Radio Ga Ga

Blame the Americans. Since electronics and phone company Motorola sponsored 7-Eleven, they developed a two way radio system that allowed riders to communicate with the team managers following in cars during events. Race radios are now seemingly compulsory throughout the peloton, that is until next year when the UCI wants them outlawed, to general outrage from riders and team bosses, as to why the UCI would be so incredibly mean in trying to make the sport more, er, sporting.

What is the teams and riders problem? Can they not see how stagnant the 'racing' has become? This sport of bicycle racing should first and foremost be about providing entertainment for the fans based on the simple concept of man and machine against the clock, with all other things being equal*. We want to see those brave enough to go on a break actually stop away from the peloton. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Well, that's how it stands at the moment. Look at last years Tour De Snooze. We are not cycling experts, just borderline obsessive fans. But here are the views of two bona-fide cycling greats, who are both vocal in their opposition to the continued use of radios. Moreno Argentin says this "with race radios, the cyclists seem driven by a joystick" And this is what Jeremy Roy said in an interview recently:

"Concerning the two-way radio, I don't really understand why the teams and the riders wake up only now. The rule was known since the end of 2009 with a ban of two-way race radio in 2010 for class 2 races, in 2011 for HC and class 1 and in 2012 for the ProTour races. Personally I'm against the use of two-way race radio, so I like this rule. The rider gets more responsibility, the group as a whole and the team work get more important and it's no longer a radio guided thingy. That doesn't mean that their won't be any further races which will be controlled by the sprinters teams! We know how to get organised, use our brains and ride without race radios!
Concerning the strikes, I think it's a pity for the organiser of the race who becomes the victim. It's another bad thing for the image of the cycling sport. Like in politics, the UCI has the power to decide alone about new rules, someone has to be the boss. Indeed, sometimes I think the groups representing the cycling world (riders, teams, organisations) should be consulted to set up a dialogue"   

These sentiments were echoed by FDJ boss Marc Madiot here. Chapeau to them for seeing and talking sense.

One of the arguments for race radios is safety for the riders. Changes in the roads and conditions can be relayed up to the riders to reduce the risks they face on the road. But hang on a minute here Mr Pro Road Racer! Spare a thought for all us non-pros who ride when we can for the fun of it! Do we get closed roads? So you have to deal with a team car or two coming past, we plebeians have dirty great HGVs and coaches running us into the gutter on every frigging ride. And just to recap, since when has bike racing ever been a safe sport? Flying down a mountain at 60mph wearing lycra is never going to win any safety awards, as good ol' Voigt can testify.

On twitter this evening, Robbie Hunter has been having a good old whinge about the ban for this weekends European season opener in Omloop:

RobbieHunter

Riders don't wanna boycott the races ppl.We race! just we start with radios in our ears! Anyways these are my opinions as a pro & I want em!

7 hours ago 

»

RobbieHunter 

Ppl come to races to watch riders not UCI so please stay away it does not affect us.the riders are with the race organizers not against them

7 hours ago 

RobbieHunter 

Seems UCI not happy & wanna cancel race.News to uci!to hold a race all that's needed is riders a road & race organizer!UCI NOT NEEDED!

We have several issues with these statements. UCI want to cancel the race? Is that because this incoming ban has been known for two years and you've done nothing constructive to get your collective (as riders) point across until you decide you might wear radios anyway, thus nullifying the race? Very clever. Next, people come to watch racing, not racers. Bike riders change but the event remains the same. Don't be so pompous Mr Hunter. It doesn't matter who the riders are so long as the racing is entertaining. His last tweet proclaims he wants a radio in his ear. Maybe that is to keep his minuscule brain from spilling out through an ear? Surely he has enough mental capacity to be able to discuss with his team mate a strategy to follow, with contingency plans, for the duration of a race? Maybe not? Maybe in his next life he will be reincarnate as a hamster, destined to run in a wheel ad infinitum? And as for not needing the UCI, is he being serious? Who would try to control and implement a drug testing program? Maybe that's the real reason the pro pack want rid of the UCI; let the pros have their way and the REFC would be exonerating drugs cheats left, right and centre.

peloton can't see how from the Armstrong era, the Tour De France has pretty much become a tedious procession. Think of the greats of the past, Anquetil, Mercx, Hinault, Indurain never had radios, never needed telling of a roundabout up ahead, didn't need telling how to ride their races. Lets actually agree with the UCI for once, and get behind this decision to make racing more honest and enjoyable. 

On a final note, why cant the Johan Bruyneels and Robbie Hunters of the radio debate be so vociferous against doping? That's the real issue concerning professional bike racing that we all want eradicating from our sport. Race radios, compared to doping, is small dollar, but again its us, the paying punter and bike race loving cyclist who is being short changed.

Ricardo Blood Brother Ricco

So, after claiming he could win the Giro clean, he has now admitted to doctors in Italy that a dodgy self administered blood transfusion caused him to become critically ill at the weekend. FFS. We're not sure how much more we can take of Ricco here at the wagon. Well, we are sure, and if we were presidents of the UCI we'd have his achillies tendons shaved off, fried up and fed to Contador (since he himself is off the steak)

This is another fine mess Ricco has bought onto procycling. When will those who know in the peloton start pointing fingers and passing names on to people who care, like the police. It seems the UCI pretend to give a damn, but for a governing body of an incredibly popular sport then they just are not doing enough. Maybe the ASO, who also have rather a lot of clout in the pro cycling world can take a stand by booting out Vacansoleil from the tour and letting Geox, the sad faced Spanaird Sastre and Menchov have a go instead? Either way, for the time being this 'scandal' (though when looking at Riccos past form it isnt really all that surprising)  will only help tarninsh our blackened sport's reputation further. 

This is what we here at the wagon would like to see:

• Ricco arrested and jailed, and forced into sharing a cell with a sex starved gay pornstar with a penchant for dropping soap. In jail he somehow gets such severe injuries he can never sit on a bike seat again.
• Ricco banned from anything to do with cycling for life. No more racing, no commentating, nothing.

• Ricco gives authorities the full list of people helping him to carry out his transfusion program. Clearly not acting alone in this, so lets get all thoe involved booted out of sport and into jail NOW.
• Ricco is never ever ever given any more time in news stories regarding cycling. And dies.

The late great Aldo Sassi must be turning in his grave.

Sports Illustrated vs Lance Armstrong, Floyd vs Floyd.

Where do we start? How about you read the full article to be published in Sports Illustrated on the 24th Jan HERE. Unless you've been hiding under Cadel Evans chin chances are you're already au fait with what it says anyway.

You know here at the Wagon we take a very dim view of doping in cycling (and other sports) and we also admire Lance for his remarkable TDF successes; we don't think there is anyone not aware of his cancer beating and conquering past and future quests, and how 28 million people now wear a yellow rubber band at the bottom of their arms. So to the article.

Landis, my oh my. Yet more accusations and lawsuits. The man who had everything and who now has nothing. At all. No friends in cycling, no wife whose shoulders must have been sodden by his tears of regret (for getting caught, and before she left him, obviously) no credibility, not many more loose screws to fall out of his head. We've talked about him before so we'll try not to bore you, or us, with too much more about him, but unfortunately it is relevant. Lets have a quote from SI:

After Armstrong's cancer diagnosis, former teammates say, even Ferrari questioned his methods. "I remember when we were on a training ride in 2002, Lance told me that Ferrari had been paranoid that he had helped cause the cancer and became more conservative after that," says Landis.

Hang on a minute, Roid. Are you saying that Lance gave himself testicular cancer, that almost killed him, by taking too many banned substances? That is beyond the pale, really. Just imagine that. LA, heralded as the man who beat cancer before going on to conquer the TDF, gave himself the disease because he was cheating at the sport he went on to rule. This is more ridiculous than the plot of Inception. Roid needs serious help. It is obvious to any sane person that anything that comes out of his arse mouth holds less credibility than the chances of the Ricco family medicine cabinet only holding paracetamol.

Elsewhere in the article it is alleged that Lance took HemAssist, an EPO like blood booster but without the blood thickening EPO causes. This is a drug that was under research and never produced commercially. Why wasn't it released to the world? Because it failed in its purpose of helping people who needed transfusions. So how could Lance take this? It is feasible he took it, but who knows if it had a marked effect on his performance? Maybe this drug has the PowerBand placebo effect. Whilst we here like to believe LA is innocent until proven guilty, it isn't beyond our capabilities to see how he might have been taking substances to aid his pedalling that he shouldn't have taken. Drugs testing is all well and good when you know what to look for, but it unless you know what to test for then its also pretty useless.


Another point worth talking about is the list of banned substances allegedly spoken of to two doctors by LA, in a room with quite a few people in it. If this really happened, as the Andreus claimed under oath, then why not find the doctors who LA told and ask them about it? Check the medical notes. We know there are issues with patient confidentiality but if LA is innocent then lets see the evidence to support that too.

We here at the Wagon realise that with the amassing volume of dirt being flung LA's direction, it is unlikely the great unwashed will ever really understand the sport we love. To most, cycling is and always will be sullied by crimes committed and alleged in the past. And then we have the vultures, who love to see a hero downed. If LA is found to have taken illegal substances then many people will smugly proclaim they knew it all along, blah. If he is found innocent of all allegations against him, we think he'll never be quite able to wipe all that dirt off his impervious Texan face. Shame.