Fabian Cancellara accused of cheating??

[McClimber]

I think there can be a lot argued about "exclusive access to the technology" or similar issues.

Look at Lance Armstrong and his $1 Million?? TT bike. Not to many pros have the money or backing to get all that technology and laborers behind them.

Watching and reading about that bike a while back made it seem that Lance had a team of R&D just for him. 5 guys from Trek and others just to go to Lance's house to build up a bike after they built it for him. That might be EXCLUSIVE and is definitely EXCESSIVE.

I think the UCI rules that say bikes and components have to be commercially available are good but not tough enough. Teams and manufactures bend that every way they can though. That rule should be modified to exclude "in the works, prototype, $10,000+, ETC" statements and the like excuses.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Pfff. First off, no one's accusing Cancellara of cheating (except for people casually staring at news articles without actually taking the time to read them).

True. Please change the thread title.
It's very misleading...

 

[skippy]

Raining outside so inside looking at the latest conspiracy theories !

Changed LA (taken to "skinning" as a new sport(Amateur or pro ?) via twitter)to FC as the flavour of the month ? Or will it spin out longer ?

Not sure of the timing but remember that LA retired in 2005 and FC wins Worlds in 2006 , couldn't be his "spinning ability/cadence" ? Got to be external factors for those reading here !

FC believes in himself unlike CE who tends to doubt his longer race Luck/Ability !

Glad this is not in the "clinic threads" or more S**t would be trying to find a wall to stick .

 

[theswordsman]

OK, I only made it through the first page here, but I did look at all the articles and videos yesterday, to help kill time. Cancellara knew the people involved since he visited the city every year as a kid. In 2007 he made an exclusive agreement that he be the only pro to use them - Italian juniors use the full set. Schleck used them for the mountain stages of the 2010 Tour de France. The bearings also have a special oil that helps the set-up have 95% less friction. Leopard's lawyer confirms that Cancellara used the stuff until the end of December 2010 (I wonder if this influencewd his contract negotiations - he took forever to announce). Tests dome with the junior riders showed that after riding the same distance at the same speed, they had 27% less lactic acid build-up, which would be huge near the end of a long race. An article I just read said he used other components as well.

For me, there are a few interesting aspects to the story. The video claims the parts are UCI legal, so why the denial, or his not using them this year? Is it a conflict with a components sponsor? Was he planning to use them disguised, like they do when they want to ride other brands?

Once other riders pony up the 1100 Euros and the playing field is leveled, does Spartacus ever regain the glory he had last year? If they were such an advantage that he wanted exclusive use, and the team now says he can't use them, but it's legal (if the case) for his competition, then he'll slow down at the same time they speed up, and it's all over.

Original article, with video

http://www.dhnet.be/sports/cyclisme/article/346653/le-vrai-secret-du-velo-de-cancellara.html

Website with more videos for components

http://www.cecchiniteam.it/wms/video-gold-race-movimento-centrale

Statement by lawyer

http://www.eurosport.fr/roue-libre_...cellara-revele_post1380328/blogpostfull.shtml

Other components he used

http://www.tuttobiciweb.it/index.php?page=news&cod=37001&tp=n

 

[BroDeal]

The bearings also have a special oil that helps the set-up have 95% less friction.

Snake oil no doubt. I tried using snake oil once. It was sluggish in the cold, and in the heat my chain chain tended to just lay still and soak up the sun. It was frustrating. Eventually I switched to owl sh!t. Bros, that stuff is slick.

Tests dome with the junior riders showed that after riding the same distance at the same speed, they had 27% less lactic acid build-up, which would be huge near the end of a long race.

Uh-huh. 27%!!!

 

[JPM London]

That bolded part is what it comes down to in my opinion , if it was just made available to him i think there is an issue.

Dim, BM - Why would exclusivity in itself be a problem?

Issues like this roll right off him.

With bearings like that they do indeed!

How often haven't I heard "this new time trial bike gives him an advantage of almost a second per km"

If it goes much further they'll need stopwatches with negative time - he'll have to roll off the ramp as the last rider in all TTs or else they'll have the winning time before the first rider rolls off! Or something... What happens if future-Canc meets past-Canc on the road? Who wins??

For me, there are a few interesting aspects to the story. The video claims the parts are UCI legal, so why the denial, or his not using them this year? Is it a conflict with a components sponsor? Was he planning to use them disguised, like they do when they want to ride other brands?

Thanks for the detail Swordsman - I definitely think the denial has to do with sponsor issues. Andersen has to protect the exposure of their sponsors and make sure that others don't "steal" Canc's name while on his team. However, the denial def didn't read like that - it much more read like a denial of something dubious. It's weird though, as Nygaard himself is a PR man. You'd expect it would have been handled more smoothly. Why not go out and say "No, Canc's now using 'insert_name'?

 

[R.0.t.O]

This is pretty funny. There's marginal gains and then there's marginal gains... further reducing inefficiencies in an already mega-efficient system that in any case constitutes a tiny fraction of the opposing forces which the rider must overcome. Of course it's nice mentally to turn up at the start of a race knowing you have the smoothest bearings, but that's as far as it goes.

 

[Ney the Viking]

Lets assume Canc used the bearings and even had exclusive deal with the makers.

Now Canc changes teams, and cannot use said bearing no more, and thus won't have exclusive deal. Then all of a sudden there is a big fuss about how WONDERFUL these bearings are, and how they save TONS of seconds per km. Oh and btw they ONLY kost a grand! What a steal.

Really guys, have you never heard of viral marketing? You know the same kind that was used last year by that swiss company that makes moterized bicycles?

 

[JPM London]

Lets assume Canc used the bearings and even had exclusive deal with the makers.

Now Canc changes teams, and cannot use said bearing no more, and thus won't have exclusive deal. Then all of a sudden there is a big fuss about how WONDERFUL these bearings are, and how they save TONS of seconds per km. Oh and btw they ONLY kost a grand! What a steal.

Really guys, have you never heard of viral marketing? You know the same kind that was used last year by that swiss company that makes moterized bicycles?

That's exactly why the Leopard-Trek denial seems so weird to me - they're falling for the marketing troll's baiting...

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

I say let him use the freaking ball bearings. That's not cheating... it's just technology (IMO). Easily nullified by everyone using the same product.

 

[Ney the Viking]

That's exactly why the Leopard-Trek denial seems so weird to me - they're falling for the marketing troll's baiting...

Yeh I didn't really get that part either, but maybe the journalist that called made it sound like bearings wasn't legal, then I would be quick to distance myself and my team from it. *shrugs*

Or maybe psychological BS. "Look Canc doesn't use any special bearings anymore, and he STILL wiped your collective asses in TA, HA!"

 

[131313]

I hate to let some basic 7th grade science get in the way of a good conspiracy, but if you were to eliminate all of the rolling losses entirely from all of the bicycles bearings, a rider of Cancellara's size and weight would save roughly 1-2 seconds over 40K, give or take.

This is a rough calculation, but it's pretty accurate. Anyone who wants to go to Analytic Cycling and check my maths, feel free.

This seems pretty contrived to get rich triathletes and master's guys to start buying "golden race" or whateverthehell it's called.

 

[Anonymous]

I hate to let some basic 7th grade science get in the way of a good conspiracy, but if you were to eliminate all of the rolling losses entirely from all of the bicycles bearings, a rider of Cancellara's size and weight would save roughly 1-2 seconds over 40K, give or take.
.

that figure sounds equally ridiculous to the other extreme.

If quality of bearings bears that little difference why do we even bother re-greasing them, replacing them at all. Why do teams even meed mechanics.

 

[131313]

that figure sounds equally ridiculous to the other extreme.

If quality of bearings bears that little difference why do we even bother re-greasing them, replacing them at all. Why do teams even meed mechanics.

"sounds" being the operative word.

don't take my word for it. Do some research and run some numbers for yourself, then report back--rather than countering with silly strawman arguments like "why do teams even need mechanics". (answer: it has nothing to do with reducing rolling losses from bearings).

Rolling losses are about 10% of the total equation at TT speeds on flat ground. Of that, nearly all of it is accounted for by the tires. Wheel bearing losses are pretty well-understood, and they're very, very minimal.

You can go to this paper here and get the formula for determining wheel bearing losses: http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/MartinDocs/Validation of a mathematical model for road cycling.pdf

Or, you can just look at their results from modeling. Wheel bearing in their model account for about 1W, give or take.

 

[max_powers]

Making a road bike drive train more efficient implies just that!

Most any rider can tell the difference if a dirty chain is cleaned and oiled.

 

[Dimtick]

I haven't read all the responses. Has anyone actually said whether or not using advanced bearings is even illegal? This is clearly a bogus story but I'm still curious as to what the rules are with bearings?

 

[The Gnome]

gee...sounds great...I can see it now: folks paying 75 dollars per for these magic bearings!

 

[JPM London]

I hate to let some basic 7th grade science get in the way of a good conspiracy, but if you were to eliminate all of the rolling losses entirely from all of the bicycles bearings, a rider of Cancellara's size and weight would save roughly 1-2 seconds over 40K, give or take.

This is a rough calculation, but it's pretty accurate. Anyone who wants to go to Analytic Cycling and check my maths, feel free.

This seems pretty contrived to get rich triathletes and master's guys to start buying "golden race" or whateverthehell it's called.

Well, if you assume the oil inside the bearings is super liquid and add a tiny magnetic momentum in the rolling direction, then you can achieve a lot - it would look daft, though, for him to roll ahead even when standing still... Would almost look like a motorised bike, that.

 

[taiwan]

Public relations coup.

 

[Mambo95]

It doesn't end at the bearings.

Apparently Cancellara has been using a very secret undershirt under his kit since 2006. Apperently, This T-shirt can add up to 10% power output. That's science - with figures, you can't dispute that.

In 2011, Evans, Contador, Schleck and Gilbert have all expressed interest. Is vest doping upon us.

The UCI should act. It's blatent cheating.

I've done a google search but all I can find is: http://www.mambo95tshirts.com . It looks like the shirt. Anyone buying it would get an unfair advantage for just $69.99. Is that right?

 

[usedtobefast]

those bearings have little motors in each one. google it!

 

[Polyarmour]

The ball bearing thing is true, but what most people don't realise is that the ball bearings are in his hips and knees. Furthermore I have it on good authority that he has had his quadraceps surgically removed and replaced with 2500W hydraulic actuators.

 

[Winterfold]

Public relations coup.

This. Some PR earned their bonus with this...

 

[Clearly Unstable]

Behind every successful person is a long line of haters.

 

[Cimber]

From what i understand and have read in the media the Gold race bearings are absolutely ok and legal to use.