Professional Cycling For the Fans - What is that "Yellow do-hickey" hanging from the left chain stay?

Folks,

This may be a noob question, or perhaps I'm not up on the latest tech (which may be true, I haven't seriously shopped for bike stuff for 3 years) but I'm watching Le Tour, and I see all bike with this yellow do-hickey thing on the left chain stay.

Is it a compact jet propulsion mechanism that makes these guys twice as fast as me?

T.J.

It's a transponder, for computerized timing. Of course, the TdF's pack-finish rules often override the times received from these transponders.

- Warren

It's a transponder, for computerized timing. Of course, the TdF's pack-finish rules often override the times received from these transponders.

- Warren

Ahhh...... thanks for the quick response. A transopnder.

T.J.

Speaking of transponders (or not), as a GPS-using biker I found this article on GPS tracking during last year's TdF interesting:

http://www.esa.int/esapub/bulletin/bulletin120/bul120d_detain.pdf

"Thanks to the new European EGNOS satellite-positioning system, it was possible to accurately track the positions and speeds of riders in this year’s Tour de France cycle race in real time! A first trial was conducted over the race’s famous and tortuous Alpe d’Huez stage on 21 July."

Erling.

Speaking of transponders (or not), as a GPS-using biker I found this article on GPS tracking during last year's TdF interesting:

http://www.esa.int/esapub/bulletin/bulletin120/bul120d_detain.pdf

"Thanks to the new European EGNOS satellite-positioning system, it was possible to accurately track the positions and speeds of riders in this year’s Tour de France cycle race in real time! A first trial was conducted over the race’s famous and tortuous Alpe d’Huez stage on 21 July."

Erling.

That was how those marathoners Memorial day in Chicago immediately knew the race was 1 mile too long as they crossed the finish line. :D

When I first read the title I thought he was talking about a LiveStrong band!

it keeps them from sneaking off the course and taking the train to the finish :)

Speaking of transponders (or not), as a GPS-using biker I found this article on GPS tracking during last year's TdF interesting:

http://www.esa.int/esapub/bulletin/bulletin120/bul120d_detain.pdf

"Thanks to the new European EGNOS satellite-positioning system, it was possible to accurately track the positions and speeds of riders in this year’s Tour de France cycle race in real time! A first trial was conducted over the race’s famous and tortuous Alpe d’Huez stage on 21 July."

Erling.

Ummm, so why doesn't OLN tell us this?

and I see all bike with this yellow do-hickey thing on the left chain stay.


http://www.amb-it.com/modules/?name=News

they do mention it on OLN now and then, atleast they have in the past, it's actually how i found out what it was.

I believe that these yellow transponders are dealing with timing only. The satellite system I referred to goes far beyond that, and is still in its development stages. Quote from the article:


A further aim of the project is to use the EGNOS data to construct a virtual image of each rider’s progress. The accuracy of EGNOS is such that the position of any moving object equipped with a receiver can be pinpointed to within 1 metre. It will therefore be possible to watch the progress of each rider through all the stages of the Tour against the backdrop of a 3-D visualisation of the surrounding countryside. The combination of precise topographical data and data on the position of each rider will provide a 3-D real-time picture of the competition. This will be an invaluable addition to television broadcasts, which are currently unable to show all of the riders. With this kind of system, each broadcaster will, for example, be able to have a dedicated channel on which viewers can choose which rider they want to follow without needing to have a camera trained on each cyclist. This value-added service is currently under development within the framework of a partnership between the European Space Agency, Tour de France organiser ASO, and the computer graphics firm Trimaran.
Sorry if I caused any confusion!

Erling.

Is it a compact jet propulsion mechanism that makes these guys twice as fast as me?

T.J.
Don't listen to everyone else, it really IS a jet-propulsion device. Sneaky lil buggers :)