Stephen "Radical" Roche

[Zam_Olyas]

So now we hear from Vaughters, in response to Roche's (trivial) ideas. We have Pat McQaid and we heard of Michael Ashenden and Ann Gripper.

Are there also non-anglosaxons who float 'innovative' ideas, or who have opinions on how to move forward in cycling. Surely there must have been, let's say, people from Belgium, France, Italy or Spain who commented on such issues, right?

Or are the aforementioned people the brain trust of international cycling?

Anglo-saxons always have the best ideas and they are always right.

 

[therhodeo]

The jerseys? Meh I don't care. If the sponsors want them on then keep them on. I think its part of the atmosphere on long climbs to see guys with unzipped jerseys grinding away.

Taking pulls from the cars to get on? I don't want to see a race won or lost by a contender not getting back on because of some stupid tangle up on a sprint stage.

Radios? Ban em. If they want a word from the car, send a domestique back to have a chat.

 

[Caruut]

There has to be a solution that incorporates the alleged safety feature of the radios, but doesn't result in no tactics needed from riders. Apart from that Roche is just spouting hot air, moaning about how kids these days have it so easy. For most of the season, the jerseys stay zipped up, it's only mountains in the summer (admittedly a big part of the season publicity-wise) where they get unzipped. If a sponsor wants that, then let 'em talk to their team. Otherwise, it's a non-issue. Besides, there isn't much difference in what you can see sponsor-wise.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

The jerseys? Meh I don't care. If the sponsors want them on then keep them on. I think its part of the atmosphere on long climbs to see guys with unzipped jerseys grinding away.

Taking pulls from the cars to get on? I don't want to see a race won or lost by a contender not getting back on because of some stupid tangle up on a sprint stage.

Radios? Ban em. If they want a word from the car, send a domestique back to have a chat.

I agree with this.

 

[movingtarget]

It's true what Roche says about riders trying to get back into the peloton from a bike change or whatever. They spend god knows how long riding behind their team car and don't move until the commissaires make an appearance. You see it every classic and the same when there is a fall. I have never liked radios. The sport is becoming more anaemic in that regard. I agree with most of what he said, as for the unzipping of jerseys, that should be a personal choice. Can't see what harm that does.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/stephen-roche-were-trying-to-upgrade-the-image-of-cycling

I did not know that Stephen was so radical:

No help from team cars after crash. " it’s a form of cheating and it confuses the public."
No unzip the jerseys. " "If you don’t stop it now, they’ll have no jerseys on shortly."
No radios. "They’ve been looked upon as zombies, no brains, for years, and all the credit for tactics has been given to the team managers in the car,"

Comments....

Guess good old Stephen could have used a race radio to get him show up on time for the team time trial back then

Or is Stephen related to Sepp Blatter? Lets stick with the good old days boys!

 

[movingtarget]

Guess good old Stephen could have used a race radio to get him show up on time for the team time trial back then

Or is Stephen related to Sepp Blatter? Lets stick with the good old days boys!

Cycling has been using video technology for years..........roundball is still thinking about it.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

Cycling has been using video technology for years..........roundball is still thinking about it.

Good point!

For Roche - or should we say Rocchi -, in my opinion the man first has to clear other things from his past till I'll take anything seriously what comes out of his mouth.

Why not forbid team doctors for instance, mister Roche? Why do you let your own son do a sport which is known to have a sometimes questionable health issues?

I agree, such things are less interesting as to a DS radio, an open shirt or the other bs he is talking about.

 

[Hawkwood]

Let's just remember that in the early to mid 90s when EPO had taken hold the UCI banned spinachi bars (spelling?) claiming they had speeded the bunch up, but were dangerous. Bear in mind that pros had ridden with their arms draped over the bars since at least 1980 and still do, so the spinachis simply made this safer.

 

[wirral]

Roche is getting into the political side of the sport. With this statement, you need to consider who is his target audience and what he aims to achieve by it.

Anyone ever heard of a "trial balloon"?

 

[Arnout]

Roche is getting into the political side of the sport. With this statement, you need to consider who is his target audience and what he aims to achieve by it.

Anyone ever heard of a "trial balloon"?

Not another Irishman as head of UCI, thank you very much.

 

[42x16ss]

So now we hear from Vaughters, in response to Roche's (trivial) ideas. We have Pat McQaid and we heard of Michael Ashenden and Ann Gripper.

Are there also non-anglosaxons who float 'innovative' ideas, or who have opinions on how to move forward in cycling. Surely there must have been, let's say, people from Belgium, France, Italy or Spain who commented on such issues, right?

Or are the aforementioned people the brain trust of international cycling?

Michael Ashendon and Anne Gripper aren't the brains trust of cycling. Pat, Hein and Johan live in utter fear of something like that happening....

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

So now we hear from Vaughters, in response to Roche's (trivial) ideas. We have Pat McQaid and we heard of Michael Ashenden and Ann Gripper.

Are there also non-anglosaxons who float 'innovative' ideas, or who have opinions on how to move forward in cycling. Surely there must have been, let's say, people from Belgium, France, Italy or Spain who commented on such issues, right?

Or are the aforementioned people the brain trust of international cycling?

I'm not sure that Celts like Roche and McQuaid would appreciate being described as Anglo Saxons.

Of the issues he raises, the trickiest to solve is drafting. (Jersey zipping is between the teams and their employees, and radio undermining rider intelligence while maintaining safety can be solved by having rider to rider channels with override by race director).

One could legislate that a riders cannot follow their own car (must cycle off before the car follows), but following the vehicles of other teams (unaware of the rider close behind them, or, heaven forbid, antagonistic towards him) could be mopre dangerous. A commissaire in every team car is probably too expensive, and open to accusations of unhealthy "chumminess", and therefore corruption, developing during long boring sprinters' stages. What about a rear facing video camera in every car, to be checked either randomly (per doping random tests) or in the face of specific allegations (teams that cry wolf against their opponents too often will find that their accusations are not followed up after a while) Vast majority of tape can be watched on fast forward: it will take a large chunk of time for one or two commissaires each evening, but should allow a result overnight.