Radio Boycott of Het Nieuwsblad

[auscyclefan94]

So now we hear about a protest of the banning of radios by teams. Some teams are including rabobank but others aren't such as BMC (BMC will respect radio rule).

(Main story from Velonation on radio protest)

What are people's thoughts?

 

[blaxland]

So now we hear about a protest of the banning of radios by teams. Some teams are including rabobank but others aren't such as BMC (BMC will respect radio rule).

(Main story from Velonation on radio protest)

What are people's thoughts?

Of course Team BMC will respect the radio ban,their my number 1 team
Hopefully Rabobank and some of the other teams will change there minds.

 

[theswordsman]

It's about more than race radios - riders want their voices to be heard by the UCI, and this is the first big issue.

The UCI has already said they'll pull their Commissars and make it a non-event. Will teams that think they have a chance to do well in the race join the boycott? If not, aren't the other teams sabotaging those who want to compete by making the race unofficial? The thought just popped into my head, but it reminds me of the stage Cancellara neutralized at the Tour de France. I don't think it works if the teams don't stand together. Even then they could play favorites by which events they use for protests.

 

[jens_attacks]

oh these people never learn...you don't stand united-you get fucced.uci destroyed enough,this institution must disappear.of course the talk about race radios is not so important,there are problems bigger than that.it's not too late.

 

[kirill-loko]

and what if boom wins omloop using radio? will he be disqualified or not?

 

[BroDeal]

and what if boom wins omloop using radio? will he be disqualified or not?

What the UCI should do is tell the teams that they can use radios if they want to, but no points will be awarded to a member of a team that uses radios. When a team's ProTour license comes up for renewal and they are not one of the top eighteen teams...well, there are lots of teams that want ProTour status.

 

[Anonymous]

Nice to see the likes of Rabobank caring about the fans some of who will have spent hundreds of pounds travelling to the race. They are willing to risk the race being voided for the sake of their bloody argument.

Rabobank.. **** you! (and i will say the same if Sky join in the ban, except if sky join the ban I will be sending an email to someone)

 

[Highlander]

This is threatening to ruin the start of the classics season for me. I was excited thinking about the race for the weekend and now the riders may make it mean nothing. Perhaps they will also realize that riding bikes at +40kph really isn't that safe either and slow down to a more reasonable pace.

I understand that the riders want to have a voice, but I totally disagree with how they are going about trying to get this done. If they succeed in staging this protest, the fans are going to be the real losers.

 

[Moondance]

Personally I take the side of the UCI... The UCI is great! Is is entirely because of the UCI that I am a desperate cycling fan who watches every race he can. Every time I fire up my television to watch a race all I wait for is to see how well the UCI have organised everything, those suckers who are actually bother to ride their bikes don't really matter to me. Without the UCI this sport would be dead as a doorknob. The UCI is all that matters in this great sport.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

I don't know why the riders are complaining. Those radios don't get any good stations anyway.

 

[ksmith]

I dont know the terms of a world tour team slection or the Pro team contract which were carried over but I would think that abiding by the U.C.I rules is one of them. This radio ban has not just been sprung on the teams.

If they dont want to agree to the rules, their choice. Automatic selection to world tour races should also go as well.

In future I hope the U.C.I. will ask the teams if they will abide by the rules before the race? If they wish not to, kick them out before the race selection other teams will replace them

Any accident no matter how caused will be blamed on the lack of radios.

This is not agood start to the season.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

and what if boom wins omloop using radio? will he be disqualified or not?

his win won't count as officially there will be no omloop het nieuwsblad when teams don't go by the rules. I hope uci keeps their leg stiff

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I really don't notice the difference between races w or w/o radio so far. So I really don't get the fuzz with people backing the UCI.

Besides, the UCI has made so many crap decisions lately it's hard to ever support them. The riders are probably right.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

So now we hear about a protest of the banning of radios by teams. Some teams are including rabobank but others aren't such as BMC (BMC will respect radio rule).

(Main story from Velonation on radio protest)

What are people's thoughts?

Jeez, I don't know anymore. I know there's been a lot of talk on the subject and I've heard most of the agruements for and against. From a spectator standpoint, I'd like to see at least some racing done without radio. On the other hand I'd like to respect the riders wishes and let them use radios. For me, safety comes first. Other things are secondary. So if the riders feel they need radios for safety, then they ought to be allowed to use them.

 

[the vagabond]

Riders want the radios because it reduces stress and makes racing easier. The safety issue is bogus - why did they oppose helmets so long? In every sport there are rules changes that would make life cushier for the participants. That's not a good reason for changing rules.

This is one of the rare issues where the fans should have a say. Personally, I am opposed to the radios.

 

[Hmmmmm]

This is threatening to ruin the start of the classics season for me. I was excited thinking about the race for the weekend and now the riders may make it mean nothing. Perhaps they will also realize that riding bikes at +40kph really isn't that safe either and slow down to a more reasonable pace.

I understand that the riders want to have a voice, but I totally disagree with how they are going about trying to get this done. If they succeed in staging this protest, the fans are going to be the real losers.

Maybe the riders should be able to keep the radios and do away with the bike. That should totally eliminate any safety concerns

 

[royalpig180]

Regardless of how you feel about the issue of radios in particular (personally, I don't really have a strong opinion either way), the UCI needs to let the riders have a say. Yes, it sucks for us fans and for some of the riders that a perfectly good race like this won't be recognized by the UCI because of it, but lets face it. If teams are willing to forfeit results from these races, that's because the issue is important to them. To not even be willing to listen to them and give them a say is ridiculous! We'll see what happens, but somebody has to budge. If this issue isn't resolved by next year, when the radio ban comes to WorldTour races, then the TDU should be real interesting...

 

[Hmmmmm]

I just got to thinking that taking away the radio from some of the riders is probably like taking away an ipod or cell phone from some of your average citizens. Some people do not know how to walk or sit quietly without being entertained or kept busy fidgeting with something. Some of the pros probably do not know how to ride a bike without something stuck in their ear. We are not talking about rocket scientists here so their minds probably have some blank spots.

 

[Dewulf]

Regardless of how you feel about the issue of radios in particular (personally, I don't really have a strong opinion either way), the UCI needs to let the riders have a say. Yes, it sucks for us fans and for some of the riders that a perfectly good race like this won't be recognized by the UCI because of it, but lets face it. If teams are willing to forfeit results from these races, that's because the issue is important to them. To not even be willing to listen to them and give them a say is ridiculous! We'll see what happens, but somebody has to budge. If this issue isn't resolved by next year, when the radio ban comes to WorldTour races, then the TDU should be real interesting...

Pretty interesting how riders and teams get in the media and say "we don't have a say!"...and you believe them. Fyi, the riders and teams have the AIGCP, headed up by Matt Vaughters, who most definitely have communicated their opinions on this issue to the UCI, on multiple occasions, as well as publicly documenting those opinions in the press. So let's get this straight - they have a voice, and it has been heard.

And yet they still complain, and say they want more 'recognition', which surely means they want the ability to make or influence decisions about the rules themselves. Now tell me one big sport that allows that to happen. I can't imagine any.

Next, read this: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/former-cpa-president-vasseur-reacts-to-radio-ban
In it, ex riders association president Cedric Vasseur details how recent surveys over the last couple of years on this very issue got very little feedback from riders, and what they did get was 50 -50 for and against banning radios. He surmises this current opposition is driven by the teams and their desire to control the race, and I think he's 100% correct on that.

Especially since we see very little call from the teams for a neutral safety only radio, despite 'safety' supposedly being the reason for the boycotts etc. BMC's recent statement gives me hope or at least confirms what i expected from that team - they aren't little sooks like rabobannk etc. The rest of them though...well it's all big business and sponsorship dollars uber alles isn't it. Except if racing continues to be predictable then will they really getting as many spectators as they could? Don't think so.

 

[Polish]

Think it was Phil Anderson who was among the first to use the Radio.
Motorola was the Team Sponsor and also the radio maker.
Bulky unit under the saddle.....
Do not remember any other teams complaining that Motorola had an advantage or anything like that. UCI did not raise a stink either iirc....
Just FYI, don't mean to go off topic.

 

[auscyclefan94]

What the UCI should do is tell the teams that they can use radios if they want to, but no points will be awarded to a member of a team that uses radios. When a team's ProTour license comes up for renewal and they are not one of the top eighteen teams...well, there are lots of teams that want ProTour status.

Well if you get enough top teams behind the protest and then take away their license then the World Tour licenses become a bigger joke.

I really don't notice the difference between races w or w/o radio so far. So I really don't get the fuzz with people backing the UCI.

Besides, the UCI has made so many crap decisions lately it's hard to ever support them. The riders are probably right.

So can you explain to me then why rabobank are doing this stupid boycott then? We can't just keep on taking shots at the UCI for everything as it sometimes gets a little old. Why don't the riders just follow the rules?

 

[royalpig180]

Pretty interesting how riders and teams get in the media and say "we don't have a say!"...and you believe them. Fyi, the riders and teams have the AIGCP, headed up by Matt Vaughters, who most definitely have communicated their opinions on this issue to the UCI, on multiple occasions, as well as publicly documenting those opinions in the press. So let's get this straight - they have a voice, and it has been heard. And yet they still complain, and say they want more 'recognition', which surely means they want the ability to make or influence decisions about the rules themselves. Now tell me one big sport that allows that to happen. I can't imagine any.

Next, read this: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/former-cpa-president-vasseur-reacts-to-radio-ban
In it, ex riders association president Cedric Vasseur details how recent surveys over the last couple of years on this very issue got very little feedback from riders, and what they did get was 50 -50 for and against banning radios. He surmises this current opposition is driven by the teams and their desire to control the race, and I think he's 100% correct on that.

Especially since we see very little call from the teams for a neutral safety only radio, despite 'safety' supposedly being the reason for the boycotts etc. BMC's recent statement gives me hope or at least confirms what i expected from that team - they aren't little sooks like rabobannk etc. The rest of them though...well it's all big business and sponsorship dollars uber alles isn't it. Except if racing continues to be predictable then will they really getting as many spectators as they could? Don't think so.

I don't follow your logic. The AIGCP is "the voice of the riders" and it "has been heard". This is not the case. Yes, we've all heard what the AIGCP and the riders have to say (that they want radios), but that's not the point. The point is that the UCI has ignored the AIGCP, so what I'm saying is that the riders have no voice where it matters--in the governing body of the sport.

Now you mention that no other major sport lets its riders have a say in its governace. This isn't true. Look at several major American sports leagues--the NFL, the MLB, the NHL, etc. They all have collective bargaining agreements between the league and the players. It is through these negotiations that the players have a voice--in the lenght of the schedule, or in the rules (if they really wanted). Also, cycling is more dependent on its riders for funding (sponsors pay succesful teams, and riders need to help maintain the image of the teams and the sport). Safety is even more of an issue in cycling, one of the most dangerous sports in the world (just look up the number of deaths per participant for some common sports). Riders need to have a say, especially where their safety is at stake.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Well if you get enough top teams behind the protest and then take away their license then the World Tour licenses become a bigger joke.



So can you explain to me then why rabobank are doing this stupid boycott then? We can't just keep on taking shots at the UCI for everything as it sometimes gets a little old. Why don't the riders just follow the rules?

Why throw your arrows at Rabobank just because they are in the news now about it?

LOL. It's ALL the peloton that feels this way (few exceptions here and there)..
Don't act so ridicolous all the time.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I don't follow your logic. The AIGCP is "the voice of the riders" and it "has been heard". This is not the case. Yes, we've all heard what the AIGCP and the riders have to say (that they want radios), but that's not the point. The point is that the UCI has ignored the AIGCP, so what I'm saying is that the riders have no voice where it matters--in the governing body of the sport.

Now you mention that no other major sport lets its riders have a say in its governace. This isn't true. Look at several major American sports leagues--the NFL, the MLB, the NHL, etc. They all have collective bargaining agreements between the league and the players. It is through these negotiations that the players have a voice--in the lenght of the schedule, or in the rules (if they really wanted). Also, cycling is more dependent on its riders for funding (sponsors pay succesful teams, and riders need to help maintain the image of the teams and the sport). Safety is even more of an issue in cycling, one of the most dangerous sports in the world (just look up the number of deaths per participant for some common sports). Riders need to have a say, especially where their safety is at stake.

So because the riders body does not like the radio ban the UCI should automatically change the rule for them? We might as well have the riders run cycling then. Because the UCI has ruled against what the riders want that does not mean they didn't listen to their point of view.

Having radios is also a dangerous issue as all the directors warn their riders there is a dangerous corner coming up through the radio. The whole peleton of 180 riders tries race to the front to get through a dangerous corner or section in the 1st 20 places therefore there is a very high chance of a crash anyway.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Why throw your arrows at Rabobank just because they are in the news now about it?

LOL. It's ALL the peloton that feels this way (few exceptions here and there)..
Don't act so ridicolous all the time.

I wasn't acting ridiculous or ridicolous. i think you misinterpret my tone in my posts.

It seems like most riders support having radios because what type of person is going to speak out when they are happy with something? That is why the complainers sound like more of a majority.