“Maybe he forgot to get off his bike”: Tom Pidcock challenged over 13:25 5km run claim; UCI bans forearms-out aero position; Chris Froome unconvinced by disc brakes; DIY bike lane video; Chris Gritty; Cummings back at Ineos + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Cyclists worldwide take notes on DIY bike lane video
Nice but paint is not infra.
I want to see guerilla kerb laying😀 https://t.co/TK1WxdhHut— Real Gaz on a proper bike #fbpe (@gazza_d) February 7, 2021
This video of activists in Mexico painting their own bike lane has been doing the rounds on social media again, and plenty of cyclists from the UK have been taking notes. It actually shows environmental activists creating a 5km guerrilla bike lane in Mexico City in 2011. At the time the group said the action was to highlight the lack of adequate cycling infrastructure. However, with its reemergence on Twitter the video has been catching the eye of cyclists across the world…
Can we have some of this in Edinburgh, but with added bollards?!
— Blythe 💙 🚴🏻♀️ (@girlonabrompton) February 7, 2021
brilliant, we could do with these guys in #Barnet
— Ian Conway (@ianPconway) February 7, 2021
Étoile de Bessèges weekend racing round up
The early time of @ethan_hayter has held up very well, with 15’21” still the benchmark at #EDB2021.@Eganbernal just slotted into eighth spot. In 30mins the world champ @GannaFilippo will start his run. pic.twitter.com/CMJjQBZ0hZ
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) February 7, 2021
It was two from two for Filippo Ganna over the weekend. Wearing the rainbow bands as individual time trial world champion, Ganna smashed his way to TT victory having won from the breakaway on Saturday. Tim Wellens extended his lead on Michal Kwiatkowski during the final stage race against the clock to win the race overall by just under a minute. Elsewhere there were impressive performances from Ethan Hayter, who was third in the TT, and Jake Stewart who secured fourth place on GC with a ride that even took him by surprise…
Fuck, maybe I can time trial after all 🧐
— Jake (@jakey_stewart) February 7, 2021
"I don't think the technology is quite where it needs to be": Chris Froome unconvinced by disc brakes
Chris Froome says he’s not completely convinced by disc brakes and suggested he’d prefer his Israel Start-Up Nation Factor Ostro VAM to use rim brakes. Froome was giving a run through of his new bike on his YouTube channel and admitted he’s not “100 per cent sold” on disc brakes. The four-time Tour de France winner’s steed for the upcoming year featured as our Bike at Bedtime a couple of weeks back where we did a deep dive into his 2021 set up, including the SwissStop disc brake pads and rotors that seem to be causing concern. It’s Froome’s first full season racing on disc brakes and he expressed doubt about whether the technology is reliable enough.
“I’ve been using them for the last couple of months,” Froome explained. “Performance wise they’re great. They always stop when I need to stop in the dry or the wet. They work, they do what they’re meant to do. The downsides to disc brakes are the constant rubbing, potential for mechanicals, overheating, the discs becoming a bit warped when you’re on a descent for longer than five to ten minutes of constant braking.
“Personally, I don’t think the technology is quite where it needs to be yet for road cycling. I think the distance between the disc and rotors is still too narrow. Which means you’re going to get rubbing or one piston firing more than the other. You’re going to get these little issues. I don’t think the pistons retract the way they’re meant to all the time.
“Quite often it will work on the stand when the mechanic sorts it out but then once you get onto the road it’s a different story. I accept that it’s the direction the industry wants to go, we as bike riders are going to have to adapt and learn to use them because if you’re not on disc brakes already it’s only a matter of time before you’re made obsolete and forced onto them.”
Chris Gritty joins the fight against frozen bike lanes
Transport for London’s latest member of its gritting fleet has been named after the Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty. Chris Gritty will be making its maiden voyage this week to try and clear London’s cycle lanes of snow and ice during the freezing temperatures brought from the north by Storm Darcy. Last month, Sir Chris Hoy also had the dubious honour of having a gritter named after him. Sir Gritts Hoy has been working overtime to keep Scotland’s South West Trunk Roads clear.
MP's new bike day
Local MP @MikeKaneMP has just collected his NorthRoad Explorer. Set up for constituency work with a removable pannier and thule rack. Mike is super hard working so we just hope he gets a chance to take the luggage off and have a play. #cycling #gravelbike #aatr #buybritish pic.twitter.com/J5GFfmmfrk
— NorthRoadCycles 💙 (@NorthRoadCycles) February 5, 2021
Steve Cummings back at Ineos as a sports director
Steve Cummings has taken the next step in his cycling career by rejoining Ineos Grenadiers, now in a sports director and coaching role. Cummings enjoyed an incredibly successful road career with highlights including winning two stages of the Tour de France, both road and time trial national championships and the Tour of Britain. Since retirement at the end of the 2019 season Cummings has been studying a sports business management degree.
The 39-year-old will work with Rod Ellingworth and the team’s director of performance Dan Hunt as the team transitions to a more open style of racing seen at the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España in 2020. On the team’s ambition, Cummings said: “This team has been so incredibly successful in what they’ve done, and that isn’t being changed, it’s just being tweaked and an extra dimension added, which hopefully will bring more success. Riders will see that everyone will get an opportunity, but to earn that opportunity you need discipline and commitment.
“The year is all about learning and making the most of the opportunities I have. I’m here to support the other Sport Directors and riders as best I can. It takes time to become a good Sport Director and coach. I’m working hard in the background and I’ve done a lot of theory work and now I need to connect that with the practical side.”
Jury's out over Tom Pidcock's near British record 5km time
Tom Pidcock raised eyebrows when he posted on Instagram last night claiming to have run a 5km in 13:25. For context, that’s just five seconds slower than Marc Scott’s British record, 50 seconds behind Joshua Cheptegei’s world record and 30 seconds off Mo Farah’s best effort. Pidcock’s Strava activity, recorded by a Garmin Forerunner 935, says he set a 5k PB of 13:26, however many have pointed out the GPS looks unreliable and that for parts of the effort he was supposedly running at 1:41/km pace which is faster than 400m world record pace. Pidcock has said he’ll try again soon to validate his time.
On Instagram he wrote: “This morning I went out to try break the 15 min 5k, I did a 13.25. Apparently this is very quick. Think I’m going to try again in a few days to validate this. Maybe running is the sport for me.”
Welcome to the National Cycle Network
Welcome to the National Cycle Network. pic.twitter.com/F1g8EPMYLc
— Tom Jeffs (@tom_a_jeffs) February 8, 2021
"Let’s be honest...Disc brakes are great but, what he’s saying is 100% correct": Chris Froome sparks disc brake vs rim brake debate after saying he's had problems adjusting to discs
Interesting.
My personal experience with disc as well as rim brakes is mixed. Both can be great, and both can be a pain in the ass.#cycling #roadbikes https://t.co/FbubcLJriP— Freddy Murx (@FreddyMurx) February 8, 2021
A few reader thoughts on the Chris Froome story from this morning…
He’s right. For racing, they make no sense. They rub, are heavier and make for more problematic wheel changes etc. For recreation, they are good idea. It’s an industry-led commercial switch and sponsors want to see the pros riding the product they are pushing on the masses.
— Pedro (@pedro118118) February 8, 2021
On Facebook Kevin Low said: “All my bikes have disc brakes. Rim brakes are in the past”. While Dave Kelly helpfully suggested: “He could always put his foot in the rear wheel like many did as a child.. It’s the way forward..”
Remco Evenepoel given the all clear to get back on the bike following delayed return from injury
Remco Evenepoel has been cleared to return to training after a further examination on the injury sustained at Il Lombardia last August. Evenepoel had previously recommenced training but was forced to sit out a further few weeks on the advice of doctors. Deceuninck-Quick-Step team doctor Phil Jansen said the 21-year-old will be monitored before planning a return to racing.
Jansen said: “The recovery process from a crash of the magnitude that Remco had will always have some ups and downs. In the beginning it was all very positive and healing very quickly but then we had a slowing of the process. While this was nothing too severe, we had to pause and we are now happy that Remco can continue training and build towards the start of his season. We will have to proceed with caution and it will still be a long road to him being on the start line of a race, but it is now going in the right direction.”
Evenepoel is expected to race the Giro d’Italia in May if his recovery and training continues to go as planned.
Mike Woods has his say on Pidcock's 5k time
GPS data, when running close to buildings, can be off. Also, unless that vid was of his warm-up, there is no way he is carrying enough speed to run 13:25. If you want a reference, just watch @jakobing running 13:29 to break the Euro 5km road record https://t.co/UKuQVcb8Fo
— Michael Woods (@rusty_woods) February 8, 2021
Israel Start-Up Nation’s Mike Woods has an impressive running pedigree having set Canadian junior records at the mile and 3,000m distances as well as winning gold at the 2005 Pan American Junior Athletics Championship. Woods isn’t convinced the time was accurate but added that Pidcock could probably still beat him in a race…
More UCI rule updates: use of forearms as support banned, and fines for littering introduced
After banning riders from sitting on the top tube last week, the UCI are back on the warpath today with some further updates to their amendments for the 2021 season.
Firstly, using the forearms to create a TT position, with hands out-front as if grabbing onto aerobars, has been banned. The UCI’s document on the rule changes now says: “Sitting on the bicycle’s top tube is prohibited. Furthermore, using the forearms as a point of support on the handlebar is prohibited except in time trials.”
Riders will now have to dispose of litter in specific zones, with fines dishes out for those who drop gel wrappers, bottles etc on other parts of the course. It’s summarised as this: “Riders may not jettison food, bonk-bags, feeding bottles, clothes, etc. outside of the litter zones provided by the organiser. The rider must safely and exclusively deposit their waste on the sides of the road in this the litter zones provided by the organiser.
“Riders may not jettison anything on the roadway itself. Riders may also dispose of bottles and clothing to team cars or organisation vehicles or with the team staff in charge of riders’ feeding.
“In the event of a heat wave, exceptional measures may be put in place by the president of the commissaires’ panel in consultation with the organiser.”
The rules on race barriers, particularly at the finish line, have been made stricter, with plastic barriers banned: “The use of lightweight barriers (e.g. plastic) to cordon off the event route is prohibited, including after the finish line. The barriers must be weighted down so that they do not move in strong winds or when subject to pressure by spectators or other forces”, says the new amendment.
We’ll have more analysis on the rule changes from our tech team soon.
"Maybe he forgot to get off his bike": the running and cycling communities continue to question Pidcock's blistering 5k run
So Tom Pidcock is now essentially an Olympic level runner. Nacer Bouhanni was a kickboxer, Evenepoel played football for Belgium, Victoria Pendleton became a jockey.
Any other potential cross-sport potential from the peloton? We’re thinking Roger Kluge as a second row kinda vibe
— Milltag (@Milltag) February 8, 2021
Poor Tom Pidcock may live to regret uploading his rather suspect run to Strava unless he can provide some more concrete evidence of a world class 13:25 5km time very soon.
The news has now hit the running community, and followers of the popular ‘I Was, Or Am A Runner’ group on Facebook are having their say. One commented: “Nonsense. This is totally contentious. Nobody runs 13.25 for 5k on a morning training run in winter. It is glib and disingenuous indeed to qualify this with the comment ‘Apparently this is very fast’. There is no ‘apparently’ about it. A world class athlete would know the relative paces of other endurance sports.”
Another said: “Not bad as he runs about twice a week…complete b*llocks”, while another suggested: “Maybe he just forgot to actually get off his bike!”
Honestly @andybutchart91 and @_MarcScott you might as well just call it day.
You’re no match for this new breed of lockdown athlete. pic.twitter.com/BW86qQN9tH
— Callum Rowlinson (@callumrowlinson) February 8, 2021
Pidcock’s claims were also compared to a similar situation involving pro footballer Ross Barkley, who also posted what was thought to be an extraordinarily fast 5km last April; and he only claimed to have ran a time of 16:11! We’ll be waiting for Mr Pidcock to follow up with another Farah-thrashing performance soon to convince the public of his superior running talents…
8 February 2021, 08:59
8 February 2021, 08:59
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Latest Comments
Hi-viz makes no difference if drivers do not bother to look and simply use so called "cycle lane" markings as the give way line. My size and large orange hi-viz vest is visible in the reflection of this driver's right side window. The clip does not clearly show her mild shock at seeing me so close. https://youtu.be/vEeljHmz6KA
Get some help you tedious fool This is how it's done, All Mouth No Trousers Boy, by people who are actually out cycling and submitting cases for the benefit of the cycling community, as opposed to those sitting at home making up self-aggrandising stories about 'nailing' the correct way of submitting to achieve 'vastly improved' numbers of NIPs/ letters while being unable to display one video or any evidence of the police 'action'. https://upride.cc/incident/se19hwu_mini_closepass/ You are Pathetic Trolling Toad and ICMFP
“The public made 150,000 video allegations across England and Wales in the last year, and most were prosecuted/ 2/3rds from drivers with dashcams, and 1/3rd from cyclists and pedestrians” This is obviously untrue- virtually none of a large number of submissions to Lancashire Constabulary are being 'prosecuted'. If you look at Benthic's A&S police 'database' above you will see that almost all of the claimed actions are 'Warning letter' and a lot of the rest are 'Positive outcome'
"I promise to make sure that I am seen..." Good luck with that. Hi viz doesn't work for stupid and inobservant, as we all know.
[Stupid comment editor - ignoring line breaks :o( ]
And it's not just the RSA, most Irish motorists believe that if they are barrelling down country roads, in the dark, in the lashing rain, travelling much faster than they can stop in the distance they can see, that if they encounter a pedestrian and only just miss that pedestrian, then it was _the pedestrian's fault_ the driver didn't see them in time cause they weren't wearing high viz. Just check out the number of comments in this insane reddit post backing the bonkers driving of the OP: https://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/1r7xczz/venting/ Shite driving and victim blaming is utterly normalised now.
Whenever I drive my overlarge car I'll make sure I know where people are And make it all the way safely home By putting away my goddamn phone!
The RSA is _obsessed_ with hiviz. They regularly have campaigns giving out hiviz to pedestrians, to school kids. I am convinced someone high up in the RSA is very good buddies with a hiviz vendor, and is funneling the government money to them in return for kick-backs. Only way to explain the insane level of obsession RSA has with neon-yellow plastic.
"According to the Hi Glo Silver Pledge, children in Ireland’s schools sign up to the following (not legally binding, I assume) agreement: “When I walk or cycle, night or day, after school or when I go to play, I promise to make sure that I am seen, in reflective clothing that is bright orange, yellow, or green.”" This is actually quite dark. How about, "When I drive I'll use my lights, 'cos unlike the dim drivers I'm quite bright, I look out for others because I should and, erm, the end."
This clip on Cycling Mikey's channel states: "The public made 150,000 video allegations across England and Wales in the last year, and most were prosecuted/ 2/3rds from drivers with dashcams, and 1/3rd from cyclists and pedestrians." https://youtu.be/rjnAiHOuIx8?t=113
35 thoughts on ““Maybe he forgot to get off his bike”: Tom Pidcock challenged over 13:25 5km run claim; UCI bans forearms-out aero position; Chris Froome unconvinced by disc brakes; DIY bike lane video; Chris Gritty; Cummings back at Ineos + more on the live blog”
Goodness, this is Froome in
Goodness, this is Froome in the last year or two that he could possibly win the TdF. Just give the man what he wants. I’m sure Factor’s Chinese wholesaler has got a rim brake frame somewhere in their catalog…
I suspect he will be asked to
I suspect he will be asked to see the sponsorship manager after school!
I’ll bet team management
I’ll bet team management probably dislike being forced to use discs as well, makes wheel changes etc. a lot more fraught!
Either my sarcasm detector is
Either my sarcasm detector is failing or you are serious? If serious pray tell how it makes it harder?
Haven’t watched any grand
Haven’t watched any grand tours recently? Even commentators pointing out how much longer (yes ok, in the context of racing anyway) a disc brake wheel change takes, and who was the pro last year left riding a punctured wheel for several kilometres in a desperate attempt to keep up because the neutral support didn’t have a suitable disc wheel and his team car was miles behind?
IanEdward wrote:
Nah, not really buying this for a straight wheel change. When the UCI mandated retention tabs on front forks, that basically screwed fast wheel changes even for QR wheels. That neutral service now has to carry multiple different wheel types, that does cause issues. Without checking, I think the incident you’re thinking of was last year’s Tour stage over the Plateau des Glieres and the rider was Richie Porte. Someone will correct me if I’m wrong.
slappop wrote:
Fail – Instant loss of credibility. Factor design and make their own bikes. Open moulds they are not. See their website: “Unlike most in our industry, Factor is the sole owner of the Factor production facility and author of each and every Factor bicycle.”
flobble wrote:
Correct. They also have the O2 VAM rim-braked model. Perhaps ISN are running a single model for logistical reasons – cutting down duplication of wheelsets, brakes, STIs etc etc?
I suspect people have jumped on Froome’s comment just like they did with the UCI ban on the super-tuck because it’s seen as ‘controversial’ and good clickbait. I’m sure Froomey will get used to it very quickly and it will soon be a non-issue (if it ever was an issue in the first place).
Regarding wheel changes in pro racing, I’ve always thought that there must be a way of estimating the trade-off between the likelihood of a tyre deflation at a really bad moment vs running slightly more robust tyres. Personally, I’d give up a few grammes and a fraction of RR in exchange for not being dropped at the bottom of a climb or the stress of waiting at the roadside and then having to come back through the convoy. Or in races like Paris-Roubaix, where a puncture in a late sector when the pace is hot invariably means the end of your race.
flobble wrote:
Of course, because everything said on a website is absolutely true. It’s one of the Velominati rules…
Cyclist magazine did an
Cyclist magazine did an article covering a trip to said Factor factory and show about their r&d, carbon processes, etc. If Cyclist magazine is part of the Chinese deep state then I may have to come out of lockdown lethargy and start buying up survival gear.
slappop wrote:
“The Rules”, to parapharse Catherine Tate’s sweary nan, “wadda load of old sh!t!”
Quote:
I think this is hugely telling, riders need to adapt to a technology because it’s what the industry wants! Surely it should be the other way around?
What’s in it for the industry? Just a case of newer and shinier? Forces people to abandon existing wheelsets, framesets, brakes, shifters etc.
I’m also convinced that the markups on disc brake kit are waaaaaaay higher than on conventional rim brake kit, I mean why does it cost soo much more to manufacture a disc brake calliper when arguably they are mechanically much simpler than a rim brake calliper? Why are hydraulic STIs so much more expensive than mechanical? Granted there is an extra piston in there, and they’ll probably be recouping a bit of R&D (more-so than the callipers at least) but otherwise?
Professional riders that have
Professional riders that have to “put up” with the 10k superbikes their teams and sponsors supply is very much a different use case to the average Joe shmoe Road.cc / 3 times a week rider. Its refreshing that the consumer market is dictating what the Pro’s ride for once.
You might be right about the markup though 😀
Ah, but how can you tell if
Ah, but how can you tell if the consumer market is being driven by what people want, or just what is being made available to them?
I WANT a nice, light, endurance geometry road bike, but the industry has decreed that I must therefore also want discs, which couldn’t be further from the truth. So sales of disc brake bikes are in part simply due to a lack of any other option, which means we’re all being forced into paying the generous mark-up that manufacturers appear to be awarding themselve for shoe-horning decades old MTB tech onto road bikes, without even bothering to try and improve it to address the issues Froome points out above (I too have ended up with warped and rubbing rotors after hot descents, in fact I’ve ended up with warped rotors just from completing ’20 hard stops’ as per bedding in instructions).
As always, YMMV. My brother
As always, YMMV. My brother blew his tyres off coming down a long mountain pass (rim brakes, obviously). My own experience in the Lakes was of gripping the levers for all I’s worth to control my speed on a long descent.
Whereas the discs on my new bike have been 99.9% trouble free over the last 18 months. I did just once have to align the rear caliper – loosen bolts, grip lever whilst retightening bolts, done.
I don’t follow cycle sports, haven’t a clue what the pros are up to, neither could I care. But I do like my disc brakes.
There are still quite a lot
There are still quite a lot of rim brake bikes available at a wide range of price points and riding styles e.g. https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/57-rim-brake-bikes-you-can-still-buy-261013
It seems to me that if rim brakes are becoming less widely available, it is because they don’t sell as well. There’s enough competition in the bike market that if enough customers preferred rim brakes over disc brakes, someone would sell that to them and make a healthy profit, while manufacturers trying to ‘force’ people to buy disc brake models would be left with a lot of unsold stock.
It’s another question entirely whether average Joe Customer is actually making a sensible choice by wanting disc over rim brakes, but I don’t doubt that is what is happening.
One thing that bugs me most
One thing that bugs me most is the shift from Post/ISO mounts (which satisfied the MTB crowd for years with their undeniably higher demands of brake systems) to flat mount. The reason seems to be mainly because Shimano managed to patent the flatmount systems and thus also the frame-standards that go with them.
Upshot – every frame manufacturer is forced to build frames that match Shimano’s new standard, rather than the industry wide (i.e. non-profitable) Post/ISO standards and thus…sort out licensing of Shimano’s patents. See also: four-arm cranks, the shift from HG to microspline/XD-driver and centre-lock discs – they’re all based in new patents that mean new licensing agreements for any aftermarket manufacturer and functionally serve to provide no real benefit to the rider. (I’ll acknowledge that microspline serves some small purpose for the hulk sprinters but really, how many of us have routinely gouged out a freehub?)
Each new round of ‘updates’ is a new round of patents which means that the aftermarket crowd are screwed and we all end up paying top dollar because the big players have made something ‘new’.
IanEdward wrote:
I don’t see how they’re mechanically simpler. Tolerances are also much tighter.
You could make a passable rim brake in a weekend with sheet metal, spring wire, and hand tools (saw, files, vise, drills) which would be a lot harder with a disc caliper.
Wow, seriously? By that
Wow, seriously? By that argument then all I need to make a disc brake calliper is a lump of magnesium and a big drill!
I know what he means.
I know what he means. Personally I’m not convinced that umbrellas are quite where they need to be yet.
The enthusiasm Chris shows
The enthusiasm Chris shows for his bike is er…sadly lacking.
I admired his honesty
I admired his honesty
Wait, Froome has honesty?
Wait, Froome has honesty? There’s a first time for everything.
Gritting cycle lanes? Gawd,
Gritting cycle lanes? Gawd, those cyclists in that there London have it easy, don’t they?
😉
I’m going to say 13:25 is
I’m going to say 13:25 is probably optimistic, looking at the GPS data and since Strava picks the “fastest” 5k based on that GPS data. There are a few extra wiggles which will increase the recorded distance travelled in the same elapsed time. FYI the strava activity is here: https://www.strava.com/activities/4748319774 (the date is wrong).
That said, I’m not too suprised that a professional athlete is a bloody fast runner…
Unless he was being chased by
Unless he was being chased by an angry dog, that GPS trace does look a bit random. As you say though, an elite cyclocrosser could no doubt put in a good 5k time.
But good lord the vitriol in some of the strava comments. What is the matter with people. I hope he can do a properly timed 5k and prove the trolls wrong!
He does 5 laps around that
He does 5 laps around that triangle from 1.0 to 4.6 miles on his Strava record, so 3.6 miles or 5.8 km, including his fastest miles.
Using the measure feature on Google maps, each lap of the inside pavement/path is nearly exactly 1 km. I think the inside path is a safe bet unless he particularly enjoys crossing roads for no reason. Distance is therefore high by about 16%. Correcting 13:25 upwards by the same amount yields right at 16:00.
New UCI Rules ban using
New UCI Rules ban using forearms as support… whilst I take the point on the ‘ mock time trial’ position, surely this does not include using the tops of the hoods/bars as support with forearms (per the bloke in the pic)?
What next? Riders have to use stabilisers?
PRSboy wrote:
No that picture’s a mistake, that rider’s using the new Speeco aerobars, effectively a standard handlebar but with massive dropout sections to enable a TT position (yours for £1400!). Not banned by the UCI yet but doubtless soon will be.
The hands have to be contact
The hands have to be contact with the bars, so strictly speaking the position pictured could be illegal – depends whether the hoods are considered to be part of the bars.
Also, they’re not ‘new UCI rules’ – this, and the top tube position, have been banned for a long while – what’s new is the UCI have said they’re going to enforce the rules they’re a part of more robustly, with increased possible penalties.
mdavidford wrote:
I think it will be banned on the safety grounds that anyone riding on the tops will be too far from the hoods to get to them quickly in an emergency. I guess the manufacturers could experiment with secondary brakes on the tops…
mdavidford wrote:
of course the hoods are part of the bars, I don’t think they are going to ban holding the bars by the hoods. Holding the hoods gives perfect control of the bike, and easy access to the brakes, a good as beng on the drops, just slightly less aero.
wycombewheeler wrote:
I don’t think they’re actually going to stop anyone doing this either – I’m just saying that strictly, by the rules, it may be illegal. As I said, they’re not ‘going to ban’ anything – all these positions are already illegal, and have been for a long time – it’s just a question of what they actually enforce.
Leaning on hoods with
Leaning on hoods with forearms probably should be banned. Hands in contact with bars for proper control. This is all the rule needs to say hands must grip the bars, whether that be tops, drops or hoods (or even aero extensions where they are allowed) is irrelevant. But leaning on tops or or hoods with forearms to adopt a time trial position in events where time trial bars are not allowed would be prevented, which is surely the intent.
If time trial bars are not allowed for safety in group races, then adopting the same postion with less secure control of the handlebars should definitely not be alllowed.
However the image shown against the story shows a rider with his hands on the hoods, this should be completely fine. This is no different in position to riding on the hoods ona standard road bike, it just has a little more support for the forearm.
wycombewheeler wrote:
But as I said above, those are Specco bars with massively extended length putting a rider with hands on the tops much further away from the brakes than with standard bars. Be amazed if the UCI allow them, nobody’s tried them in a race yet (AFAIK).