Kyle Brooks:
I saw that segment during the Versus TV Tour coverage, and I wondered what other people thought of the list of the "top 5 innovations" in the Tour (and racing in general, I suppose). The list was as follows: 5 - rider/team car race radios 4 - clipless pedals 3 - team "follow" cars 2 - integrated brake/shift levers 1 - the derailluer
Now, Bobke's misinformation about the derailluer's invention aside -- what did people think of this list? I don't have a big quibble with the derailluer listed as #1. I'm sure all of us love derailluers -- vintage, on-topic, or otherwise. But what about some of the others? Integrated brake/shift levers? Clipless pedals? Nice inventions, both, but have they really improved racing? Made the racers faster? Made the bikes that much better? Hmmm. . .
Then, the question is, what "innovations" would you put on the list instead?
Speaking in terms of decades I'd say pavement.
Craig Montgomery
Tucson