Sean Kelly has questioned if the increasing popularity of training alone, and do very specific training programmes, is linked to an apparently high number of crashes in major pro races.
La Vuelta, which is currently underway, has seen a number
of crashes and the Tour de France this year was very badly hit by big crashes
this year.
And though a spectator was to blame for one bad crash at
the Tour, the other incidents were worse and were not caused by anyone on the
roadside.
Kelly said the routes into pro cycling were now more varied that ever and he believed some riders, especially those who came from completely different sports, lacked the bike handling skills required for professional road racing.
But he also said more and more cyclists, including pro riders, were training to very specific and individually tailored training programmes. These were so specific to themselves that they needed to train alone to follow their coach’s instructions.
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That, he said, resulted in more and more hours spent
training alone rather than in a group. Kelly believed those changed training
habits had to be having an impact of riders’ bike handling and their instincts
in the bunch and resulting in some of the crashes we have been witnessing.
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“There was a lot of talk during the Tour de France; a lot of riders coming into (the pro peloton) who haven’t got the experience riding in the peloton,” the 1988 Vuelta winner said on Eurosport.
Kelly added when Primož Roglič made the switch into
cycling, from ski jumping, he was known for “crashing a lot”. However, his bike
handling skills then improved and there were fewer falls.
More recently, however, Roglič had endured more crashes
and he wondered if that – and other riders crashing – was down to them having
very specific training programmes which necessitated solo training.
“Is it that (Roglič) is unlucky; in the wrong place at
the wrong time? Or is it partly his bike handling?” Kelly said of the Slovenia’s
recent crashes.
“I believe you have to come up through the ranks and
learned how to ride; go on your club rides, ride your bike in a group.
“Now a lot of the riders are also training individually; they have training programmes where they have to go out and ride at a certain rate on a day.
"If it’s three hours or four hours they have to ride to specific watts. They don’t have that feeling of riding in a (group). So is that part of the problem with a lot of crashes now in the races in the latter years?”
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