I beg to differ with the OP. Just look at what racing has done for performance enhancement pharmaceuticals and innovative cheating techniques. It's phenomenal!

OP is basically covering territory covered by Grant Peterson in his book Just Ride. It is a good read and he makes some good points.

There are different bicycles for different types of riding. 'Racing' does not necessarily improve the breed. Road racing technology will not improve loaded touring bikes. Neither will it improve 'freestyle' BMX. The converse is also true. The advancements in road racing technology will improve road racing. How that technology will improve cycling for the average recreational rider is a matter of what can be adopted or adapted for use by a rider just interested in riding a MUP with his kids in tow on their bikes. Will a 'uber-race Carbon Fiber weight weenie bike' help the guy riding to the corner store to buy a pack of cigarettes and a bag of chips? No. Does that same poor schlub need a full-suspension MTB trials bike? No. Does that guy need a 11-speed corncob cassette out back? No. Does that guy need electronic shifting? No.

As for racing improving the breed in other things... Does America's Cup racing improve the average sailboat? No. Does NASCAR racing improve the Chevy in your driveway? Does NHRA Top Fuel funny car racing improve that same Chevy in your driveway? No. No. Does Unlimited Air Racing at Reno improve the flight qualities or performance of a Cessna 172? No. Does it improve fuel efficiency of a Boeing 767 on a flight from Chicago to Honolulu? No.

But racing is fun for those involved in that sport. To be the best in any racing discipline takes money - lots of money.

To be the best in bike racing takes picking the right parents and a willingness and focus to train. If you have those things, someone will find you and give you a bike.

the competition between the engineering departments making ever more expensive components to showcase
on the pro racing circuits , seems to be sufficiently profitable, by reading all the posters
who feel driven to own the components the Pro teams display.

If you were to lurk in the 33, you'd see that there is a lot less discussion about what equipment the pro teams use than there is about training, nutrition, tactics, and how to balance racing and life.

Automobile racing absolutely has improved autombiles used on the street.

A hugh number of innovations have come from auto racing, particularly sports car racing.

Here's a chart of just the things Porsche has done:




Currently, racing is pushing the envelope on fuel efficiency and developing advanced hybrid technologies.

Endurance car racing, and Formula 1 both limit the amount of fuel a car can use. That has lead to the development of hybrid sytems that produce 400 hp/liter of displacement, and get 80 plus mpg.

That technology has already found its way to Porsche's street legal 918 that produces 887hp and gets 85mpg.

It will trickle down to more affordable cars over time.

Depends. For hobby riding, yes. For practical transport riding, not as much. I agree with Grant Peterson completely on one point: Road bikes are way overgeared for most of us. Installing a 12-28 mountain cassette on my road bike made it a more enjoyable bike to ride.

SOme of those technologies were used LONG before Porche used them! Mechanical Fuel injection was used in the late '50s by Chevy, and for that matter my Diamler Benz in the '30s in the DB601 engine used in the Messerschmitt 109. Roller cam followers - radial aircraft engines. Roller rocker arms - aircraft engines. Aluminum 4-valve heads - aircraft engines. Multi-piston aluminum caliper disc brakes - aircraft. Vented disc brakes - aircraft. bladder fuel tanks - aircraft! Turbocharging with bypass - aircraft! Dual ignition - Aircraft! All 1930s/1940s technology!