Originally Posted by
vane171
How about simplifying things by not allowing whole bike changes, only wheels. If your bikes crocks, you are out of the race, period. In some automobile and maybe other races, you are not allowed to switch to a second vehicle, only switch part of them and that probably also only limited times. Like Dakar or those American car races on circuits, F1... no idea if that would carry over into bike races, probably not.
History in bicycle races was that you got to carry your spare tire(s), and had to work on your bike only yourself (I think), even if you stopped by the roadside workshop of some kind in a town.
That's the same ethos as in mountain biking, at least back in the day. I remember a Swiss fan I met at a NORBA race who tried desperately to help out Frischknecht with a water bottle and got waved off vigorously, because riders couldn't accept help. Or the guy was just being a pain, I dunno. But I remember that if you flatted, you had to fix it yourself, etc.