TdF and advertising
 

Watching the last stage, a couple of things seem kinda obvious to me.

-These guys really don't care what they are riding, as long as it fits and it gets them to the finish line

-We(some) take a clean lambswool cloth to our steeds after a ride to make sure it's perfect for next ride. We color coordinate the tires and saddle and bar tape, just so and cry(actually saw a guy cry) when we put a ding in the paint.
But the TdF guys hand the bike to a team guy..don't really care about it..just making sure they got a serviceable bike back home when they keep training, probably on Tuesday, cuz of travel and the hangover..dinged up some, so what

-Tools...to them, trophys to others..

Not trying to slam anybody, it's just we(me too) sit thru the stages, look at equipment(I do), read the online news sites about this guy's or that guy's pro bike..know who sponsors whom on each team(I do)...know that to see a rider with a team sponsored by Slam, need to go 23 deep...see Astana with all mechanical Campagnolo(wonder why-BIG budget), but the other teams with mostly EPS..some Record, some SR(Ag2R-Small budget)...

type thing...I doubt Jens really cares whether it be TrekSpecializedCannondaleGiantFocusCanyonFeltBianc hi, just that it's there and works..

Just a post race, gear head, observation...

I would say its the difference between buying it with your own cash and being issued it. I care less about how pretty the tools are that the government issues me to accomplish missions than I do about the ones I buy myself as long as they work.

Man, I thought this was going to be a rant about the commercials on the TDF broadcast. You know, the same commercials, over and over and over again. And again. Every year, it becomes torture. I can't watch it live, thank god for DVRs and FF. At the end, i just wanted to Elvis my flat screen when that commercial came on with those guys in ties walking through something that made them clean or something while one was playing a tuba. Good lord. The disco robot dancing Cadillac commercial came in a close second.

There's a middle ground at least in old guy amateur racing. My bike is a tool but I race the best that I can afford even if I have to buy it used to be able to afford it. However I take care of all of my tools whether they are in a box or under my ass so when I scratch up a perfect $500 7970 RD in a crash I get pissed every time I look at it.

The domestic pros I know are equipment freaks. They may not work on their bikes but they want every advantage they can get. They know all the trick stuff.

Jens was saying in that video that he picks his team based on the pedals they use...lol.

Same as it ever was.

Part of the laissez faire attitude of the pros may be due to the fact that they know they will get their bike returned to them in prisitine conditon. Yes, most are glad to use the tool they're issued (under contractual obligations), but we know there are plenty of folks using some items that are relabeled - especially shoes.

I bet the Movistar rider whose steerer snapped wished he was back on a Pinarello.

One of the shocking things I learned when working with the Coors Light guys way back when was that while some of them understood the bikes and wanted them to work well, many others not so much. We'd get some bikes back from team members that were filthy, falling apart, poorly adjusted, with a rusty dry chain......etc.....and the rider never noticed or cared. They just pedaled the things hard and long and couldn't care less that the headset had a huge amount of play/knock in it or that the front der was so poorly adjusted it would overshift and drop the chain every time.

i somehow assumed that the pros would all be professional and want to take good care of their tools but just ins't the case. I'd say that most enthusiasts have better riding bikes that many pros do in the off season when the full time paid wrench isn't taking care of the bike for them.

I was very proud of the bikes I built for those guys and it was a rude awakening to see how they treated them and how little some of them cared. It makes sense from their perspective - they are tools and not something to be coveted - but from my seat is a real eye opener.

dave

Dave, you should see the bike you built for me. The drive train rusted last year when I left it outside for several months. When some hooligans stole the saddle, the frame filled with water and rusted. The bottom bracket and headset are seized up.

Just kidding, man! I treat it great :)

The late 90's Legend Ti I bought last year was treated as such. The layers of crap I removed from all the various components was atrocious. I treat it with care these days because although I spent far less on it than it's previous owner, my investment in it means a great deal to me for it not only is a great bike that serves me well, it's an important tool to keep me fit physically and mentally.

As far as tools and work as concerned, I have hundreds of thousands of dollars of gear around me that I use daily, I take care of each and every piece in use and in preventative maintenance.

That's what I mean by 'professional' and I was shocked by how many pro riders didn't act professionally in that way.

dave

I remember watching a video interview of one of the team mechanics discussing this issue. On this particular team, the sentiment expressed by the mechanics was that the bikes were owned and maintained by the team wrenches and simply loaned out to the riders. I don't know if that sentiment is shared by all the teams in the peloton, but could help explain why the bikes are simply tools to get the job done, not things to be worshiped.

The Michelob Ultra commercial was ok :)

Ain't it the truth..worked at Morgul-Bismark..one of the owners took really good care of his bike, the other was like highlighted above.

I don't think it's totally a question of worship per se (as many of us recreational/weekend warriors might exude) but more of what Dave Kirk mentioned and I concurred, that although these are tools of the trade you have skin (literally) in the game with regards to operational issues, and although your team has a serious cadre (Kadri?) of mechs to sort out any issues so that you as a rider can focus on being a rider, but at some point you are the man (or woman) in the saddle and have direct interaction with the bike so wouldn't you think they'd take more interest in function besides that of handing it over to the crew and walking away to get a kiss from the podium girls (so to speak)?

I dunno, I have zero experience with athletes on any level such as this, so I'll defer to those that are or have been in the game but it is still somewhat astounding me thinks