Crashes, what can be done?

[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.

 

[42x16ss]

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.

If you watch the footage very cosely Harper got air or bounced off the manhole cover, then bounced slightly when he hit the road. He managed to keep it up quite well, but regained control just in time to hit the kerb.

 

[42x16ss]

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

Abdoujaparov would have to be the only rider in history to make a 90 degree turn straight into the barriers during a boulevarde sprint...