Frank Schleck or Magneto?

[bc_hills]

I am now forced to reject modern time trialing (unless it's a "Merckx" event).

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

The UCI should ban aero helmuts based on the fact that they make cyclists look like dorks and that is bad for the image of the sport.

 

[Rouetheday]

If we're talking aesthetics, then they really need to ban these ridiculous time-trial bikes. Anybody else remember those beautiful images of Merckx, Gimondi, and Ole Ritter time-trialing in 'Stars and Watercarriers'? Now that's what it should look like.

 

[gilbertador]

time trialling is an art in itself the machinery is fine, as an end game in bike design all roadbikes will eventually look more and more similar too tt ones

 

[movingtarget]

Probably causing back and neck injuries as well. Unnatural, especially in long time trials.

 

[bc_hills]

time trialling is an art in itself the machinery is fine, as an end game in bike design all roadbikes will eventually look more and more similar too tt ones

Only if people buy them.

The more a sport is defined by its technology the less interesting and meaningful it becomes. Look at the backlash against those full body skin suits in olympic swimming a few years ago, or look at the way downhill ski racing exists in the shadow of free ride or big mountain skiing. In B.C. (Canada) there was a radio interview a while ago where some director of youth cycling was trying to figure out how to attract riders away from mtb'ing and into road racing.

Well let's see, a kid becomes inspired to ride a road race after watching something like "Stars and Water Carriers" (nice reference rouetheday!) and so he shows up for an amateur race and is surrounded by riders that could out Schleck even the greatest Freds to ever show up on Bike Snob NYC's pages. He thinks, "man, I thought this was about riding my bike hard. I didn't even really notice the bikes in those old school videos on YouTube... I thought they were all riding the same bikes to level the playing field.". Or he watches coverage of the Tour and sees images like the one above and he just can't relate to it. If he was the anal obsessive compulsion type he'd already be a triathlete.

My gut response to seeing a helmet like Schleck's (with those little jaw extensions designed to shave seconds off his time) is revulsion. If that's the sport than **** it. I want heart, not "innovation".

But of course, it isn't the sport. It's just the ****ed up high end niche of it that is cannibalizing itself from the inside out thanks to scandals best discussed in another forum.

But carry on believing that we see the future of bicycling when we see the pros ride. In that future, professional bodybuilding probably has main stream appeal as well...