Italian team manager orders his riders to race without power meters

[fiamme red]

This news is over three weeks old, but I just read it now, and I don't think it has been posted here yet.

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sci...t-rate-meters/

"The riders are obsessed with watts. They allow themselves to be influenced too much by it. During training it's good to use a power meter but not in a race. I want my riders to think freely again," Scinto said.

"I don't want to lead robots, but riders who listen to their bodies and can control themselves. I know that there will be some dissatisfaction in the beginning, and there has already been one. But our leader [Giovanni] Visconti immediately agreed with me. We are heading this way with conviction."

[FlashUNC]

He should be fired as a manager if he's going to engage in lunacy like this.

Whether you agree with his stance or not, to unilaterally place his team at a disadvantage that literally every other team is using is the height of stupidity.

[dbnm]

He should remove two way radios as well. (seriously)

[bikinchris]

I have seen riders tell themselves they can't do something in the race because their heartrate monitor and now their power meter tells them they are going over their limit.
In a race situation, you either do it or die. Push yourself WAY beyond your limits.

[prototoast]

I doubt this will be an effective strategy, but I don't think the premise is necessarily flawed. Power meters are a tool, and if you believe your team is using that tool incorrectly, it may be better in the short term to take that tool away. In the long term, it would be better to learn to use it effectively, but that can take, and maybe the biggest race of the year (Giro) isn't the time for the team to learn.

[zmalwo]

Information is the key to victory. The more you know the more advantage you have over your opponents. It's always like that. There can never be too much info only not enough.

[colker]

Originally Posted by zmalwo

Information is the key to victory. The more you know the more advantage you have over your opponents. It's always like that. There can never be too much info only not enough.

Untill attitude matters more.

[uber]

Data is worthless without accurate interpretation. It sounds like the management is convinced that it's use is not optimizing their tram's performance and it is in fact hurting it. A very bold move that will be applauded if successful and ridiculed if it fails.

[Peter P.]

Originally Posted by colker

Untill attitude matters more.

Excellent response.

[Tandem Rider]

I agree with the coach's thinking. The same thing can happen with any data collecting device. Back in the '80s the team I rode for would have a group ride once a week, it always turned into a slugfest. One of the gals on the team would usually go top 15 at Nationals, so she was strong, could rotate through until it got serious, always rolled out the back when it hit 30mph. She says to me "when you guys go, please make it a clean break, don't ramp it up". I reached over, unsnapped her computer and put it in my jersey pocket, told her I would put it back on after the ride was over. She stuck. It's too easy to let the numbers tell you "too hard".

[ultraman6970]

I agree with the coach. Attitude in a race can be shut because of the numbers.

[bthomas515]

I read an article years ago [during the early Cavendish era] about riders crossing over disciplines. It mentioned how track riders typically cross over quicker because they're [hypothetically] more attuned with their bodies and rely upon feel more than data.

[weisan]

.

[laupsi]

Outside of doing a TT or long climb I would think these riders wouldn’t be paying too much attention to power readings. Most data is analyzed afterwards, no? Something must be radically wrong w/how these riders are performing to institute such a policy. Unless of course the director is attempting to make a specific point.

[Black Dog]

From a fan's perspective, and this should matter 100% since fans are the target audience, race radios (beyond safety updates) and power meters should not be allowed during races. These things have turned racing into outdoor zwift.