KevinK
02-10-2006, 12:47 PM
A few of observations from one who has been out of club racing for two decades, and is now trying to get back into it:
1. Today's equipment has raised compatibility issues, and it has impacted how someone deals with equipment failure during a race. Even something as simple as a wheel change for a flat is much more complex not because of indexed STI/Ergo shifting and 8-9-10 speeds. Back when I used to race, you would be able to use pretty much any wheel that was available without worrying about compatibility. We used to even switch bikes on occasion if a repair looked to be too time consuming, but the incompatibility among different pedal/cleat configurations, has made this a less viable option.
2. Cost of equipment has changed how racers deal with wheel swaps. it used to be that most wheels were pretty comparable to each other, and everyone was pretty OK about throwing their wheels in the back of the follow vehicle and letting anyone use any wheel. Now with some wheels costing $1K or more, folks are pretty careful about who uses what.
3. Racers have become way more knowledgeable about their conditioning and training. Talk about heart rates, lactate thresholds, watts and power output has me scratching my head. Cycling computers weren't even invented when I was racing back in the late 70's and early 80's, and we'd put our hand up to our neck if we needed to check our pulse. Sport drinks, gels and supplements are so much a part of today's sport, but were non-existent back then.
4. Even though the average age of a road racer has gotten older, the average pace of a race is faster now than it was back then. And the hills are steeper...and the headwinds are stronger....
Kevin
1. Today's equipment has raised compatibility issues, and it has impacted how someone deals with equipment failure during a race. Even something as simple as a wheel change for a flat is much more complex not because of indexed STI/Ergo shifting and 8-9-10 speeds. Back when I used to race, you would be able to use pretty much any wheel that was available without worrying about compatibility. We used to even switch bikes on occasion if a repair looked to be too time consuming, but the incompatibility among different pedal/cleat configurations, has made this a less viable option.
2. Cost of equipment has changed how racers deal with wheel swaps. it used to be that most wheels were pretty comparable to each other, and everyone was pretty OK about throwing their wheels in the back of the follow vehicle and letting anyone use any wheel. Now with some wheels costing $1K or more, folks are pretty careful about who uses what.
3. Racers have become way more knowledgeable about their conditioning and training. Talk about heart rates, lactate thresholds, watts and power output has me scratching my head. Cycling computers weren't even invented when I was racing back in the late 70's and early 80's, and we'd put our hand up to our neck if we needed to check our pulse. Sport drinks, gels and supplements are so much a part of today's sport, but were non-existent back then.
4. Even though the average age of a road racer has gotten older, the average pace of a race is faster now than it was back then. And the hills are steeper...and the headwinds are stronger....
Kevin