Olympic track cycling *with spoilers*

[padbeat]

So at what point do we halt technological development? Do we wind bikes back to the Merckx era? He used the best components available and Bianchi purpose built his bike for his Hour record - 200 man-hours according to his biography.

If there's no advantage to be gained by building a better bike, then noboby will invest in R&D, and that's not how any sport (or indeed any field of human eneavour) works. This also appies if you invest millions to build more aero components and then have to sell them to the opposition before you get to use them.

I reckon the UCI 9-month rule is to allow you to get a technological advantage (as Team GB have) but to prevent you form using that to maintain your dominance. 9 months after Beijing all the other squads had access to the GB kit, which was part of the reason GB lost their dominance for a while. Their R&D process went on (as did everyone elses) and they produced the latest kit. GB did their job better, hence the continued advantage. Next year, everyone who can afford it will be using Team GB tech (or close copies) and the process rolls around again.

You might not like it, but the technologial arms race is as much a part of the game as tactics, strategy and pedalling really fast.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Everyone rides on gas-pipe bikes with solid rubber tyres, that's the best way.

Track and field athletes have to compete barefoot and wearing a shell suit bought from Sports Direct.

[Karla]

The Hour by Michael Hutchinson gives a cogent argument why limiting technological development to the standard attained in some previous age is not a good idea.  Hutch tried to break the athlete's hour, ie riding on a bike like the one used for Eddie Merckx's record.  The problem was that nobody made any of that sort of kit anymore, so everything had to be specially commissioned, which pushed the price and the stress levels involved right up, all to make a bike that was obsolete enough to satisfy the UCI.

[hubner]

The Hour by Michael Hutchinson gives a cogent argument why limiting technological development to the standard attained in some previous age is not a good idea.  Hutch tried to break the athlete's hour, ie riding on a bike like the one used for Eddie Merckx's record.  The problem was that nobody made any of that sort of kit anymore, so everything had to be specially commissioned, which pushed the price and the stress levels involved right up, all to make a bike that was obsolete enough to satisfy the UCI.

I haven't read the book but saying "problem was that nobody made any of that sort of kit anymore" is nonsense.

Frames and parts which are equivalent and have the basic shape and performance are still being made.
Merckx's bike was just the normal track bike with the frame made from extra thin walled tubing, and some of the parts were drilled to save weight, AFAIK the only special part was a ti stem.

[mrcharly-YHT]

It was far from a stock frame. Built specifically for Merkcx, to his ideas on geometry and matching his proportions.

Any similar bike these days would have to be custom built. 

[matthew]

Go Lasse Go, take the gold...................

Sorry I read that as

Go Lassie Go...

And wondered where the dog was going to take the gold from

 

[mattc]

The Hour by Michael Hutchinson gives a cogent argument why limiting technological development to the standard attained in some previous age is not a good idea.  Hutch tried to break the athlete's hour, ie riding on a bike like the one used for Eddie Merckx's record.  The problem was that nobody made any of that sort of kit anymore, so everything had to be specially commissioned, which pushed the price and the stress levels involved right up, all to make a bike that was obsolete enough to satisfy the UCI.

I thought the problem was that his sponsors no longer made such things - so they sent him a crate-load of triangular-tubed bikes which he had to manhandle round Heathrow on his own.
[some details may be wrong here, but it was a hilarious story - and it's a great book!]

[mattc]

You might not like it, but the technologial arms race is as much a part of the game as tactics, strategy and pedalling really fast.

I don't agree that you can't throttle progress at all. In motosport 90% of the rules are there to prevent big money giving you too big an advantage. F1 is the extreme case - they allow more innovation than any other formula, cos that's the traditional niche they occupy. But they've still brought in rules recently to allow the poorer teams some hope of competing. (e.g. limiting use of exotic metals)

Perhaps the majority of car races taking place this year are in some form of stock chassis, or homologation-limited etc. They still produce good sport, so I don't see why something like one-make bike racing would not also make good sport.

[padbeat]

The UCI's solution to that is that all tech must be made available to the opposition 9 months after first use. That seems fair enough to me. It'll be expensive, no question, but a lot cheaper than developing it yourself.

[Rig of Jarkness]

But the spend on technology - in the bike and in the clothing - is only part of it.  A well funded program like Brailsford's will also be spending money on prolonged training camps at altitude, doing wind tunnel testing, hiring helicopters to avoid travel delays, employing the best coaches/doctors/physios/psychologists/nutritionists etc.  It will never be a level playing field.

[mattc]

But the spend on technology - in the bike and in the clothing - is only part of it.  A well funded program like Brailsford's will also be spending money on prolonged training camps at altitude, doing wind tunnel testing, hiring helicopters to avoid travel delays, employing the best coaches/doctors/physios/psychologists/nutritionists etc.  It will never be a level playing field.

Yes, I accept that - but much of the above is the case for 100m running or triple-jump. The technology is the easier bit for the blazers to control.

I love seeing GB win cycling medals, but reading about the budgets does take some shine off them. For me.

[hubner]

It was far from a stock frame. Built specifically for Merkcx, to his ideas on geometry and matching his proportions.

Any similar bike these days would have to be custom built.

Being custom built (ie made to your dimensions) is normal. There was nothing special about Merckx's hour record bike in design. By special I mean something like Moser's hour bikes or Lemond's tribars.

[mrcharly-YHT]

nothing special?  What the heck do you define as 'special'?

Frame geometry different from anything available in a bike shop?

Aero tubing? funny bars?

By your argument it would be fine for someone to take the hour record using, say, and Optima Baron. That's available off-the-shelf, hence counts as 'normal'.

[Karla]

It was far from a stock frame. Built specifically for Merkcx, to his ideas on geometry and matching his proportions.

Any similar bike these days would have to be custom built.

Being custom built (ie made to your dimensions) is normal. There was nothing special about Merckx's hour record bike in design. By special I mean something like Moser's hour bikes or Lemond's tribars.

Read the book.  Your idea of 'nothing special' and the UCI's idea of 'nothing special' are not the same thing, but it's the UCI's idea that counts.  So for instance, he couldn't use any stock track frame because they all had some form of aero tubing, whereas the rules dictated perfectly round tubing. 

(@Matt, yes that was also a problem.  I don't think he appreciated the extra folding bike either!)

[AndyK]

New rule of one rider per nation means Jason Kenny will contest the men's sprint instead of Chris Hoy this afternoon. It'll be great to see him take a medal.

[bobb]

So it's Jason Kenny Vs Grégory Baugé. They are both looking super sharp, so it should be a good final....

[AndyK]

That was astonishing. Women's Devil now. Like the Devil. Laura Trott storms it!

[Von Broad]

That was astonishing. Women's Devil now. Like the Devil. Laura Trott storms it!

Yeah, that was just so brilliant to watch. I loved the commentary too 

[Biff]

Great tweet from Michael Hutchinson:

"UCI must be pleased at how the rule changes have opened up the competition and stopped one nation from dominating."   

[spesh]

Great tweet from Michael Hutchinson:

"UCI must be pleased at how the rule changes have opened up the competition and stopped one nation from dominating."   

ROFLMAO

[padbeat]

It seems Wendy Houvenaghel isn't impressed at being an unused sub in the women's team sprint. And is happy to say so.

I'm sorry she didn't get a ride, but if it was personal, she wouldn't have been on the squad. I hate it when people bitch about their coach and team mates.

[Rig of Jarkness]

I feel sorry for her.  But she shouldn't have gone public like that.

[giropaul]

There is always going to be a base of disappointed people who support the medal winners at the pinnacle of the performance pyramid.

There are hundreds of riders who were on "The Plan", but failed to continue to "make the numbers" and fall by the wayside. If you don't want this to be a possibility, then maybe you shouldn't get involved.

Wendy was, in my view, a diesel at the top end of performance, whereas the other 3 were fuel injected sprint engines. I'm sure that she contributed greatly to the development of the squad, just as Hoy was vital in the development of Kenny. However, she simply didn't have the very top end speed.

Shane Sutton has one of the hardest jobs in the world; to disappoint people. However, I know that they do "take the emotion" out of it, and just use the numbers. Shane and Paul Manning are totally professional and just want to win medals - end of. If Wendy was as fast as the 3 who rode, then she would have been riding. World records at every ride says it all really.

Maybe we should contrast this with Sir Chris Hoy, who was superceded by Jason Kenny - and backed the decision and Kenny all the way.

[mattc]

Does anyone know what fell off Anna Meares bike in her heat? On the final corner banking.

(It looked yellow/gold - perhaps her bottle of national sporting superiority?)

[padbeat]

I notices it, but couldn't make out what it was. I'd just assumed it was her race number as there's not much else to fall off without causing a catastrophic failure.