Cookson wants on bike cameras

[the sceptic]

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/cycling/26954099

"We need to embrace innovation and sell our sport. We will look at technology, such as cameras on bikes," he said.

"And why stop at cameras? What about having microphones on bikes or sharing rider data on screen?"

It really is about time to get something like this. Cycling production is usually horrible.

In an ideal world, there would be two channels, one with the normal production, and one dedicated to the geeky stuff, where they would switch between different on-board cameras and show data on the screen. (speed, heartrate, power) etc.

 

[Guybrush]

i like the idea! also a public DS radio

 

[Parrulo]

Yes, cycling production is in a urgent need of an improvement. The old formula has gotten stale long ago.

 

[Jspear]

Wouldn't teams then be able to see the power data of other competing teams? That doesn't seem like a good idea. I do like the idea of camera's on bikes.

 

[Ferminal]

Can't say I'm interested in poor quality vision that offers little information.

Why not just get the basics right: fixed cameras and timing checkpoints.

 

[MarkvW]

Wattage combined with GPS would be way, way more interesting.

I would love to watch a map with dots representing riders, along with wattage data. You could really visualize the strategy then!

 

[coimbrawu]

“How is it possible that at Milan-Sanremo, after the Poggio, the viewers received no information about the composition of the leading group? Nowadays even touring cyclists can be followed all over the world thanks to a small chip. Why not use this to know the order in which the riders topped a climb. The technicians tell us this is very easy to achieve. During the road World Championships, the riders’ names appear on the screen each time they pass through the line. Why don’t they do that also at the top of the Poggio, the Paterberg, the Wallers cobblestones sector and the Keutenberg for example?”

--Raymond Kerckhoffs, president AIJC

imo anything can give more info of the race is welcome

 

[winkybiker]

The web-based coverage during the Tour of California was a step in the right direction. Very HQ video, maps, progress tracking, profiles, relative positions of groups and some stats available. Some customisation of what you wanted to see on the screen was also available.

Not a huge leap from there to being able to select the camera angle you want to view. Formula 1 might come up with it first. For example, being able to switch to your favourite drivers' in-car, or just a feed comprising the cameras that are follwing them at any given time. Replays at will. It would be transformational to not have to accept the directors' decisions on what was most interesting thing at any given time.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

When the core element of the sport goes stale, gimmicks will quickly fill up the screen.

Don't want to see all this F1 related tech babbler fill up the broadcast. Many other fundamental issues with the broadcasting needs fixing first.

If these techie items are made interactive (from a online source) it would be better. I have zero interest in a shaky bike camera, SRM parameters, an in car conversation, or two riders talking to each other during the race. Others may have, but then make it interactive. That would be best for everybody.

 

[Michele]

Bike camera was already tested ages ago by Rai during a Giro d'Italia (can't recall which year...) but donno why it didnt went further.

 

[roundabout]

circa 1998-1999. wasn't that great to put it mildly, so I am not sure why there is talk about getting them back

 

[RedheadDane]

Oh, YEAH! bike cameras would be awesome!

i like the idea! also a public DS radio

Sometimes they have cameras inside the cars, but yeah... I see what you mean.

Can't say I'm interested in poor quality vision that offers little information.

Why not just get the basics right: fixed cameras and timing checkpoints.

Coz that would be much better?
I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be regular cameras (helicopters and motorbikes) and bike cameras, not only bike cameras.
Just imagine the possibilities:
A sprint from the PoV of Kittel.
A mountain stage from the PoV of Quintana.
A ITT from the PoV of T. Martin.
If you're worried about not really knowing what was going on that would be easily solved by split screens; a big one showing the footage from heli/motor, a smaller one showing the footage from the bike camera.

circa 1998-1999. wasn't that great to put it mildly, so I am not sure why there is talk about getting them back

Because it's been more than 10 years and the technique available has improved quite a bit in the meantime...

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

In the Tour Series crits, Magnus Backstedt was riding with an on-bike camera, but I don't recall the footage ever being used. If it was, it was only fleeting, presumably having been deemed uninteresting and uninformative.

 

[Arnout]

Bike camera's are a gimmick at best, in my opinion. There are numerous examples on Youtube and they mostly make you want to puke because of all the shaking and stuff that's going on. They lack any sense of overview and most importantly, they don't bring anything new, other than the novelty feature of being able to sit inside a peloton. It might be cool on downhills.

My main issue with them is that they won't help in identifying with the rider. Right now, riders are robots riding in the peloton. Helmets prevent us from really seeing the riders (just look at youtube footage from before 2003 and see how much better it was back then) and no solution has been found to solve that problem. I'm a proponent of allowing riders to drop their helmets for uphill finishes (like in 2003) but I'm afraid that won't be happening anytime soon and I can't really think of another solution.

 

[willbick]

Robbie mcewen had a bike cam in a race in Tokyo (Tokyo GP?) recently, maybe last year. Its on youtube if u wanna see what its like. It does give you a good impression of just how fast they are going in t he final sprint!

 

[willbick]

Bike camera's are a gimmick at best, in my opinion. There are numerous examples on Youtube and they mostly make you want to puke because of all the shaking and stuff that's going on. They lack any sense of overview and most importantly, they don't bring anything new, other than the novelty feature of being able to sit inside a peloton. It might be cool on downhills.

My main issue with them is that they won't help in identifying with the rider. Right now, riders are robots riding in the peloton. Helmets prevent us from really seeing the riders (just look at youtube footage from before 2003 and see how much better it was back then) and no solution has been found to solve that problem. I'm a proponent of allowing riders to drop their helmets for uphill finishes (like in 2003) but I'm afraid that won't be happening anytime soon and I can't really think of another solution.

I suppose one reason they dont allow riders to ditch the helmets on MTFs is the additional chaos it would no doubt cause, along with fighting to get to the front at the start of the climb

 

[Arnout]

I suppose one reason they dont allow riders to ditch the helmets on MTFs is the additional chaos it would no doubt cause, along with fighting to get to the front at the start of the climb

It worked just fine in 2003 though.

 

[argyllflyer]

In the Tour Series crits, Magnus Backstedt was riding with an on-bike camera, but I don't recall the footage ever being used. If it was, it was only fleeting, presumably having been deemed uninteresting and uninformative.

They definitely used footage from Kristian House's bike last year in one of the broadcasts.

 

[argyllflyer]

Robbie mcewen had a bike cam in a race in Tokyo (Tokyo GP?) recently, maybe last year. Its on youtube if u wanna see what its like. It does give you a good impression of just how fast they are going in t he final sprint!

I think it was the crit before the Japan Cup?

 

[Angliru]

Cippolini had a camera on his bike during one the sprints in the Giro but I can't remember what year. It was an interesting perspective. I think it was when was riding for Saeco/Cannondale.

I can't see making heartrate data openly available though. It seems that it would be an advantage to an opponent to know that their rival's heartrate is spiking. Their ds would be yelling in their earpiece to attack!

 

[DirtyWorks]

Bike camera's are a gimmick at best, in my opinion. There are numerous examples on Youtube and they mostly make you want to puke because of all the shaking and stuff that's going on. They lack any sense of overview and most importantly, they don't bring anything new, other than the novelty feature of being able to sit inside a peloton. It might be cool on downhills.

The bolded is exactly right. This is one of those ideas that sounds great because everyone has a different idea of a camera on a bike. What's the camera going to do? Point straight ahead? Point up the rider's nose? Point backwards? Helmet cam?

Technically, an small camera that delivers HD images wirelessly over great distances is not possible yet. I'd like to see them go to more powerful transponders to track riders via satellite.

I applaud Cookson for at least talking about innovating the production qualities. Even if someone has the technology to capture the video and deliver it wirelessly over great distances, ASO produces most broadcast events. The UCI can't make them adopt anything.

 

[jens_attacks]

Cippolini had a camera on his bike during one the sprints in the Giro but I can't remember what year. It was an interesting perspective. I think it was when was riding for Saeco/Cannondale.

I can't see making heartrate data openly available though. It seems that it would be an advantage to an opponent to know that their rival's heartrate is spiking. Their ds would be yelling in their earpiece to attack!

vuelta had that for a number of editions. don't know what to say, probably the big guns will refuse. although seeing froomey at 800 watts and only 130 heart beats on ventoux should be funny

 

[manafana]

Bit of publicty this one I would prefer to have more data on live feed ie power, speed, better gps on riders so fans can see were they are on road, surely gps with the radio is the way here.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Robbie McEwan Japan Cup 2012

This is made kinda thrilling by the voiceless soundtrack.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2e3Kyw4z30
Add some graphics to say who's in front/behind and wow!

[typo McEwan -> McEwen :embarrased ]

 

[roundabout]

After the shocking coverage today maybe the focus should be on getting the basics right.

nice sprint for 11th though