Radio Ban is silly

[Carboncrank]

Watch out, folks. The radios go first and then the full media-ban in the peloton goes into effect. They started with the biological passport and the intellectual passport is next. IQ meets VO2 max.
Twisted Spoke
http://walshworld.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/usa-cycling-bans-radios-is-tv-next/

isn't this spam?

 

[Ripper]

isn't this spam?

It's even worse, it's spam masquerading as a post, with poor attempts at humour.

 

[johnner]

To state the obvious: no one knows whether racing w/o radios is (a) more exciting and (b) safer. Neither can be answered from first principles. Neither issue would be easy to resolve with data. It would be interesting to look at crashes and see if they correlate with being on the radio, as is done with car crashes and use of cell phones, texting, computers etc.

I would go with a radio ban because (a) aesthetically I think it looks cooler to see the riders out there not constantly fiddling with their electronics; (b) although safety issue is not settled, I think one has to be concerned about effects of radio chatter, and using hands to activate the mike, on alertness and bike handling, as with cell phones and driving; (c) reduces team budgets; (d) if it's bad can always go back.

finally, does anyone know WHEN the radio ban is actually supposed to take effect - the pros are still racing with radios, right?

 

[Race Radio]

Thank you for your powerful insight.

Thank you for not answering my question.

Your willingness to embarrass yourself is impressive.

 

[bianchigirl]

Hincapie has lost at least one monument by grabbing his jersey in a panic to talk to the team car instead of thinking for himself

 

[tifosa]

Hincapie has lost at least one monument by grabbing his jersey in a panic to talk to the team car instead of thinking for himself

Independent thought and action: now that's a concept! Instead we have a D.S. thinking for the team. My god! How do these cyclists ride without an earpiece telling them to move forward one wheel revolution at a time???

 

[guilder]

I still have not heard a good argument as to why radios are so important to keep around.

Safety? Utter BS, nothing that good riding and other strategies from race organizers cannot overcome fairly easily. If anything, radios are more of a distraction.

Better TV? Are you serious? Predictable does not make better. TV would be much more entertaining if the ending were that much more of an unknown.

Communication within the team? I have seen, first hand, great communication in a team without radios. If a team needs radios for good communication, that team has bigger problems.

Other sports? Umm, so what?

Here are the real reasons for the radio ban:

1)Radios have evened the international field. Foreign teams build their strategy around communication, planning and cohesiveness and can less rely on familiarity and the hometown advantage.

2)The French virtually own the sport. They have had success with their one-dimensional boring strategy of breaking away early. They will have greater success when the opposition can't communicate. For a non-gambler, I'd be willing to bet big money the French will be the big benefactors of this plan.

3) French TV will certainly benefit.

If you call the vast technical experience of the professional peloton "predictable", just wait. You may as well not waste your time watching a race. It will be all about stopping the other guy as the main strategy.

Real exciting stuff!.

Oh yeah... TV has been a gift to cycling. Let's not make excrutiatingly boring flat Tour stages even more boring with what we can already predict from a radio ban.

 

[bianchigirl]

Guilder, have you ever actually watched a race without radios?

 

[Hugh Januss]

Here are the real reasons for the radio ban:

1)Radios have evened the international field. Foreign teams build their strategy around communication, planning and cohesiveness and can less rely on familiarity and the hometown advantage.

2)The French virtually own the sport. They have had success with their one-dimensional boring strategy of breaking away early. They will have greater success when the opposition can't communicate. For a non-gambler, I'd be willing to bet big money the French will be the big benefactors of this plan.

3) French TV will certainly benefit.

If you call the vast technical experience of the professional peloton "predictable", just wait. You may as well not waste your time watching a race. It will be all about stopping the other guy as the main strategy.

Real exciting stuff!.

Oh yeah... TV has been a gift to cycling. Let's not make excrutiatingly boring flat Tour stages even more boring with what we can already predict from a radio ban.

So your saying that even the team radio ban is a French conspiracy?

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Here are the real reasons for the radio ban:

1)Radios have evened the international field. Foreign teams build their strategy around communication, planning and cohesiveness and can less rely on familiarity and the hometown advantage.

2)The French virtually own the sport. They have had success with their one-dimensional boring strategy of breaking away early. They will have greater success when the opposition can't communicate. For a non-gambler, I'd be willing to bet big money the French will be the big benefactors of this plan.

3) French TV will certainly benefit.

If you call the vast technical experience of the professional peloton "predictable", just wait. You may as well not waste your time watching a race. It will be all about stopping the other guy as the main strategy.

Real exciting stuff!.

Oh yeah... TV has been a gift to cycling. Let's not make excrutiatingly boring flat Tour stages even more boring with what we can already predict from a radio ban.

Actually Guilder - 'Rippers' post was looking for "a good argument" to ban radio's.

I would suggest you go watch some Juinors race - they don't use radio's - and they are always fast exciting races.

O, and I too am a non gambler - so I will happily take your (non) bet.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

To me it isn't so much the radios themselves, as it is the information passed from team to rider and vice-versa. Mostly up to date split information. But also rider data. It limits excitement, and a certain sporting element in that it allows the team cars to micromanage race strategy from within the car. This isn't to imply it makes the riders robots, but it does remove a great deal of the element of road strategy as riders don't need to concern themselves with where each other are on the road at all times. Thus, I would also favor banning, or strongly limiting radios, and even limiting splits listed on motorcycle chalk boards as well.

At the very least, we should try it for a while and see how it goes.

 

[guilder]

So your saying that even the team radio ban is a French conspiracy?

Only time will tell.
Is everything you don't like a conspiracy?

If any of the lame reasons supporting the radio ban were valid, there would be plenty of other components to ban also, based on the sentimental reasoning.

In the spirit of backward thinking why not ban power meters? Surely will make riders think for themselves.

The whole point of the ban is to appease the demoralized French who have added cycling to their rejects list. They're after ratings in the dead French market.

 

[guilder]

Guilder, have you ever actually watched a race without radios?

How often do you ask that question? kinda stale.
Have you ever watched a race WITH radios?


I don't think even you with your superior air would know the difference from the sidelines whether a race was radio powered or not.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

The reasons given for limiting race radios are very valid. No one is stating the sport should regress everything. This is an attempt to make the races more sporting, and more determined by riders on the road. It's been debated for several years now, and now the powers are willing to at least try it.

Your "it's the French" claims are baseless and absurd. What else have "The French" done? Taint Lance's 1999 samples? Forged Flandis paperwork? If "The French" wanted their riders to win more often, they'd change the rules on entry, and operate anti-doping controls the way RFEC does.

 

[Ripper]

The whole point of the ban is to appease the demoralized French who have added cycling to their rejects list. They're after ratings in the dead French market.

One of the more idiotic claims made this week, but it's still early

 

[Ripper]

Here are the real reasons for the radio ban:

1)Radios have evened the international field. Foreign teams build their strategy around communication, planning and cohesiveness and can less rely on familiarity and the hometown advantage. Umm, proof please. This is a big assumption and there is nothing to say radios are needed for this.

2)The French virtually own the sport. They have had success with their one-dimensional boring strategy of breaking away early. They will have greater success when the opposition can't communicate. For a non-gambler, I'd be willing to bet big money the French will be the big benefactors of this plan. The French own the sport? Don't tell the Italians, or anyone else. It's been a while since any Frenchman has dominated anything.

3) French TV will certainly benefit. All TV will benefit!

If you call the vast technical experience of the professional peloton "predictable", just wait. You may as well not waste your time watching a race. It will be all about stopping the other guy as the main strategy.

Real exciting stuff!.

Oh yeah... TV has been a gift to cycling. Let's not make excrutiatingly boring flat Tour stages even more boring with what we can already predict from a radio ban.

..................

 

[Anonymous]

Only time will tell.
Is everything you don't like a conspiracy?

If any of the lame reasons supporting the radio ban were valid, there would be plenty of other components to ban also, based on the sentimental reasoning.

In the spirit of backward thinking why not ban power meters? Surely will make riders think for themselves.

The whole point of the ban is to appease the demoralized French who have added cycling to their rejects list. They're after ratings in the dead French market.

No, it seems everything that YOU don't like is a conspiracy...or are you incapable of reading and comprehending your own posts? (rhetorical question) Hugh wasn't the one saying there is some big French conspiracy to destroy cycling and bring about a reign of French champions because without radios, the French obviously win. The person that suggested that is you...and the assertion is actually pretty stupid when you think about it.

 

[bianchigirl]

Serious question, guilder - have you ever watched racing without radios? For example, did you ever watch Andy Hampsten ride the Gavia? Did you spot any earpiece? Now let's try Stephen Roche's epic defensive ride to La Plagne (limiting his losses and ending in need of oxygen), Chiapucci's unforgettable day that ended at Sestriere, Lemond's 8" triumph on the Champs - all accomplished through a combination of the DSes information and the riders own acuity and talent. Now, surely you've seen some of those epic rides and others no doubt? But to make this about some kind of French conspiracy to achieve better results just seems ridiculous in the face of the evidence.

I'm sure this has been posted but the analogy with F1 is a good one http://velonews.competitor.com/2009...hael-barrys-diary-the-peloton-unplugged_98897 Why try something new when the old ways work? Maybe because, if the sport doesn't progress it's truly in danger of selling its soul and its huge fanbase for a relatively small handful of viewers in the US who may well switch off in their droves when the old man retires and a bunch 'unknowns' start winning.

 

[Cobber]

I'm pretty sure the radio ban is just to make way for Twitter. A lot of drivers in Atlanta have been testing this idea on the roads now for some time and it turns out that it is much safer. This way, rather than having to rely on team cars for safety info, the fans themselves can update the riders! Out with the old technology and in with the new!

 

[BroDeal]

And this is why radios should be banned:

"Riis carefully directed Cancellara during the race from the passenger seat of the Saxo Bank team car. He revealed that he told Cancellara to attack when he did, after noticing that Tom Boonen was too far down the line of riders.

Cancellara trusted his boss, didn't look back and opened up the after-burners..."

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/riis-reveals-the-secret-of-cancellaras-roubaix-attack

 

[blaxland]

And this is why radios should be banned:

"Riis carefully directed Cancellara during the race from the passenger seat of the Saxo Bank team car. He revealed that he told Cancellara to attack when he did, after noticing that Tom Boonen was too far down the line of riders.

Cancellara trusted his boss, didn't look back and opened up the after-burners..."

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/riis-reveals-the-secret-of-cancellaras-roubaix-attack

Dont you mean shouldnt be banned...we all know riders dont think for themselves???wow racing would be boring...

 

[elapid]

And this is why radios should be banned:

"Riis carefully directed Cancellara during the race from the passenger seat of the Saxo Bank team car. He revealed that he told Cancellara to attack when he did, after noticing that Tom Boonen was too far down the line of riders.

Cancellara trusted his boss, didn't look back and opened up the after-burners..."

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/riis-reveals-the-secret-of-cancellaras-roubaix-attack

+1. Perfect example of why radios should be banned.

 

[Archibald]

+1. Perfect example of why radios should be banned.

Agree

although if those around Boonen had pulled their finger out and worked with him, it may have been different again...
But most certainly, without Riis' instructions, we'd have had a far more interesting last 50kms of PR

 

[el_angliru]

I actually like when riders attack. It doesn't really matter if it's because of orders from the directeur sportif!

I find the use of radios much more objectable when the radios are used to control the race defensively - like the infamous Garmin/Hincapie incident i Tdf 2009. It's not pretty either when there is a breakaway, and suddenly a team with no imaginable agenda for some reason begins to pull the peloton. It's in situation like these, the use of radio gets ugly (to me, at least).

But it's a joy to watch when the radio communication is used to attack or to split the peloton in sidewind (like TdF 2009, again)!

 

[Boeing]

The ban on race radios, passed by USAC and on its way to being banned by the UCI is silly.

The premise is that the radios make the racing less exciting. Absurd ! (so you are saying that the governing boards are concerned about the fan?)


The sport got increasingly boring because everyone riding around with a 'crit of 49.9 leveled the playing field. (why such a precise number for such a broad statement)

As someone who's used the radios in professional races I can tell.....(sure you can)

please save the dogmatic statements for the Lance thread.