Nibali wants ban on SRM meters

[spalco]

Give all the pros Garmin 200's; Speed, time, distance, elevation gain, calories, max speed, and average speed. That's all you need during the race.
Go ahead and use the powermeters for training and in testing your efforts. But there really isn't a need for it during the race.

I would much rather see cyclists racing according to their heart then their screens. Or as Bernard Hinault says "as long as I breath, I attack."
Cyclists shouldn't be looking down at their screens and think "already pushing 350 watts, better hold this pace or I'll tire myself out" they should be thinking "getting tired, but I didn't get into this sport to ride at tempo and come into the finish with everyone else like on a casual group ride! I'm going to attack and make something happen here! It won't kill me."

Cycling holds it's roots in the epic rides the riders of the past embarked on, guys like Merckx, Hinault, Kelly, Gaul, etc. These guys didn't think about whether they might overdo it, or go out too hard on a attack, or the risk of the attack not working out. They just did it and hoped for the best.
They raced according to their heart, not their screen.

and yet, if a rider pulled off a merckxian/gaulian monster attack 100kms from the finish these days he would be immediately labelled as a doper.

 

[Netserk]

and yet, if a rider pulled off a merckxian/gaulian monster attack 100kms from the finish these days he would be immediately labelled as a doper.

Contador Alpe d'Huez?

More like labelled entertainer

 

[rhubroma]

You haven't heard of open-book examinations?
They are becoming more commonly used these days in college.

Yes and they are totally bogus.

 

[Arnout]

You haven't heard of open-book examinations?
They are becoming more commonly used these days in college.

You know I have completed an estimated 40 exams on university till now and exactly two of them were open-book. So Sky can have their power meters. In Paris - Nice.

Only.

 

[hrotha]

Yes and they are totally bogus.

Not necessarily. They just assess a different set of skills.

In terms of racing, power meters assess a set of skills consisting of "knowing the decimal system" and "being able to see".

 

[del1962]

It's like being allowed to look at your notes during an exam. Do away with them and let's see how these guys really know how to perform. If they're that good, then it should make no difference. I've said it for years: too much technology and not enough humanity.

No saying your wrong about power meters but books to exams is a poor analogy though

 

[Winterfold]

what a bunch of BS. . . . don't let poor hrotha see it

He either still thinks he can go from long way out and drop everybody, or he knows he cant and does it anyway. I think it's the latter. That is what is BS.

He raced smart and unpredictably in one stage in the Vuelta last year and it won him the overall. Isolate Purito, then ride away from him because of better FTP/more overall W as a bigger rider and general TT skills.

I guess he could have ridden to power in that stage, maybe he should try it more often?

That said epic and heroic failure is a huge part of cycling's appeal so...

I'm pretty ambivalent on this - race with them, race without them, i dont really care - but while they are there, they are there for everyone the same, its a level playing field and Nibbles should STFU whinging.

 

[The Sheep]

Not necessarily. They just assess a different set of skills.

In terms of racing, power meters assess a set of skills consisting of "knowing the decimal system" and "being able to see".

Just have them in (team) time trials then.

 

[theyoungest]

Not necessarily. They just assess a different set of skills.

In terms of racing, power meters assess a set of skills consisting of "knowing the decimal system" and "being able to see".

Yes. That's why they should be banned. They give an unfair advantage to non-dyslexic, non-blind riders.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

I'm pretty ambivalent on this - race with them, race without them, i dont really care - but while they are there, they are there for everyone the same, its a level playing field and Nibbles should STFU whinging.

I agree on 'the level playing field' with regards to the accesability of SRM, but, what is next in cycling, a computer that tells the rider when to eat/take a pee/drink etc etc?

Robocycling, not my cup of tea. If I want to see technology I will watch Formula One.

 

[cineteq]

It's like being allowed to look at your notes during an exam. Do away with them and let's see how these guys really know how to perform. If they're that good, then it should make no difference. I've said it for years: too much technology and not enough humanity.

Not necessarily. They just assess a different set of skills.

In terms of racing, power meters assess a set of skills consisting of "knowing the decimal system" and "being able to see".

I'm with you guys, but you need to come up with a better analogy.

 

[Winterfold]

Without wanting to perpetuate a Skyborg not Skyborg debate there is sufficient flexibility in the rules of road racing that at some point someone will develop a set of tactics that are superior to riding a HC climb like a team pursuit and things will move on.

Those advocating banning powermeters should note that they are not used on the track so presumably Sky/BC's team pursuit tactic will work without them on an HC climb (I see a long line of guys in Sky casual gear standing on the road next to the yellow and white km stones, moving a pace up or down according to schedule)...

 

[Winterfold]

a computer that tells the rider when to eat/take a pee/drink etc etc?

Robocycling, not my cup of tea. If I want to see technology I will watch Formula One.

For some reason I just had a mental image of Kerrison in a team car with a computer readout of the Skyborg blood sugar level - Rigo you need a gel NOW. I wonder how far that is from the truth?

In all honesty working out what to eat is not difficult, actually finding the time to eat when someone drops the hammer can be the problem.

But I agree with the general sentiment that you can engineer the humanity from the sport, any sport.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Without wanting to perpetuate a Skyborg not Skyborg debate there is sufficient flexibility in the rules of road racing that at some point someone will develop a set of tactics that are superior to riding a HC climb like a team pursuit and things will move on.

Even track racing provides more action these days: 4km vs 1-3km sprint.

 

[Kwibus]

The fact that many riders are against power meters doesn't mean they're bad for the sport. It just means these riders are against them.
Personal opinions aren't valid argument.

I think they are bad for the sport. Where is the spectacle? Riders will never blow up and cycling will come down to who calculates best.

Im not against new technologies, but this really spoils the sport imo. No more cycling on emotion, but cycling while watching your srm computer.

 

[King Boonen]

I agree on 'the level playing field' with regards to the accesability of SRM, but, what is next in cycling, a computer that tells the rider when to eat/take a pee/drink etc etc?

Robocycling, not my cup of tea. If I want to see technology I will watch Formula One.

If you've ever eaten with an athlete while they are training (and at Lougborough uni I got the chance to do it a fair few times) this basically happens in all sports anyway.

Removing SRMs wouldn't do anything, they'd just ride to heart rate and speed. Even removing these monitors wouldn't affect it that much, an athlete knows their own body.

As many people have said, Ryo the guy who comes to mind, smaller teams is probably the only way, at the moment, you can stop this type of riding.

Or, Saxo could get their own train sorted and then it comes down to who can attack from the furthest distance.


Also, as someone mentioned, have other teams caught up with Sky's training methods? Like actually training as t team and bothering to see what your riders are up to in between stages?

 

[Kwibus]

My first instinct was to say "nonsense, sour grapes by a guy who hasn't won much in the last couple years", but thinking about it further, he might be right.

I certainly don't see what the SRM riding adds to racing. It clearly doesn't increase the entertainment value for the fans. And while that's not the only consideration (it's still a sport after all, not a circus), it's an important one imo.

This is actually the best reason. What does it add to cycling? Nothing.

 

[Afrank]

and yet, if a rider pulled off a merckxian/gaulian monster attack 100kms from the finish these days he would be immediately labelled as a doper.

I don't want to get into clinic territory here, but are you saying it is fear of this that keeps riders from attacking?
Sky isn't doing anything close to those kind of epic 100km attacks and are labelled dopers by many. No matter what you do in cycling, you will be accused of wrongdoing.

 

[Bumeington]

No one can do better than Sky. NO ONE CAN BEAT THEM EVEN IF THEY FIGURE OUT THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES. NO TEAM OR RIDER CAN BEAT THEM, THEY CAN ONLY EQUAL THEM AT BEST.

I hope that was clear enough to get it through your thick skull.

LOL Purito doesn't exist, Froome actually won yesterday

 

[Bumeington]

So, do tell me why those SRM files are not made accessable for the spectators? Riders weight? V02max tests?

Give us the live telemetry.

I think live telemetry is actually UCI forbidden - I'd like that to change though

 

[Winterfold]

Like actually training as t team and bothering to see what your riders are up to in between stages?

particularly on the other side of the forum they seem to think that teams were actually in control of their riders and knew what they were up to *

(* that said even Sky seemed pretty ignorant/naive eg various retirements and transfers which were nothing to do with doping which were no real surprise to anyone - even people who think cycling is getting its act together.)

Anyway power meters have changed cycling and they cant be put back in their box now and wished away, I just wish I could afford one!

 

[MartinGT]

I think live telemetry is actually UCI forbidden - I'd like that to change though

Certain riders do have their data on Training peaks and is live in the Tour. I am sure a couple of Skybots had theirs.

Albeit, power, speed and HRM (I think)

 

[El Pistolero]

I think Phil is the only WT rider to have never used one, in or outside of racing.

 

[uphillstruggle]

I think Phil is the only WT rider to have never used one, in or outside of racing.

Phil often has one on his bike so that is clearly not true. I did hear David Millar, while commeting on the WC road race, saying the guys like AC and Gilbert will put masking tape over the display when they race so that they can use the data but are not effected by what they see.

 

[oldcrank]

Let's blame Greg Lemond...he was one of the first pros
to adopt the power meters and in 2008 (?) he actually
called for power meters to be mandatory for all riders.

If Nibbles isn't mentally strong enough for real racing
anymore, maybe he should go to track cycling where
power meters head units cannot be mounted so data
can be seen during the races (but the data can be
accessed after the event.)