Modern Cycling

[nagden]

I have just listened to the ITV TDF podcast. They were discussing yesterday's stage and Michal kwiatkowski's stage win with Richard Carapaz. Peter Kennaugh was obviously overcome by the result and stated that it was like cycle racing used to be. He added that he was fed up with modern/clinical Cycling.
This made me think. Would cycle racing be better if we lost some of the technology and dependence on team orders and riders rode on instinct.

 

[Cathryn]

Before I start, I admit I know very little about pro-cycling, I watch the Tour each year and become a temporary armchair expert.

I think he may have a point though, team orders via radio make it more 'organised' - riders don't have the opportunity to hone that racing instinct. I'm more of a runner than a cyclist and one thing I love about watching marathon racing is how individual runners hone their instinct, know when to go, when to stay with the pack. I wonder if pro-cycling has lost that.

 

[Milkfloat]

Without wanted to disagree with St Pete K, I don't think it really was racing of old. Race radios were used especially to dictate the first two places and without doubt power meters were used to keep riders in check. For sure it was not a complete snore fest of one teams over talented train taking apart everyone else, but it was not a classic stage like in days of old. For me, racing would be massively more entertaining without radios and power meters.

 

[wafter]

Dunno. I'm happy as long as I can go out and bimble around the countryside on one of my bicycles; be it the relatively new and expensive one or the one I found discarded by smackheads down the road

I don't follow pro-cycling particularly, but I do question a lot of product design and material trends in modern bikes, and again am happiest on something steel.. make of that what you will. If you make anything of it as it's maybe sod all to do with your question

 

[Aravis]

A few thoughts:

Maybe Kennaugh was being a bit hyperbolic. Unless you're a Sky/Ineos hater, yesterday was a refreshing change but I didn't recognise it as a throwback to something we used to see.

The way in which the Tour and other races are conducted has changed enormously, but not necessarily in ways people (including myself) think. It's undoubtedly true that the Tour used to be much longer, both individual stages and the total distance, and most would assume that time gaps used to be much larger. The reality is more nuanced; in 1966 the highest-placed rider over an hour behind the winner on GC was in 55th place, and there was just one finisher over two hours behind.

I get the impression that there's been a tendency towards tighter spacing at the top of the GC, with bigger gaps lower down.

Things seemed to change when Merckx came along. Maybe before he shook things up the leaders used to ride at a more leisurely pace. Watching footage of other sports from that time, such as tennis and figure skating, it all looks very relaxed compared to what we see nowadays.

But perhaps Kennaugh thinks the old days were when Contador was riding.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I have just listened to the ITV TDF podcast. They were discussing yesterday's stage and Michal kwiatkowski's stage win with Richard Carapaz. Peter Kennaugh was obviously overcome by the result and stated that it was like cycle racing used to be. He added that he was fed up with modern/clinical Cycling.
This made me think. Would cycle racing be better if we lost some of the technology and dependence on team orders and riders rode on instinct.

Todays stage the winner didn’t have team radio and his team car was behind the chasing group. So he just raced as hard as he could, around 30 mph. It was great racing today.

 

[snorri]

This thread should be retitled Modern Cycle Racing.

 

[Twilkes]

Watching footage of other sports from that time, such as tennis and figure skating, it all looks very relaxed compared to what we see nowadays.

 

[GuyBoden]

The team domination of races is an old tactic, Merckx had a great team with excellent riders.

"Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday the team met at his house just outside Brussels for a ride. Most of the team were Belgians, so they were expected to turn up. And the ride plan was simple and unwavering.

For almost the whole of January, the team rode 200 kilometres together. They rode side by side, swapping riders at the front. And they rode whatever the weather threw at them. Rain, hail or sleet, it didn’t matter.

They rode from Brussels to the East Flanders hills, the Flemish Ardennes, did a big loop of the Tour of Flanders climbs, then rode back to Brussels again."

 

[BrumJim]

Didn't Peter Kennaugh retire due to mental health issues? I guess that watching the finale of that stage he really understood the emotions being felt by Carapaz and Kwiatowsk and misses the camaradarie from being in a cycling team, but not the cold, analytical and impersonal nature of being part of the Sky team that may have contributed to his retirement.

I think it is all part of the balance. Cycling, alongside many other sports, seems to be getting very numbers based, and whilst that makes a lot of sense from a winning and being the best angle, even the most logical, analytical and emotionless sports people (I'm looking at you, Kimi Raikkonen) are still human and still need to feel and process those human emotions of having a sense of belonging and purpose.