Too many people on the road

[ozerulz]

Given that there are now more teams in the wt races and given that there are more crashes taking riders out, shouldnt the number of riders per team be reduced? Cutting teams down to 7 riders per squad would put the same number of riders on the roads as there used to be. Fewer riders, fewer accidents. Thoughts?

 

[UlleGigo]

Fewer riders compared to when? Same number of riders compared to when?

Maybe reducing the number of riders per team would reduce the number of crashes but it will never happen. Even so I don't think there has been that many crashes this year. There has certainly been a lot worse in years past.

 

[argyllflyer]

Given that there are now more teams in the wt races and given that there are more crashes taking riders out, shouldnt the number of riders per team be reduced? Cutting teams down to 7 riders per squad would put the same number of riders on the roads as there used to be. Fewer riders, fewer accidents. Thoughts?

The only race which definitely had more teams than before that I can think of was the Giro as they'd already issued wildcards before Katusha's CAS appeal. As with the Tour, other races are reducing wildcards by one.

The biggest crash of the season I can think of was Tour of Turkey but it was a field chock-full of sprinters. Solution to less crashes is less sprint stages!

 

[peterst6906]

Is the current number of crashes unacceptable?

 

[DirtyWorks]

Except crashes will happen anyway. I think smaller teams is a great idea for different reasons.

 

[Afrank]

Yes, reduce the size of the teams. to lessen the risk of crashes by having to cram fewer riders onto the small roads, and to make things harder to control and thus make the racing more exciting.

 

[IndianCyclist]

Yes, reduce the size of the teams. to lessen the risk of crashes by having to cram fewer riders onto the small roads, and to make things harder to control and thus make the racing more exciting.

6 riders 33 teams? May lead to more chaos

 

[Afrank]

6 riders 33 teams? May lead to more chaos

I would keep the number of teams in the race the same, just reduce the number of riders on each team.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Yes, reduce the size of the teams. to lessen the risk of crashes by having to cram fewer riders onto the small roads, and to make things harder to control and thus make the racing more exciting.

That's not how crashes typically happen.

The how they generally happen is riders insist on creating a space near the front where there is none, overlap a wheel and BAM! down part of the field goes.

The common element is the race enters some critical moment where riders need to be at the front. You'll find crashes on wide-open road as frequently as narrow, serpentine roads when the the race has reached some critical point on the course.

Smaller teams definitely make controlling the whole peloton much harder. For sure. That's why I like the idea of smaller teams anyway.

 

[Afrank]

That's not how crashes typically happen.

The how they generally happen is riders insist on creating a space near the front where there is none, overlap a wheel and BAM! down part of the field goes.

The common element is the race enters some critical moment where riders need to be at the front. You'll find crashes on wide-open road as frequently as narrow, serpentine roads when the the race has reached some critical point on the course.

Smaller teams definitely make controlling the whole peloton much harder. For sure. That's why I like the idea of smaller teams anyway.

With less riders on the road though it is likely the risks of a crash will decrease due to their being just slightly less riders trying to get up to the front. Crashes will of course still occur, it's impossible to eliminate them. But less riders could in theory make it easy for riders to move around in the peloton and help to reduce the risk.

 

[StyrbjornSterki]

Better to keep the same number of riders on each team, but put outrigger wheels on everyone's bikes. Then they can't fall over.

 

[ozerulz]

The number of wt spots was increased from 18 to 21 a few years ago. Crashes did occur up to that point but not like they do now. Not in frequency nor total damage. Making the teams smaller increases the variability in the races. Also it forces teams to decide if the will contend for the gc or not. Essentially a team that wants to put up a sprint train will eliminate itself from the gc. Reducing the riders to 7 per team would improve safety and make the races more interesting.

 

[DirtyWorks]

The number of wt spots was increased from 18 to 21 a few years ago. Crashes did occur up to that point but not like they do now. Not in frequency nor total damage.

That's not a function of more riders. That's a function of top-twenty(??) get points. You'll note the suicide break has gone away from most races as well. Yes, there's still an early one, but not the same thing as the early attackers.

 

[murali]

i dont see a relationship between crashes and number of riders in the current pelaton.

Crashes are known race incidents and are bound to happen. Only the race organizers can do anything to avoid it. (like the stupid course with 2 90 deg bend in the final 650m)