It's really a bad look when the worlds most famous bicycling event is so prominently displaying cagies.Could it even be held without support cars or motorcycles?
In the early days it was. It would be interesting to see how the equipment choices would change if a mechanical was basically a DNF, so no cars could be interesting, but sponsors want their live action shots so deleting the motorbikes would never happen. Though I guess that could be done with drones.
Post your bike you won't
>>2006200I agree but The Tour hasn't been a "tour" for a long time now, with the stages and the support teams and domestique carrying. The Tour Divide is more like a real "tour" but it doesn't sell as well as The Tour and that's why The Tour still exisits. The Tour exists to sell bikes, a stereotype, and an image.
>>2006205>dronesOr helmet cams, they can be small enough it wouldn't slow down anyone to any measurable degree. As long as everyone has the same dummy or camera it should be fair.
>>2006205I think the whole reason The Tour transitioned into a stage format instead of actual touring format is because of the rampant cheating during the early years of its conception.>>2006219We have the technology to remove most of the camera crew. Nowadays, we have the technology to hold real touring races with GPS trackers as well as miniature cameras on helmets/drones as preventative cheating measures, of course there is still the need for dedicated camera crews for up close action shots but the majority of it is unneeded nowadays
>>2006216also cf lachlan morton's alt tour
>>2006200Last year (the year before?) there was a stage in the tour that stopped for like an hour because environmentalists had a protest on the road. The tour is famously opposed by many environmental groups in Europe, because the emissions of the caravan and the amount of disposable crap are huge. It wasn't that long ago that they'd just chuck gels away willy nilly in some of the most scenic places in the world. There have been cities that reject stages for these reasons. Road cycling has really got nothing to do with cycling as an environmental cause. Many roadies are flagrant cagers who despise the idea of cycling for utility purposes. Mtbing is just as bad. Urbanites justify buying big pickup trucks because of mtbing (even though a small hatchback with a towbar carries bikes just as well). Rich freds will have a porsche next to their pinerallo. Engineering / design / mechanical stuff has a strong affinity between the cycling and car worlds. They're not opposed to one another. This isn't me complaining as i like cars and bicycles (and the anti-car movement).
>>2006214Would've been funnier if he got run over afterwards.
Anyone got the webm of that femme cyclist getting run over by her team car? Richard Sachs was complaining about that (about team cars) It is kind of insane how prominent team cars are around the peleton.
>>2006247I mean there's a lot of overlap between cars and bikes from a mechanical engineering aspect, I personally like all forms of transportation (yes, even plane if it means you use it at most twice a year to reduce carbon footprint despite rich fucks using their private jets several times a week) but long term usage of combustion or EV vehicles has to change drastically. Stuff like the Gran tours would be a perfect example of employing EVs though and only sparingly in use/multi-team. road cycling has almost always been a pleasure sport, utilitarianism starts with adding panniers, racks and knobbier tires to the bike
>>2006326>carbon footprinta meme
>>2006200there is several reasons why there are several samcioning bodies but especially a very diverse range of unsanctioned events in competitive cycling. this is one of them.
>>2006329>bacon tries to derail another threadcan you not, please
>>2006256What is going on here, do team car guys get paid more if someone takes the water?
>elite sportists couln't care less about urban autism>news at 11>Could it even be held without support cars or motorcycles?why? do you think people invested in road cycling care the least about any bullshit discussed in these threads?Sports are just means for marketing. What do you think is being sold here?Just watch your tour less pedaled and move on with your life.
>>2006200>car carrying five spare bicyclesThis is what one cardboard sign did in 2021 to TDF. They're going to need all the help they can get.
>>2006205>mandate one bike, and one drivetrain, throughout all stages>bikes are sealed immediately after each stage, given back at the start of the next, all maintenance is done during the stages>DNF on any stage is disqualification>only support allowed is tires in the case of a catastrophic puncture or to remedy problems outside the control of the event/equipmentHey presto: manufacturers are forced to develop and aggressively compete with consumer-friendly equipment rather than snap-o-matic featherlight crap.Not saying it has to be the TDF, but it should be a multi-day event which riders must participate in and earnestly try to finish to qualify for the big races, if none elect to adopt those rules themselves.
>>2006416I mean there are ultra-endurance self-supported events if that's your kink. It has the added advantage of filtering people who get triggered by the word "trans".
>>2006416>manufacturers are forced to develop and aggressively compete with consumer-friendly equipment rather than snap-o-matic featherlight crap.that's why the UCI introduced a weight limit and generally holds innovation back. Who would even watch that crap? I definitely know that you're not going to pay 5 bucks for a streaming pass
>>2006418No, because that filters elite athletes who want to compete at the height of the sport, because if endurance races had massive prizes they would quickly become very expensive to run, and dangerous to compete in. It has to be tour format, but just with bombproof components.Also self-support would allow for things like carrying a spare chain/belt. The whole point is that the equipment doesn't break within a few hundred km of road use.>>2006425>Who would even watch that crap?People who want to know who the fastest cyclists on Earth are, and who makes the most durable bikes.>that's why the UCI introduced a weight limit and generally holds innovation backNo, no, no. What's holding innovation back is the hyper-focus by the industry on producing bikes for which riders need a spare every few hours. It's laughable to suggest the weight limit is damaging innovation, when even with it in place manufacturers can still barely make the BB shell round.
>>2006425>who would even watch that crapThe funny thing is women have a competitive advantage over men in ultra-endurance, and the only reason anyone ever watched women's sports is for fap fuel and, no disrespect intended to lael whatsername but ultra-endurance female athletes just aren't hot in the same way as female tennis players or pole vaulters, so where's the sponsor money going to come from? Answer: it's not, so the money piles into stuff that will sell bikes to the male midlife crisis freds who keep everyone in the entire industry employed...>>2006437>self-support would allow for things like carrying a spare chain/belt.I think they're allowed to mail themselves consoomable parts to pick up along the way.
>>2006416>>one bike, and one drivetrain, throughout all stagesThat's pretty much how it works already. Those bikes very rarely have mechanical issues. The reason they have spare wheels is that changing tires takes too long and the reason they have spare bikes is that changing wheels takes too long. It basically is just for punctures. Or, crashes. What you're suggesting is that riders are likely eliminated after a serious crash (which can easily destroy a nice steel frame too btw). On of the highest drama aspects of the sport is how they continue riding after badly injuring themselves. So you'd be dulling it.
>>2006444whats the competitive advantage?
>>2006447I dunno it has something to do with childbirth or some shit. Some woman athlete pwned all the men on a cross continental race a while back and there was a bunch of talk about it in the pop sci internet. Men are better up to a certain distance but past that women come out ahead.
>>2006447they can store and metabolize fat better under certain conditions with their nice soft bodies The actual instances of this making up for everything else and putting them ahead of men in races are -extremely- rare
>>2006205>>2006416>>2006437Go watch any amateur race. They're racing the exact same equipment without support cars. So the answer to your question would be that it wouldn't change at all. The only change would be that they'd have a set of dynaplugs and a CO2 can in their pocket. Go watch any ultra endurance race, again on the same stuff. Race bikes are very durable. Even after a crash in 99% of the cases everything on the bike will be fine. In rare circumstances you need a new derailleur hanger. The reason they have the spare bikes is for punctures because a bike change is faster than a wheel change.>but sponsors want their live action shots so deleting the motorbikes would never happen. Though I guess that could be done with drones.Drones aren't good enough yet to replace motorbikes. But they can make some pretty cool shots from what I've seen in the races I've raced. >>2006219>>2006222>helmet camst. I've never participated in a bike race or even a group ride. You can't tell shit about what's happening from helmet cams. >>2006256Having ridden in races with team cars you don't even notice them unless you get a mechanical. They're literally a non issue.>>2006372You're not allowed to feed the riders in the first X and the last Y km of races. This is done for safety reasons as those are often hectic times in the peloton and riders trying to resupply during those times would be more dangerous than in the middle of the race. The rider here had an empty bottle and wanted a new one for the last 10 km of the race. Mind you the last 10 km was all uphill in this case. He didn't drop down fast enough when his team car told him to and they went past the 10 km mark and weren't allowed to give the bottle anymore. The exact cutoff points change depending on the stage, flat stages have longer limits, usually 20 - 30 km, climb finishes usually around 10 km, if it's a climb followed by downhill it's usually either somewhere on the climb or at the top.
>>2006445>>2006489OK, to avoid any more retarded accusations of it being too similar to the current competition, and to put a point on what I was saying so that you can't continue to misinterpret "does not fucking break and you can't maintain it outside stages" to mean "only breaks enough to need 5 backup bikes and you have a team of mechanics"; mandate internal gears, belts, disc brakes and/or clutch-driven dynamo hubs attached to resistive heaters could be used as brakes.The point is; utility-oriented, low-maintenance, tough bikes, given a reason for manufacturers to bother their fucking arses developing and making economically competitive, instead of shit no-one needs. Also set price limits for all installed wear items like brake pads, spokes, belts, tires, oil, etc. based on what's available at some date the year it's running. Set it at like the top 15%, so they can have nice stuff, but no halo products other than the main mechanical elements.And to avoid rule-chipping goblins; to be race legal the main mechanical elements must be available for sale with warranties and service intervals comparable to other products in the market.Basically touring car championship but for bikes. But it wouldn't be the whole calender, just a qualification event which people racing the big events had to complete or make an earnest attempt to complete.
ITT: bike messenger larpers foaming on real athletes
>>2006509>real athletesLmao good one
>>2006505Nice work ignoring every point in both posts. Current race bikes are extremely durable, easy to work on, and simple. In fact the electronic drivetrains and hydraulic brakes require LESS maintenance than the cheaper cable operated versions. The reason the have spare bikes is >bike swap is faster than a wheel change for a flat tire (99% of bike swaps are in this category)>crashes that would break any bike, including your barebones utilitarian bikeYou do know there is a case where the rider had to weld their own frame back together after crashe in the early Tour history? And that bike is exactly what you're asking for. And guess what? Even it broke on a crash.Also what the fuck are you complaining about. Cheap general use bikes with durable parts are everywhere and they're cheap.
>>2006614Nta but the existence of "training tires" that ride like a dead pig and "race day tires" that assplode if you don't apply paula's choice hylauronic acid youth serum every 10 miles automatically invalidates everything you said, these guys should be riding like pirelli cinturato velo or something equivalent because a flat means stopping and fixing itSame goes for those crazy hi-mod frames that are basically made for 1 season and then they're toast
>>2006622half of the riders are using the same tire I have on my roadbike for almost 3k km with zero flats.
>>2006628Don't tell me it's GP5K because there's so many versions of that thing it might as well be spun off as a stand-alone brand
>>2006629>>2006628Also 3k km doesn't tell me much, that's about how long I'd go between flats when I rode flimsy tires, but since I switched to grabblekangz I've got about 7k *miles* without flatting
>>2006630there is literally more versions of gravelkings than gp5k
>>2006634That's probably true, but I never made any claims about how I ride the same tires as "the pros"
>>2006636The pros are using the gp5ks TR and the gp5k TT TR. The other versions are tube only and an all seasons version>Also 3k km doesn't tell me muchthe tour is 3.5k km
>>2006200>Could it even be held without support cars or motorcycles?No.Also fuck off./thread
