Professional Cycling For the Fans - Isn't using same times for the Peloton old tech?

I understand that all the riders in the peleton receive the same time at the end of the stage and also if you crash within 1km of the end you get the same time as your team mates. This seems to be very 'old tech' considering we now have easy and cheap access to such technologies as transponders. I am assuming the current rules are in place as a result of it being impractical to score 186 riders accurately on a manual stopwatch. Why not give every rider a transponder and attach it to the from fork dropout and score each rider to the 1/1000th of a second and have them all really race for the line? Seems like that would be a far truer repesentation of the fastest tour rider.

My 0.02c

Jon Andrews.

Do you really want to see 100+ cyclists all trying to sprint for position at the end of a race? Its done for safety

Yeah, it wouldn't really be a representation of the fastest rider as much as it would be the representation of the rider that gets lucky enough to avoid the wrecks and also aggressive enough to shove everyone else out of the way and cause wrecks.

No.

s.t. is much safer.

Yeah, it wouldn't really be a representation of the fastest rider as much as it would be the representation of the rider that gets lucky enough to avoid the wrecks and also aggressive enough to shove everyone else out of the way and cause wrecks.

I think you are overlooking a key point here. As it currently stands the peleton just coasts through the finish line in a pack since they all get the same time. If they were timed individually there would be an true incentive for those in the mid pack and the back to make a sprint maybe 1,2,3 km out or more. Therefore there would NOT be this huge pack crossing the line at the same time they would be strung out the the fans would be treated to multiple sprints and races to the finish all the way back to the 186th rider.

Jon.

I think you are overlooking a key point here. As it currently stands the peleton just coasts through the finish line in a pack since they all get the same time. If they were timed individually there would be an true incentive for those in the mid pack and the back to make a sprint maybe 1,2,3 km out or more. Therefore there would NOT be this huge pack crossing the line at the same time they would be strung out the the fans would be treated to multiple sprints and races to the finish all the way back to the 186th rider.

Jon.


This is flawed logic. You're saying by riders racing right up to the line the sprint would occur up to 3km out??

You haven't seen much bike racing, have you?

Also, why would 80% of the bunch care about racing for a few seconds here or there? They're not in the Tour for GC contention.

I think you are overlooking a key point here. As it currently stands the peleton just coasts through the finish line in a pack since they all get the same time. If they were timed individually there would be an true incentive for those in the mid pack and the back to make a sprint maybe 1,2,3 km out or more. Therefore there would NOT be this huge pack crossing the line at the same time they would be strung out the the fans would be treated to multiple sprints and races to the finish all the way back to the 186th rider.

Jon.

You like figure 8 racing right? Timing individual p[laces is a sure fire way to ganerate crashes. Of course this is entirely moot. If the organizerrs tried it there would be a riders strike and all teh real fans would support the riders. But the organizers would never do this, in fact they have been going the opposite direction, extending the distance from the finish where a fall still gives you the time of the group you were with farther out in the last couple of years.

imagine how many protests you'd have to review with all 190 riders sprinting for every second of time.

Also, transponders only work if you keep the same bike/wheel that has it attached. If you need a bike swap, crash, break the transponder, what happens? It's logistically a nightmare to use transponders in a tour and there is no point.

I can just imagine all the GC contenders being led out by their respective teams for the sprint. That would be an absolute DISASTER with top teams vying for top 5 placings. Crashes would be inevitable and extremely dangerous for the following peleton. I suggest you watch more bike racing. The sprints are dangerous enough as it is......

I can see it all now a 100 cycle pileup at the end of the stage so you do not lose a couple of seconds.

I can see it all now a 100 cycle pileup at the end of the stage so you do not lose a couple of seconds.

Yes, this would all be good entertainment anyway...sort of like NASCAR I suppose. :rolleyes: :crash:

Thanks for the reams of stupid ****, smart arse, 'holier than thou' responses, you do your egos proud.

I think you are overlooking a key point here. As it currently stands the peleton just coasts through the finish line in a pack since they all get the same time. If they were timed individually there would be an true incentive for those in the mid pack and the back to make a sprint maybe 1,2,3 km out or more. Therefore there would NOT be this huge pack crossing the line at the same time they would be strung out the the fans would be treated to multiple sprints and races to the finish all the way back to the 186th rider.

Jon.

You do not know what your are talking about. It is an absolutely idiotic idea and will never be implemented (thank god). I guess you have not done a lot of mass-start races, with multiple stages and GC calculations.

What is the issue that the riders further back "coast" through. They do not get any of the prizes for the top finishes for that day, points, recognition etc. Go away and think for a really long time about this until you see that it is idiotic. BTW, in many, many posts on a number of boards, I have never called a proposal idiotic before.

Do you really think that the riders in front that are breaking the wind would ride away from those behind who are drafting? Have you done a lot of riding at 30 mph with riders inches in front of you, in back of you and on both sides? Go do that for four hours straight and then come back and tell us why you still think that you have a great idea that the UCI and all of the other bicycle racing organizations have never thought of. Next, think what you would charge for insurance for covering such an event, including the liability insurance for the orgainization that set up the rules. Remember to work in treble damages because you are clearly negligent for arranging such a situation when the results are readily foreseeable (and would be duplicated time and time again).

Then contemplate why the riders groups are arguing for a change in the rules wherein on a flat (mass start) stage all riders in a group in the last 1000 meters that get the group time; the riders want it moved back to 2000 or 3000 meters.

I just can't see 170 domestiques sprinting and risking their careers so they can gain a few seconds in a race that they're going to finish in 100th place anyway.

Bad idea. Sorry.

Thanks for the reams of stupid ****, smart arse, 'holier than thou' responses, you do your egos proud. Wow-I thought we were being nice. :D

Transponder - Bike mount + Slingshot = Finishing 200m before the line. Bwah ha ha ha ha.

Other way... smother it in GU and stick it on the back of a sprinter.

Thanks for the reams of stupid ****, smart arse, 'holier than thou' responses, you do your egos proud.

I think the people who less-than-politely told you to watch more racing are absolutely out of order, but only in terms of the tone they used- there's definitely some holier-than-thou BS in one or two responses. Otherwise, everything everyone has said about both safety and practicality is absolutely correct, and while I genuinely do understand the point you're getting at, I want to stress that it is quite simply a terrible idea and not practical in the least. Really. I say that without criticism of your post, it is simply an honest, pull-no-punches response.

Wow-I thought we were being nice. :D


me too.

Can't we all just get along? ;)