79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 02/21/2018 12:50 PM |
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"The crash occurred in the neutral zone section of stage 1. VeloNews confirmed with the race organization that the race director’s car braked and caused the crash, in which four riders went down."
( http://www.velonews.com/2018/02/news/cavendish-out-of-abu-dhabi-tour-following-stage-1-crash_457682 )
So, for the World Tour, UCI sends the peloton to a land where there are no spectators (OK a few dozen at the finish) and the race start isn't as safe as a Cat 4 race. And funny, Cycling News has a photo captioned "Mark Cavendish makes his complaints" like he is being a wise-*** to have the nerve to complain about being concussed by a ham operated pace car. I suppose I should give the driver a break. It is entirely likely that the only dog outdoors that day in the entire country could well have darted in front of the car.
I guess I should just get used to the idea that to land a UCI race, all you need is enough money. Nothing else is required.
Ben
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 02/21/2018 01:52 PM |
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Apparently the Mercedes pace car had automatic brakes that sensed the bikes nearby (directly behind in fact) and braked without input from the driver. Tonight they will deactivate the automatic braking. Early season, brand new car, technology that isn't bike-worthy tested yet - I guess I have to give the race organizers a little slack. Still, this doesn't set the tone of the rider's safety being number one.
I hope Mercedes gets an earful on this. Braking for tailgating bikes? A safety feature?
Ben |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 02/21/2018 01:52 PM |
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Apparently the Mercedes pace car had automatic brakes that sensed the bikes nearby (directly behind in fact) and braked without input from the driver. Tonight they will deactivate the automatic braking. Early season, brand new car, technology that isn't bike-worthy tested yet - I guess I have to give the race organizers a little slack. Still, this doesn't set the tone of the rider's safety being number one.
I hope Mercedes gets an earful on this. Braking for tailgating bikes? A safety feature?
Ben |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 02/21/2018 02:02 PM |
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Multiple post
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Nick A
Posts:625
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| 02/22/2018 12:07 PM |
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| Automatic braking for tailgating anything sounds like a recipe for disaster. |
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