Observations on Pro races on TV this year

Slideshowbob

Is it just me are are pros having alot of crashes this year caused by mechanicals!?!? e.g. Cav's wheel coming off, Tour of Turkey the other day (looked like a tub rolled) and today again in Fleche Wallone.

Could mechanicals (excluding rolling tubs) be attributed to the ever growing thirst by manufacturers / teams for feather weight machines being ridden over standards roads with all their variables (eg potholes)

Also is it just me or are tv camera motorbikes sitting in-front of groups alot more, giving those at the front greater drafting advantage.

Granted we all want good tv shots but surely fair play and integrity in the sport has to come first and the UCI and commissaires need to pull their socks up to avoid events becoming derny races.

TinyExplosions

It's just you

Seriously though, I don't think there's been a huge increase in failures, and I certainly don't think that there's any compromise on safety for weight etc -the UCI limit is well above any theoretical minimum weight a bike could be. I suspect it's a lot like punctures, sometimes they all come at once!

Harrybelafonte

Cav had mechanical failures last year too, that chain incident? I did hear comments about people drafting the camera motorbike on Paris Roubaix, and I have a vague memory of someone bribing a camera man long ago in the TdF, to make sure he stayed in front of him?

Junior

Cancellara complained last year about El Pistolero getting 'towed' by motorbike cameramen at the TdF..

Raam

I remember reading something about a Giro from days of yore where in a TT a rider had a helicopter behind him, pushing him on, whereas his competitor had the heli in front of him slowing him down.

Harrybelafonte

Raam wrote: »

I remember reading something about a Giro from days of yore where in a TT a rider had a helicopter behind him, pushing him on, whereas his competitor had the heli in front of him slowing him down.

Ooops, that's actually the story I was thinking of, Richard Virenque was the guy's name? He's mention in Blazing Saddles.

Chips Lovell

Raam wrote: »

I remember reading something about a Giro from days of yore where in a TT a rider had a helicopter behind him, pushing him on, whereas his competitor had the heli in front of him slowing him down.

Francesco Moser in 1984

iregk

From what I'm aware there are set rules governing motor cycle cameras. They have to stay a certain distance, no idea what, ahead of a cyclist so as to avoid the drafting.

Also remember the cameras have zoom lenses, they aren't as close as they appear

Harrybelafonte

el tonto wrote: »

Francesco Moser in 1984

Virenque doesn't seem to be mentioned anywhere else, is the Blazing Saddles book wrong then?

Chips Lovell

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Virenque doesn't seem to be mentioned anywhere else, is the Blazing Saddles book wrong then?

Sure you're not getting him mixed up with Fignon? It was from him that Moser took victory that year.

Raam

I think the debt was repaid in another race afterwards, maybe The Tour.

I must read up about it again.

RobFowl

It was the 1984 Giro. The organisers cancelled a big mountain stage after Moser took the pink jersey and then in the TT he was allowed use an aero bike while Fignon's was not permitted (something to do with excess fairing) then the helicopter following him the whole way round giving him a tailwind effect.

There was a great write up about it in the old "Winning" magazine.

Fignon came back to win the GIro in 1989 (Roche was 9th that year)