Comment: It's the big topic of the last few days. After an incident at Paris – Roubaix in which Movistar professional Francisco Ventoso allegedly seriously injured himself on a brake disc, the UCI banned the new brakes, which were only permitted at the beginning of the year, from the peloton. Now, however, it is vitally important that the dialogue surrounding disc brakes does not die down, as that would be doing cycling a disservice.
Commentary by Michael Faiss
Francisco Ventoso: What really happened?
The accident and the serious injury to Francisco Ventoso got the ball rolling. News circulated on Tuesday evening that Ventoso had suffered a deep cut after contact with a brake disc on another wheel. About 12 hours later, Movistar released an open letter from its injured pro, calling on the UCI and the riders' union CPA to ban the use of disc brakes to protect rider safety. In addition, the 33-year-old published (dramatic) photos of his injury and for the first time provided more detailed information about the course of the accident.
So far so good. However, this open letter, the photos and above all the description of how the accident happened raises more questions than they answer. Ventoso describes the situation in which he injured himself as follows:
“[…] in a pavé sector, a mass crash tears up the field and numerous other riders fall. I can brake in time, but I bump into another pro in front of me, who is also trying to avoid the riders who have fallen in front of him. I didn't fall, just my knee touched the back of his bike. I keep going, but soon I look down at my leg: it doesn't hurt, but it's covered with blood and I can see the periosteum covering my shin.”
This description is quite plausible in and of itself. However, looking at the pictures of Ventoso's injury raises a few questions - unfortunately I can't spare you the photos as they play an important role. Not for weak stomachs:
As you can see quite clearly here, the wound is on the outside of the left shin. If you now follow Ventoso's information about the course of the accident, you inevitably have to ask yourself how the left leg of the Movistar pro came into contact with the brake disc of the man in front. The braking system is also located on the left side of the wheel.
Of course, anyone who has ever had a serious fall or been injured on a bike knows that the events of the accident are often only vaguely remembered and details quickly become muddled. But Ventoso explicitly states that he did not fall – so he must still remember that. Since there is nothing to shake about the authenticity of the photos, something about Ventoso's story must be wrong.
In his letter, the Movistar professional also tells us that Etixx – Quick-Step professional Nikolas Maes was also injured by a disc brake. However, Maes himself did not want to confirm this, as his racing team announced yesterday evening: “Nikolas can neither confirm nor refute that. He doesn't know how he got injured because after the fall he was fully focused on continuing the race. Sitting in the ambulance with Ventoso, he thought a brake disc could be the cause, but he can't confirm this. Likewise, another part of the wheel or the cobblestones could have been the reason for the injury.”
Don't get me wrong: I don't want to accuse Francisco Ventoso of lying at this point. I know very well how you feel after a fall and an injury like this and how you try desperately to remember how the accident happened. Details blur and emotions also play a role. I also don't want to rule out the possibility that the cause of the injury really was a brake disc. I'm much more concerned with what followed and, above all, with the reaction of the UCI.
The reaction of the UCI: ignorance or blind activism?
The reports about Ventoso's injury and especially the open letter made waves in the cycling world. It was of course grist to the mills of numerous other drivers who had warned of just such a scenario. The drivers' union CPA also felt vindicated and vehemently called on the UCI to act. Within just 48 hours, the world association finally gave in to the pressure and banned disc brakes from professional cycling for the time being. It should be noted that there is no official confirmation that the wound really came from a brake disc and Ventoso's explanations are quite dubious. However, it would be the task of a world association to deal with it seriously and professionally and not to lapse into activism.
Even though the UCI has now received applause from many quarters for this step, the behavior of a world association is unworthy. Because either the warnings from professionals and teams were actually not taken seriously in advance, ignored and - much worse - they themselves did not deal with the possible problems associated with the introduction of disc brakes. Or one throws one's own convictions overboard in blind activism under pressure from outside and in an atmosphere of hysteria. Both options are a disgrace for an association with the power and responsibility of the UCI.
It is not entirely unlikely that the UCI saw the opportunity to use this step to bring some calm to the tense relationship between the association and the professionals. After all, a corresponding reaction to the cause of the escort vehicles has been missing for several months now - despite the pressure from outside.
Why disc brakes deserve another chance in professional cycling
For now, the days of disc brakes in the pro peloton may be numbered. It would now be important for the association, industry, representatives of the teams and professionals to sit down and talk about how to proceed. When used correctly, disc brakes can contribute much more to driver safety than they pose a health hazard. Whether one re-evaluates the above-mentioned risk of injury from the brake discs or develops protective covers made of carbon, for example, is an open question, but it would be of great importance that the topic was discussed further.
In the past, the primary problem was that there was no real dialogue about disc brakes. Drivers and teams felt (understandably) patronized and put under pressure by the association. The ensuing, at times poisoned, dialogue made one thing clear above all: you have to give the drivers more time to deal with the new technology and get to know its advantages. Because one of the arguments repeatedly put forward by the peloton against the introduction of disc brakes is persistent: the power of rim brakes would be sufficient, tires can do no more than block. This is exactly what shows that many critics of the new brakes have not yet gained any experience with them themselves, because the maximum braking power is only of secondary importance when comparing rim brakes vs. disc brakes, if at all.
Much more decisive are two advantages that disc brakes enjoy compared to conventional road bike brakes, namely a significantly better dosage and almost constant braking behavior regardless of external influences. While the leeway between the onset of the braking effect and the blocking of the tire is very small with rim brakes, disc brakes allow a much better modulation that is noticeably better for every hobby rider. How many falls are caused by braking? How many serious injuries have there been because the rear wheel accidentally locked on a descent? Disc brakes could make a major contribution to greater safety here. Provided you give the drivers and teams enough time to deal with it and you look for solutions together with the industry to minimize the danger from brake discs. The British colleagues from GCN had already dealt with the topic via video last year and, among other things, also tested how dangerous a brake disc is compared to aero spokes - anyone who speaks English should watch the entertaining video at least once:
At this point, I don't want to make a passionate plea about disc brakes being the salvation and rim brakes being a safety risk. Modern road bike brakes work very well and have now proven themselves in many ways. However, it would be a pity and almost tragic if the dialogue were to be discontinued because of this incident. When used correctly, disc brakes can make a significant contribution to driver safety - but in order to achieve this goal, all parties involved must sit down and talk about it like adults. I hope so.
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