[Heidi]

I saw this on Cyclingnews:

Riders protest against 2006 Giro
In a report written at the request of many riders who took part in the Giro d’Italia 2006, José Luís Rubiera Vigil, a delegate of the riders' union CPA within the UCI Pro Tour Council, denounced the "difficult conditions" the riders were facing during the event. Especially the length of the transfers during the race (2,700 km, as well as 1,500 from Belgium to Italy and from the South to the North of the Peninsula) represented "an unbearable extra work" according to the CPA.

"The late arrivals in the hotels for the various teams, an obvious consequence of those long transfers, prevented on several occasions the riders having the massage they deserved and needed," a communiqué stated. "The rest days were wrongly programmed (the first one after only four days) without forgetting the fact that they were spent in travelling. The courses were excessively difficult, as the fact proves it of having to use gear ratios which are usually not used in races (34x25 and 36x27). With regard to safety, the finish in Sestri Levante was a true danger, to avoid absolutely in the future."

OK, now I get the long transfers on "rest" days...that does suck. But "the courses were excessively difficult"? LMAO That's hilarious!

 

[Zutroy]

Oh those boys aren't happen unless they are all complaining about something these days.

 

[jaydee]

We keep complaining about riders doping, but how else could a human survive a tour like the Giro or TdF? I know the stages looked just as difficult in earlier eras, but the racers weren't encouraged (required?) to race from the starting gun like they do now. Either the race has to be less demanding overall, or sponsors should stop encouraging riders to attack from the start line, or we're going to continue to see dopers.

 

[SuspectDevice]

We keep complaining about riders doping, but how else could a human survive a tour like the Giro or TdF? I know the stages looked just as difficult in earlier eras, but the racers weren't encouraged (required?) to race from the starting gun like they do now. Either the race has to be less demanding overall, or sponsors should stop encouraging riders to attack from the start line, or we're going to continue to see dopers.

True Dat.

 

[rooftest]

... or sponsors should stop encouraging riders to attack from the start line, or we're going to continue to see dopers.

So bike racers shouldn't race? As long as there's money to be made by performing better (in any sport), you'll see doping.

 

[jaydee]

So bike racers shouldn't race? As long as there's money to be made by performing better (in any sport), you'll see doping.

I agree, but traditionally in the big tours the early part of each stage was slower and the real racing didn't start until someone attacked later on. There was still lots of racing, just not from the start line. Hard to say whether the better dope brought on the early attacks or vice-versa, but I still maintain the only way a rider can compete without doping is to make the races doable without dope.

Talking about guys who don't dope and ride amazingly well, and just to do a little name-dropping, I went out on a 110 km ride today, and Ryder Hesjedahl came along for the first 60 k. He's a local dude, and lots of guys in our club have known him since he was a junior, so he shows up on our club rides sometimes when he's in town. Pretty sweet to have a guy up front in full Phonak gear on the full-on Phonak BMC machine and know he's just come home from duelling with guys like Ullrich and Basso. Made my day, even if it hurt.

 

[splat]

I'm sorry but I disagree, Doping or no doping makes no difference to the course difficulty. It is a level playing field every one has to do the same course. and these guys are complaining that the race wastoo hard ?? over the years the race actually have gotten easier ! the Giro used to be 24 stages No rest days , tour de france was 26 stages , no rest days . to the point the TDF used to have one day where there were 2 stages in the one day! and indivdual TT and Critierium on the same day ! the stages of the Tour were commonly over 300K some times 400k . sounds to me like they are just being whiners

 

[jaydee]

I'm sorry but I disagree, Doping or no doping makes no difference to the course difficulty. It is a level playing field every one has to do the same course. and these guys are complaining that the race wastoo hard ?? over the years the race actually have gotten easier ! the Giro used to be 24 stages No rest days , tour de france was 26 stages , no rest days . to the point the TDF used to have one day where there were 2 stages in the one day! and indivdual TT and Critierium on the same day ! the stages of the Tour were commonly over 300K some times 400k . sounds to me like they are just being whiners

I guess we could debate this forever. I did say that it's not so much that the courses have changed; it's that the racing has changed. Average speeds are much greater than they ever were in the old days, because almost every stage is full-on racing from the start line. It was more like randoneuring in the old days, so the efforts were less, with less time each day in the red zone, less damage done, and less recovery needed. I'm not saying it was easy, but it was different. Now sponsors, cycling journalists, and fans keep expecting more speed and more spectacular feats each year. To get contracts, racers have to meet these expectations. No dope = much less chance of getting on a team. Several racers have made this type of comment in the past few years.
A number of my racing/training friends were over watching the Giro this year and riding parts of stages, and they said some of the mountain stages were heinous, especially the one that had to be shortened because of conditions. They said the top was virtually unclimbable even if it was dry. I don't think you can call the guys "whiners" who take exception to having excessive and unreasonable demands put on them. Maybe get yourself on to a tour team and try one of these races, then you earn the right to call them whiners, if you don't actually become one yourself.

 

[rooftest]

I call BS - look at pictures from the old TDFs - look at those terrible bikes they were riding; and racing is harder today and back then?

 

[splat]

I guess we could debate this forever.

And we proably will, but isn't that what makes a forum like this great ?

I don't think you can call the guys "whiners" who take exception to having excessive and unreasonable demands put on them. Maybe get yourself on to a tour team and try one of these races, then you earn the right to call them whiners, if you don't actually become one yourself.

But it makes it a level Playing field. and it seperates the legends from the greats

I call BS - look at pictures from the old TDFs - look at those terrible bikes they were riding; and racing is harder today and back then?

I agree completly. Riding 2 speeds , where they had take the rear wheel off and turn it around to change gears. ( campanoglo's infamous frozen hands made an industry )

 

[jaydee]

Arguing about things where nobody can prove themselves right is definitely fun. The old-time racers were tough beyond belief, and so are the modern racers. And I'm sure there were a few whiners and Simonis back then too.

 

[rooftest]

I agree completly. Riding 2 speeds , where they had take the rear wheel off and turn it around to change gears. ( campanoglo's infamous frozen hands made an industry )

I haven't seen that, but I have seen pics of bikes with 3 speeds -
Try climbing the alps with that on a 25 pound bike!