B
Benjamin Weiner
Guest
Wayne Pein <[email protected]> wrote:
> Faster Bordello wrote:
> > The way I understood "collusion" is that it's veerry
> > baaad for two teams to work together for one rider (like
> > they all feared QSD and Relax might
> > do). Whereas the "little deals" that take place such as
> > yesterdays "I'll let you hold your green jersey as
> > long as you work in my break" are the fun part of
> > cycling.....
> It's hard to believe that the Green jersey is considered a
> "little deal," on the same level as adversaries working
> together in the break. This is especially true when Cunego
> boldly announces the deal to the media. I think Saeco and
> Gerol should be fined.
I agree, and have spoken to Hein Verbruggen. From now on UCI
commissaires will interview each rider in a break to
determine if their motives for working are genuinely self-
interested; only if the answers are adequate will the rider
be allowed to take the front. Furthermore, since drafting
tends to subvert the principle that the strongest rider
should win the race, Hein is looking into banning drafting
in 2005. Some may object that this will produce one-
dimensional races too similar to already existing time
trials. To this end, Hein is exploring adding new endurance
disciplines such as distance running, swimming, and cross-
country skiing to the sport. Skiing may not be practical in
all areas without alterations to the calendar, so Hein is
thinking about a race that combines cycling, running and
swimming. The only problem now is coming up with a catchy
name for this new event.
In this case, Wegmann and Cunego both had legitimate
interests. The work and reward potentially overlap different
days; that's stage racing. (Although it seems Wegmann will
now lose the jersey unless he can pull off a long break on
Saturday.) It's not as egregiously obvious as the 2002
Vuelta where Acqua & Sapone guys set tempo for Heras on a
climb for no apparent reason. That seems closer to selling
races in the finish, which may have a long and honorable
tradition but also smells like falsifying the result.
> Faster Bordello wrote:
> > The way I understood "collusion" is that it's veerry
> > baaad for two teams to work together for one rider (like
> > they all feared QSD and Relax might
> > do). Whereas the "little deals" that take place such as
> > yesterdays "I'll let you hold your green jersey as
> > long as you work in my break" are the fun part of
> > cycling.....
> It's hard to believe that the Green jersey is considered a
> "little deal," on the same level as adversaries working
> together in the break. This is especially true when Cunego
> boldly announces the deal to the media. I think Saeco and
> Gerol should be fined.
I agree, and have spoken to Hein Verbruggen. From now on UCI
commissaires will interview each rider in a break to
determine if their motives for working are genuinely self-
interested; only if the answers are adequate will the rider
be allowed to take the front. Furthermore, since drafting
tends to subvert the principle that the strongest rider
should win the race, Hein is looking into banning drafting
in 2005. Some may object that this will produce one-
dimensional races too similar to already existing time
trials. To this end, Hein is exploring adding new endurance
disciplines such as distance running, swimming, and cross-
country skiing to the sport. Skiing may not be practical in
all areas without alterations to the calendar, so Hein is
thinking about a race that combines cycling, running and
swimming. The only problem now is coming up with a catchy
name for this new event.
In this case, Wegmann and Cunego both had legitimate
interests. The work and reward potentially overlap different
days; that's stage racing. (Although it seems Wegmann will
now lose the jersey unless he can pull off a long break on
Saturday.) It's not as egregiously obvious as the 2002
Vuelta where Acqua & Sapone guys set tempo for Heras on a
climb for no apparent reason. That seems closer to selling
races in the finish, which may have a long and honorable
tradition but also smells like falsifying the result.
