Crashes, what can be done?

[Red Rick]

I think it’s one of the more realistic proposals. Easy to implement, inexpensive and limited damage to any particular stakeholder. If you can regulate bike weight, you can regulate gear ratios - and they already do the latter for juniors.

Unlike electronic gears and disc brakes, bigger gears are not what sells to the public.

I think it would affect sprints too much to restrict it

 

[Lequack]

Well sprints have also become more dangerous.

 

[Netserk]

I think it would affect sprints too much to restrict it

I think a 54/11 or 53/11 limit would have negligible impact on sprints.

That changed no? Or at least in international races, some countries still have limits (Belgium does for example).

Possibly, I don't know. But I know that it at least has been regulated in the past.

 

[Extinction]

I think it would affect sprints too much to restrict it

Maybe impliment gear restrictions only in races with much high speed descending? As far as crashing and mass sprints are concerned, the riders need to do some soul searching. In the past when there was no space to pass, a rider backed off. The problem today is nobody backs off, because the culture of the sport (which reflects wider modernity) has made them lose their minds.

 

[kingjr]

Maybe impliment gear restrictions only in races with much high speed descending? As far as crashing and mass sprints are concerned, the riders need to do some soul searching. In the past when there was no space to pass, a rider backed off. The problem today is nobody backs off, because the culture of the sport (which reflects wider modernity) has made them lose their minds.

Bunch sprints 30 years ago were by and large much wilder than they are today.

 

[Nick2413]

Gear ratios would be a good start but what % of crashes involve situations where gears would’ve been maxed out? They need another way of slowing down the riders or thinning them out.

 

[Extinction]

Bunch sprints 30 years ago were by and large much wilder than they are today.

I don't think so, but if they were then today's riders have lost skills, because they are going down more frequently. Still I think today's sprinters have more pressure on them and so lose their minds more frequently.

 

[kingjr]

I don't think so, but if they were then today's riders have lost skills, because they are going down more frequently. Still I think today's sprinters have more pressure on them and so lose their minds more frequently.

I think today we have more bunch sprints.

 

[Extinction]

I think today we have more bunch sprints.

Could be, with more calendar races and greater control of breaks, but you didn't have certain maneuvers. The sprints were "dirtier" in the past, because the were less severe penalizations, but it kept them honest. Today it seems everybody thinks he's entitled to a certain line, because the monitoring is quite tight, but that leads to hubris and not infrequently stupidity.

 

[Rob5091]

So Jaap Van Hulten crashed out, I see ... back to Visma full-time, I suppose, after he's recuperated.

 

[Rob5091]

Luis Angel Maté has his 2 cents worth ...
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racin...ing-more-dangerous-nowadays-we-asked-the-pros
At this year's Tour of the Alps, Luis Angel Maté (Euskaltel-Euskadi), a rider with over 15 years of experience, said he believes cycling is "more dangerous nowadays".

"The bikes are quicker, the roads are better, but, above all, cycling is a reflection of society," the 40-year-old told Cycling Weekly. "Today's society moves very fast. Everybody wants to win, more than anything else. There are lots of sponsors, and teams need to win to justify those big investments. This creates a lot of competitiveness. I think there's more competitiveness today than when I started many years ago."

For the Spaniard, one of the peloton's statesmen, the recent crashes should prompt riders to reflect on how they race and "learn to use [their] brakes".

"We're the first ones responsible," he said. "If a bend can be taken at 40km/h, we shouldn't try to go into it at 50km/h.

"There's no point in going flat-out with 100km to go. We need to show some good sense and realise that it's not worth winning at any price."

 

[Gratemans]

Bunch sprints 30 years ago were by and large much wilder than they are today.

To be fair, that's solely on account of Abdushaparov being there back then.

 

[Sciatic]

Luis Angel Maté has his 2 cents worth ...
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racin...ing-more-dangerous-nowadays-we-asked-the-pros
At this year's Tour of the Alps, Luis Angel Maté (Euskaltel-Euskadi), a rider with over 15 years of experience, said he believes cycling is "more dangerous nowadays".

"The bikes are quicker, the roads are better, but, above all, cycling is a reflection of society," the 40-year-old told Cycling Weekly. "Today's society moves very fast. Everybody wants to win, more than anything else. There are lots of sponsors, and teams need to win to justify those big investments. This creates a lot of competitiveness. I think there's more competitiveness today than when I started many years ago."

For the Spaniard, one of the peloton's statesmen, the recent crashes should prompt riders to reflect on how they race and "learn to use [their] brakes".

"We're the first ones responsible," he said. "If a bend can be taken at 40km/h, we shouldn't try to go into it at 50km/h.

"There's no point in going flat-out with 100km to go. We need to show some good sense and realise that it's not worth winning at any price."

That would be sensible if riders took that to heart. But the DS’s role in this type of dangerous riding is huge— since they’re urging them on in their earpieces. That makes it more difficult for individual riders (particularly if they’re not stars) to decide to change their riding behavior.

 

[Izzyeviel]

During the first half of a race, when the weather turns like it did today, they should stop the race for five minutes so riders can safely put on wet weather kit. (or take it off). Just seems a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[Netserk]

During the first half of a race, when the weather turns like it did today, they should stop the race for five minutes so riders can safely put on wet weather kit. (or take it off). Just seems a disaster waiting to happen.

Road racing is an outdoor sport. Race on the track if you don't like that.

 

[Izzyeviel]

Road racing is an outdoor sport. Race on the track if you don't like that.

Some dude had to be picked up off his bike because he was too cold to get off it himself. Then you have countless riders going back to the cars to get new clothing, then you have riders riding no-handed in the peloton all struggling to put gear on. It's just silly especially during the first half when the race isn't even on yet.

 

[Nick2413]

I’d be more open to a rule about minimum coverage at the start line and through first X percent of a race if forecast meets a certain criteria. Otherwise it gets really hard to handle without messing with the race and creating controversy. Even if it was sunny at the start today, the conditions weren’t a surprise.

I don’t think any changes are necessary, but the above would be the easiest and most fair imo if they start cancelling or shortening more races due to cold/rain like they have been.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Pro-cycling:
Lionises events like Gavia 1988, Hinault at LBL 1980, or Jesús Loroño wasting energy riding an already neutralised stage and having to be wrestled off his bike. Treats the heroes of yesteryear as superhuman feats to be revered, of man against machine against nature.

Also pro-cycling:
Wants to neutralise or cancel races if it gets a bit too cold or wet.

Adam Hansen: once one of the most revered hard-man domestiques in the bunch, this is your legacy.

 

[Izzyeviel]

Well no. They're going to be putting on wet/cold weather gear anyway, I'm just saying in the first hour or so of the race, let them stop for a few minutes to do so safely. Some dude hitting a pothole whilst struggling with his rain jacket can ruin the race/season for quite a few riders. & there's no need for it to happen during the first hour or so of a race.

 

[jmdirt]

To be fair, that's solely on account of Abdushaparov being there back then.

I alsways felt like he was just going to rip the bike to bits!

 

[hayneplane]

Kind of remarkable in the conditions today that I don’t think there was a single proper crash in the entire men’s race in FW.

 

[RedheadDane]

Well no. They're going to be putting on wet/cold weather gear anyway, I'm just saying in the first hour or so of the race, let them stop for a few minutes to do so safely. Some dude hitting a pothole whilst struggling with his rain jacket can ruin the race/season for quite a few riders. & there's no need for it to happen during the first hour or so of a race.

The big issue is; when would that even be applicable?
Weather like we saw at FW doesn't always happen at the beginning of the race, and when it does, they don't always get enough warning so they would have had time to stop the race before the weather turns for the worse.
From what I understand, one of the issues yesterday was that the change in conditions happened so quickly. Sure, they could still have stopped the race, even if the weather at already gone bad by the time, but then the riders would still have gotten cold.

 

[Camino]

Just saw the crash of Chris Harper inTour of Alps race. Looks like he entered the corner too fast (no flag warner there) and locked up his rear wheel, immediately losing all control. I think a panic braking with disc brakes is part of the cause of his losing control, as doubtful that the same panic reaction would have locked up a caliper that quickly.

 

[Berniece]

Just saw the crash of Chris Harper inTour of Alps race. Looks like he entered the corner too fast (no flag warner there) and locked up his rear wheel, immediately losing all control. I think a panic braking with disc brakes is part of the cause of his losing control, as doubtful that the same panic reaction would have locked up a caliper that quickly.

His bike was really bouncing hard, road was bumpy and there was no signage for that. He might have slowed down if there was.

 

[Netserk]

It seemed to me that he came with very high speed and then suddenly slammed his brakes, which led to the wobbling before he hit the kerbstone.