If so, it's likely some technology is used to enhance or improve performance. Things like analytics perhaps or just the latest technology in shoes or whatever it may be. The use of analytics is perfectly justified as is using the latest shoe technology. That’s part of the evolution of sport. Like to take a simple example, footballers using shirts that make them sweat less or whatever ( I’m not familiar with all the ins and outs) which may improve their performance to the tiniest degree ( every little helps). That’s legitimate. But introducing batteries into cycling is a different matter. Would you say that allowing basketball players to use jet packs to enable them to be better able to rise up and throw the ball in the hoop is ok as it is technology that “ enhances or “ improves” performance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTeapot Posted July 15, 2023 Author Share Posted July 15, 2023 On 7/14/2023 at 6:01 PM, TheTeapot said: Pidcock is [...] looking pretty good this year. Hmm. Not so much after todays brutal stage. What a race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxman1980 Posted July 16, 2023 Share Posted July 16, 2023 On 7/14/2023 at 9:11 PM, The Voice of Reason said: The use of analytics is perfectly justified as is using the latest shoe technology. That’s part of the evolution of sport. Like to take a simple example, footballers using shirts that make them sweat less or whatever ( I’m not familiar with all the ins and outs) which may improve their performance to the tiniest degree ( every little helps). That’s legitimate. But introducing batteries into cycling is a different matter. Would you say that allowing basketball players to use jet packs to enable them to be better able to rise up and throw the ball in the hoop is ok as it is technology that “ enhances or “ improves” performance. What a ridiculous comment... Football shirts are designed to allow sweat to evaporate quickly therefore allowing the player to cool down. If you want to use football as an example then it is the football boots where the technology is. Remember when Adidas first introduced the Predator? It was designed to allow a skilled player to put more curl on a ball. The average Joe, however, would get next to know benefits. The same with the lightness, the studs etc. All designed for a particular reason. Allowing a tiny battery to help transition gears in cycling doesn't seem unfair. Certainly no less fair then having the lightest, most aerodynamic bike or maybe an aerodynamic helmet. The basketball comment is bonkers. Again looked at their footwear and guess what it is designed to help with... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Voice of Reason Posted July 16, 2023 Share Posted July 16, 2023 2 hours ago, manxman1980 said: What a ridiculous comment... Allowing a tiny battery to help transition gears in cycling doesn't seem unfair. Certainly no less fair then having the lightest, most aerodynamic bike or maybe an aerodynamic helmet. You say that. But first it’s a tiny battery to help transition gears, then you get technology creep and somewhere down the line you end up with a self propelled cycle with little rider skills required. I am afraid it doesn’t sit well with us purists Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxman1980 Posted July 16, 2023 Share Posted July 16, 2023 50 minutes ago, The Voice of Reason said: You say that. But first it’s a tiny battery to help transition gears, then you get technology creep and somewhere down the line you end up with a self propelled cycle with little rider skills required. I am afraid it doesn’t sit well with us purists You are a purist now? You didn't appear to know about them until a few days ago. If you were a enough of a cycling fan to be a purist you would have already known about them. You would presumably also object to all the other technology advances in cycling. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Voice of Reason Posted July 16, 2023 Share Posted July 16, 2023 2 hours ago, manxman1980 said: You are a purist now? You didn't appear to know about them until a few days ago. If you were a enough of a cycling fan to be a purist you would have already known about them. You would presumably also object to all the other technology advances in cycling. You may call it “technology advances”, others may call it cheating. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meoir Shee Posted July 16, 2023 Share Posted July 16, 2023 7 hours ago, The Voice of Reason said: You say that. But first it’s a tiny battery to help transition gears, then you get technology creep and somewhere down the line you end up with a self propelled cycle with little rider skills required. I am afraid it doesn’t sit well with us purists 4 hours ago, The Voice of Reason said: You may call it “technology advances”, others may call it cheating. The Tour went downhill for me when they finally allowed the use of the rear derailleur, 34 years after it was invented. As a purist, I always preferred the single speed suffering over 400km+ stages. Same with cars, I always preferred the nuances of the Red Flag Act, motor transport hasn’t been the same since. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Voice of Reason Posted July 16, 2023 Share Posted July 16, 2023 2 hours ago, Meoir Shee said: The Tour went downhill for me when they finally allowed the use of the rear derailleur, 34 years after it was invented. As a purist, I always preferred the single speed suffering over 400km+ stages. Same with cars, I always preferred the nuances of the Red Flag Act, motor transport hasn’t been the same since. You are confusing motor transport with motor racing. In motor racing, for example F1, has a manufacturer's championship , Mclaren v Mercedes etc which is as almost as much an integral part of the sport as the drivers championship ( Hamilton v Verstappen etc) I may be wrong but in cycle racing you don’t have such a thing as say, Raleigh v whoever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 (edited) 12 hours ago, The Voice of Reason said: You are confusing motor transport with motor racing. In motor racing, for example F1, has a manufacturer's championship , Mclaren v Mercedes etc which is as almost as much an integral part of the sport as the drivers championship ( Hamilton v Verstappen etc) I may be wrong but in cycle racing you don’t have such a thing as say, Raleigh v whoever Cycling nowadays is definitely a team sport. Whilst we may go on about rider X or Y being really good, they are often only placed in the position of winning by their team mates, lead-out riders and domestiques. Individual riders would never get the support (financially or physically) if they were not part of a team. If you watch a race, the commentators go on just as much about Rider X doing this and that, as Team Y dominating today etc. In terms of 'manufacturers' admittedly it is much more human related than say F1, but each professional team only rides one brand of bike. The Tour and other professional bike events are also used as a testing and proving ground for certain new technologies. Although unfortunately the UCI can sometimes be significantly behind the curve for significant changes, such as disc brakes. Kit is generally also one brand per team, but can be a bit flexible for specific riders' sponsorship deals, or certain components that may just be better or not provided by your brand provider. Edited July 17, 2023 by The Phantom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.