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Race vehicle follow-up – team cars

by Gerard Vroomen

July 13, 2011 - Filed under: Company

Comments (6)

Many of you agree that the team car can go, which is quite surprising to me. You like the idea that such a change would likely encourage bike manufacturers to put more emphasis on durability, which has real benefits for regular cyclists. The most concern people seem to have is for the sponsors (thank you), on issues like:

“A sponsor would not be happy if a rider wins on a neutral support wheel or bike”. First of all, this happens already, albeit rarely because the team car is usually there. But the principle won’t be new, just the frequency.Secondly, this is exactly what you would want. If the sponsor is unhappy that the rider used neutral support equipment, you can bet they will focus on durability more. As a result, the neutral support equipment use will shrink, and everybody will be happy again.
“How can you fit a rider on a neutral bike with different pedals, etc.” No doubt, this may be a bit tricky. But then again, it’s just an incentive to make sure your stuff doesn’t break. And you can put pedals on a bike in 30 seconds, that’s a lot better than being out of the race.
“Each team has its own energy drink sponsor, you’ll need tons of neutral support to give each rider their own bottle.” Maybe, maybe not, if it’s just about bottles, then quite a few different ones can fit on a motorcycle. Alternatively, there could be one central energy drink sponsor (like in Ironman races for example) supplemented with team support in feed zones (similar to the special needs bag at Ironman). If you’re afraid feed zones are too dangerous too, toss in a maximum speed (like the F1 pit lane).
“Teams have energy drink sponsors, so revenue will be lost.” This revenue is quite small, so it would be a very small price to pay for safety. In reality, this set-up would allow the race to sign a large energy drink deal, and create a revenue-share with the teams for probably a net-zero or net-positive result.
“Where do all the rain jackets go when the weather changes?” Well, where do you put yours when that happens? Doesn’t seem to be a problem for millions of cyclists to carry their rain jacket. Some cycling jerseys even have pockets in the back! :-)

What do you think? As usual, let me know on twitter @gerardvroomen.

6 responses for this Entry

Andrew says:

July 13, 2011

It would be great to see less vehicles (Team Cars) on the tour. However, to do that you would have to eliminate the team radio nets. It would not be possible.....well not feasible, to establish a radio network over an entire stage with the team managers communicating from one central point. If you did the riders would have giant whip antennas sticking out of their shorts and massive battery packs. I guess you could put all the coaches / managers in the neutral support vehicles so they could communicate effectively with the riders. In my opinion if the team cars go, the radios go as well.

Andrew says:

July 13, 2011

Don says:

July 13, 2011

The idea of neutral support embodies the principle of providing service and support when needed in as timely a fashion as is possible. It treats each professional equitably. The current system does not. When competitors are in desperate need as is sometimes evidenced when they are stranded, why should the athletes final result in the competition be affected by where in the ranking order is their designated service/team vehicle.

Stoni says:

July 13, 2011

I completely disagree with the 'neutral' support idea because professional riding is just that - professional. They have different and far more specific needs than amateur riders. Watch the Paris-Roubaix or the grand stage races to understand that the professionals must be peaking physically and dialed in with their equipment to maximize their performance because their paycheck (and sponsors) absolutely depend on it. The pro circuit is (and should be) the R&D lab for the individual manufacturers to improve on bikes of all levels based on the results and feedback gained in the most extreme cases of performance. Let the pro's be pro's and enjoy the fruits of their labour by selecting the manufacturer that responds to the needs of it's professionals and loyal customers at all levels... That is exactly why I ride (and am loyal to) Cervelo!

Rich Cairney says:

July 13, 2011

Really? Someone wondered what they'd do with rain jackets? That can't justify more vehicles. There are work-arounds for every objection. Thanks for this, Gerard.

Emumbles says:

July 13, 2011

More durable race equipment makes sense for everyone, teams and joe public who buy the stuff and i for one would personally love to see this in action. If Garmin Cervelo were to trial this in a prominent race, explaining the cash savings made, im sure other teams would consider/ follow suit. Maybe the time is right now to challenge what has become the norm and do what Cervelo is good at, which is pushing boundaries.