Blind tandem racing

[User]

 

[coffeejo]

The pilot can be the best cyclist in the world but as I understand it, to be the pilot, s/he can't compete professionally for a year before the competition.

 

[coffeejo]

[QUOTE 4461929, member: 76"]So, wouldn't that give the co-pilot an advantage? If Chris Hoy was on the front and I was on the back, surely that would give us a massively unfair advantage?[/QUOTE]
Not really as you would have to (a) persuade Chris Hoy to give up his own career and get a job to fit in with your schedule and (b) be able to keep up with him on the bike, hence the point about cycling in sync: the cadence is essentially set by the slowest rider.

 

[Crackle]

Ah this reminds me of my drunken night out now when we were watching this in the pub and my mate opined that it must be difficult if the pilot can't see, to which we replied yes but the bloke behind gives him instruction, STRAIGHT, STRAIGHT, LEFT, LEFT, LEFT, STRAIGHT......etc.... For a minute, we had him. Apart from that, I dunno.

 

[coffeejo]

Hmmm. Hadn't considered power vs cadence. Further investigation is required.

 

[coffeejo]

Struggling to find an answer but I was wrong about the 12 months thing. The rules have been changed:

• Cyclists who were members of a UCI ProTeam or UCI Professional Continental Team must respect a waiting period of 24 months after their contract expires before taking part as a tandem pilot. This waiting period comes to 12 months for cyclists who were members of one of the other UCI teams described at article 1.1.041 of the UCI rules.

• Men and women cyclists over 18 years of age, may race as tandem pilots, provided they have not
  been selected by their national federation in one of the following events (all disciplines):
  - UCI World Championships (except Masters) and Olympic Games – at least 24 months preceding the para-cycling event;
  - UCI World Cup, regional games and continental championships (i.e. Commonwealth games,
  Panamerican games, Asian games, Mediterranean games, European Championships, …) – at
  least 12 months before the para-cycling event.

 

[HF2300]

[QUOTE 4461952, member: 76"]The same cadence is the easy bit. The power put out by Chris Hoy at the each pedal stroke will be huge compared to me. So we could both be on the same bike, pedalling at the same rate, but Hoy would be responsible for 80% of the power.

Don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting that there is loads of cheating going on, just that the potential is there isn't it?

And Chris Hoy would reach the competing professionally for a year threshold.[/QUOTE]

I don't see what the issue is, or how it's cheating. It's common for the pilot to be an ex- 'pro' or olympic track cyclist (Craig McLean, for example) and both riders are doing the work. The pilot must always be more powerful and faster than the stoker, so the pilot doesn't hold them back; but for the top competitors at least, it's not as if the pilot is just dragging any old stoker around, so it's not really comparable to you and Hoy on a tandem.

If you think about it, there will always be a performance incentive for the stoker to be as capable as possible; a Hoy dragging a blind passenger around is not going to be competitive against a strong pilot / stoker combination where both are contributing as much as possible.

There's also a lot more to it than just power; there's a lot of skill involved, not least in controlling the tandem which is a big old pig of a thing to ride on track, co-ordination between pilot and stoker, etc. Every little wobble from the stoker, or stoker and pilot doing slightly different things when they should be doing the same, can have a significant effect. Both need to be in harmony, just as the elements in a pursuit team, say, have to be in harmony.

Mind you, I think there's a lot of mileage in the way @Crackle suggests doing it...

 

[coffeejo]

I don't see what the issue is, or how it's cheating. It's common for the pilot to be an ex- 'pro' or olympic track cyclist (Craig McLean, for example) and both riders are doing the work. The pilot must always be more powerful and faster than the stoker, so the pilot doesn't hold them back; but for the top competitors at least, it's not as if the pilot is just dragging any old stoker around, so it's not really comparable to you and Hoy on a tandem.

If you think about it, there will always be a performance incentive for the stoker to be as capable as possible; a Hoy dragging a blind passenger around is not going to be competitive against a strong pilot / stoker combination where both are contributing as much as possible.

There's also a lot more to it than just power; there's a lot of skill involved, not least in controlling the tandem which is a big old pig of a thing to ride on track, co-ordination between pilot and stoker, etc. Every little wobble from the stoker, or stoker and pilot doing slightly different things when they should be doing the same, can have a significant effect. Both need to be in harmony, just as the elements in a pursuit team, say, have to be in harmony.

Mind you, I think there's a lot of mileage in the way @Crackle suggests doing it...

Thanks for explaining that.

 

[HF2300]

[QUOTE 4462220, member: 76"]I was just mulling the whole thing over. I mean lots of those pesky foreigners who like cheating could train a monster of a cyclist, just to be a pilot for their blind rider, then they would be unbeatable.

I wonder if it would better to have a 'cox' on the bike. So the pilot doesn't have any peddling input. Obviously this person would have to be as light as a feather, and the times would drop, but it would be the blind person doing the work.

Apart from all of that, how brave do you have to be to be partially sighted, or blind, then strap yourself to a 10 foot long bike and go hurtling round a steep wooden track at stupid speeds just holding on? Utmost respect for that. I would definitely want Chris Hoy on the front of my bike [/QUOTE]

The cox idea is intriguing, but I think you're still thinking of it in terms of the pilot doing all the work while the stoker's just along for the ride, and that's just not what happens.

"You can’t just expect a super-strong pilot to drag around a stoker. That’s not how tandem racing works at the speeds we go at" - Chris Furber, former Team GB tandem coach

Thanks for explaining that.

Thanks Jo, not sure if it's an explanation though, just the very limited amount I know.

 

[coffeejo]

Thanks Jo, not sure if it's an explanation though, just the very limited amount I know.

It fits with what I thought I knew before I read this thread and am yet to read anything to contradict it.

 

[T4tomo]

Yes the strongest team will win, which a combo of strength of both pilot and stoker and how they coordinate. Its a team event, different to say coxless pair rowing.

I know my tandem goes quickest with my mate or strongest kid on the back and slower with the wife or youngest daughter.

 

[Buddfox]

Presumably the organisers are not concerned about the power and ability of the front rider being too much of a factor, otherwise they could just switch to a model where you have someone who just steers the bike. That person is subject to a minimum weight limit, like coxing, and all's fair in love and war.

 

[G3CWI]

I would take a different tack. Design a tandem where the two opposing competitors face in different directions. Each rider drives the wheel behind them and compete to drive the bike in their direction. A sort of cycling tug of war...