Michael Barry on Safety and the Giro

[John the Monkey]

Interesting article by Columbia's Michael Barry.

Every rider in the race has a dozen stories he can tell in the bus after the race—most are of moments where he almost crashed. Cycling can be dangerous; we know it an accept it. Yet too often we accept what we shouldn’t: riding on courses that haven’t been cleared of cars or marked for their dangers.

http://www.velonews.com/article/92236/michael-barry-s-diary---a-matter-of-safety

 

[rich p]

He makes a case but not necessarily a convincing one.

 

[DerbyMerc]

Riders have always ridden down difficult descents and finished in towns - it's a spectator sport and a dangerous one - I agree that there shouldn't be parked cars on a crit circuit but mountain descents are the nature of a grand tour.

 

[yello]

Not sure I agree Rich. It's interesting as a read from the rider's perspective and I do think his conclusion is pretty emphatic...

And, when a race decides to increase the dangers to draw interest, we need to decide whether we are athletes or clowns

True, he doesn't suggest what might be done to avoid it but he is clearly implying that something should be.

I have to highlight this though, no extra comment needed!

Allan Davis rode at the back of the peloton for 200 km, vomiting and filling cycling caps with diarrhea

 

[Noodley]

I have to highlight this though, no extra comment needed!

I suppose it beats autographing them

 

[rich p]

Not sure I agree Rich. It's interesting as a read from the rider's perspective and I do think his conclusion is pretty emphatic...



True, he doesn't suggest what might be done to avoid it but he is clearly implying that something should be.

I have to highlight this though, no extra comment needed!

Yes, he obviously knows a lot more than me and may have a valid point but all mountain descents are dangerous at high speed in the rain. I'm not sure why this one was deemed to be different. There was obviously disagreement about whether the Milan stage was dangerous even amongst the riders and if you can race for 2 laps, why not 10?
I seem to remember the riders doing something similar on a city lap stage of last years tour of Poland. Maybe they're trying to make a point about the pointlessness of such stages in a tour.

 

[Keith Oates]

I have to admit that when I saw the Milan stage on the cyclingnews stage chart I thought it was odd to have a city centre crit included in a grand tour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dave5N]

Reminds me of Boonen's pointless but effective protest in the ToB a couple of years ago.

Surely (within limits, obv.) you race to the conditions. Isn't that the difference between track and road? More variables?