Cycling body to ban race radios

[Alex P]

That should liven things up a bit

[url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/8273431.stm[/url]

[Roy Green]

A brilliant move. I'd never have thought the usually turgid UCI capable of such decision making.

[Alex P]

At least the chap on the yellow motorcycle with the blackboard will be useful again

[-Adam-]

Banning radios is not a good idea.

[Fat Robbie]

Why is it a bad idea !

[Grahame]

'Cos it means that the racers have to use their heads and not just their bodies, I suppose.

[-Adam-]

Can you first explain to me why it is a good idea?

[Grahame]

'Cos it means that the racers have to use their heads and not just their bodies.

[-Adam-]

Yes your are right, currently all riders are brain dead.

[DavidKennett]

First, stopping further development of bikes, now radio's, how long before cycling is band?

[Tony]

Well, if I'm not allowed to listen to Simon Bates or Steve-Wright-in-the-afternoon when I am in the office, I don't see why professional sportsmen and woman should be allowed to either. If they spent more time focusing on the race and not listening to tunes on the bleedin' radio they might go a bit faster.

[kieran]

must admit I don't see a big problem either way, as long as all have to do it, it's a level playing field.

[Marek]

Currently it is too easy for riders in the peleton to know what speed they have to ride at to catch breaks and the like before the finish. Also for yellow jersey contenders in Tours it is easy for them to know exactly what they have to do to keep the jersey.

I would have thought that banning radios might make flat stages a bit more exciting. It will make those that want to get into a break away have to work harder as the teams with sprinters will have to try and mark them early on as they might be a bit more worried about knowing at what speed and the like to go to catch the break back up later on. So depending on your view, we may see less break aways early on in stages or on one day races as they will get marked out. This could make team wear themselves out a bit more earlier in the stages which could be quite exciting.

For hilly stages in tours I would have thought it would make the main contenders have to mark each other more and therefore could be more action on the hills as well.

I suppose the negatives are more around breaks might not form at all in some stages as riders will know that they will just get marked out. But to be honest, we don't use radios in amateur races so why would it be necessary to use them as you go up the ranks. Surely if you are a good racer without a radio as an amateur that would hold as a pro as well?

[Paul H]

Amateurs dont tend to race as a team or have a team car following the peleton to communicate with.

There will still be the bloke on the motorbike giving time gaps so cannot see it making a huge difference for the sprint teams. I think the safety argument is genuine as well.

Are they going to ban riders from dropping back to their team car to find out whats going on? If not, then the first team car in the line will have an advantage.

I bet there are not many races won by riders who havnt used there heads. How can they use their heads more if they dont know what going on - it will be more by guess work and luck.

[-Adam-]

Wow, Paul has actually taken words from my mouth for once!