Might they have one year of only classic bikes at TdF?
 

No carbon fiber bikes or whatever, just the stuff Eddie had.

And NO DOGS, for crying out loud! :mad::rolleyes:

Gee, is it that bad? I gather that the host organization isn't invited to many parties but shouldn't going back to some basics as a simple and basic sporting trial be a top priority?

Why are there dopers?

BECAUSE CYCLING IS TOO SERIOUS

Why do guys need steroids to hit a baseball? Pretend to be WWE champion?

It's a bicycle touring competition. Nobody is trying to join NATO for protection.

Surviving a bike ride through France is the goal of the Tour de France. The ride and only the ride.

I saw that Tammy lady...she reminded me of the leader of Scorpions almost :(

Too many people want to be an ENGINE and not a cyclist. Like Everest or K2, TdF should defeat more than it allows or it isn't much sport. Perhaps TdF should merely SUPPORT the contestants and not offer prizes. F1 drivers rarely race because they need to conquer a track and Indy 500 drivers are searching for the glory of the finish, Borg-Warner Trophy and bottle of milk on a Sunday when the track truly determines the victor.

I'll quit babbling but I want some feedback from those that might know better or at least more than I would. This race used to be a lot of fun to watch.

Even if you could find someone to provide the bikes and the financial sponsorship that the bicycle industry contributes (with the intent of selling modern day bikes instead of classics) I doubt you could persuade the riders to do it. The race is currently hard enough, without factoring in a heavier bike with less gears.

I don't think harder is really an issue. For the guys in the race it isn't that the course is hard. Just as a ride virtually nothing on paved roads is really hard for them.

But the bikes are different, how you shift and ride is different. Even if Bill Gates took care of the bike end of things why would a top pro want to learn (yes it has been so long no one is still active as a rider who ever rode those bikes in competition ) a whole new style for one race?

Awhile back (maybe during the 60s) they ran either the whole race or a handful of stages on fixed gears as a "tribute" to the Tour's past. (This can be checked out I'm going on memory here.)

So, yes they "can" do such a thing and they might ban radios but other than the radios I wouldn't expect such an event, even as a "one-off" tribute.

The Tour has always been a commercial event but getting frame builders to provide such bikes today is unlikely. Few of them even carry steel frames in their line up any more. That doesn't mean the riders couldn't ride steel frames with other logos on them. In fact, that used to be common but I don't see it happening.

As far as why the racers would agree to do it, if le Tour decided to?

Well money comes to mind. Whoever wins the Tour becomes wealthy no matter what bike he's on and even though he typically gives his race winnings to his teammates.

:beer:

I don't recall any stages with fixed gears in a retro sense.

When gear systems were new there were a few years where there were in fact different classes of riders. The reap pros rode fixed gear and the not so pro category was allowed derailers. But that era is not far removed from being disqualified for having a blacksmiths helper man the bellows when a rider fixed his fork.

I have a recollection of reading about a "tribute" stage in the modern (derailleur equipped bikes) period but couldn't find mention of it during a short search of the races since 1957. It's certainly possible that I'm mis-remembering.

:beer:

just for the fun of it, let's make them do it all on a fixie one year. (with no brakes).

WTF? This post is all over the place, were you drinking when you wrote this?

Is this 1991?

Grrrr traditionalist....
The tour De France should let the bicycle industry bring to the table the absolute BEST desgins.. think trek Y -wing. These are machines let them build and race the fastest machine possible.

Gee, sorry...You forgot I like Elgins, Columbias, Hawthornes, Rollfasts, American Schwinns for the most part, you get the drift, and Y-wings are cool but there still has to come a day when the rider masters the machine and not himself. Perhaps a vintage class could tour prior to the regular Tour? Think of what that would do for the sport in general, and an AMATEUR race as well. Maybe no huge hills but there has to be a common bond for those who watch every year to participate in.

TdF seems to be dying on the vine with every scandal, give it new blood!

No i am not forgetting them. Think of it this way. Ferrari we think for the good of the sport that all car will be front engined with 16cyl inline engines and rear wheel drive.
Tour de France bikes should be a F1 for bicycles.that way they can truly say yes this rider won because of this bike. and they can sell that bike.
Good engineering is not a scandal
it will let the riders gain a competitive advantage with out doping.

I understand that well also but I'm afraid many of my friends have Specialized BMX, Huffy(!) Stone Mountain...all the firepower is closer to Boise...for an example I saw a Motobecane mixte frame yesterday on Craigslist and two Specialized P2s I think it was and at 900 bucks for one of them a recumbent might have been cheaper. I've been meaning to post a few Boise bikes to the eBay-CL thread anyway.

I'm still saying a separate class of race, shorter and not as tough but fun for the race fans would sound good to me.

It's a good pipe dream I guess :)

A fixed gear time trial with no weight restrictions on the bike would be entertaining and also give the bike industry a fun engineering project.

Exactly give them some braggeing rights... unless they are using custom frames with their parnt and logo's :) then i am sure some manufactures want to keep the status quo.

Not the TDF but something elsewhere they allow a race what you bring event. you wanna race a bent go ahead.

Hell no --- take away the bikes completely... make em run :rolleyes:

let's see them TT on this beast http://collection.rydjor.com/bikecollection/1986der.htm

Yeah, I've been thinking about an idea similar to this for a while now. Dave Millar used a fixie for the prologue one year. I think the riders are more than capable and probably willing, bragging rights all the way. Track cycling is getting bigger and bigger lately and this could be what the sport needs. It's hard to get youngsters into long road races, but on the track it's more encouraging and they see their results. Oh yeah, you're only allowed minimal mechanical help and NO overnight hotel stays. Maybe make it like a very long brevet. The simple novelty would attract a lot of fans, if nothing else.

Sam

Lets make it like Nascar where ever bike is the very same and bike companies bid for that years venue and supplies the whole race bikes . Each rider has 1 or 2 options of bikes to chose from so every rider is riding the same bike making it VERY even. AND if any rider is caught doping hes banned for life.

How about a stage on the track, inside a Velodrome. Either a prologue time trial or something like that. Put some interest in track back in the sport. We have sprint stages, mountain stages, time trials... why not track events for a day?

oh come on - we need to see a Penny Farthing stage!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_farthing