Rider protest at Tour of Oman could lead to some non-invites in 2016

Speaking in the wake of the rider protests which eventually led to the neutralisation of the penultimate stage of the Tour of Oman, Eddy Merckx said that some teams involved could see their invitations revoked in next year’s edition.

On Saturday sandstorms caused the start of the 151 stage from Al Sawadi Beach to the Ministry of Housing to be cancelled, with the riders being transported to a new point prior to the flag being dropped.

However strong winds continued to make things nervous and when extreme heat caused some teams’ tyres to explode, the riders wheeled to a halt under the shade of a large bridge and said they would not race.

Trek Factory Racing directeur sportif Dirk Demol summed up the mood. “[It] was simply incredible, and when the peloton stopped in the shade under the big bridge tires were exploding from the heat.

“[It] was the right decision to cancel the race - all the riders were united in the decision and agreed to not race. I feel sorry for the organization, it was a pity, but there was no way to race in that kind of heat.”

The remainder of the stage was neutralised.

Merckx, who is involved in the race organisation, said after the stage that the race might not continue in the future.

He then met with the minister for sports prior to Sunday’s final stage and confirmed that the race would go ahead next year.

However he suggests there may be repercussions.

“They have informed me that they will consider not inviting a few teams after the action of yesterday,” he said, according to De Telegraaf.

Merckx did not name names, but the Dutch newspaper points out that Tom Boonen (Etixx-QuickStep) and Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) were two who were prominent in the discussions about neutralising the remainder of the stage.

http://huphtur.nl/ huphtur

I bet Boonen or Fabs could care less if they got invited back or not.
Faz

Blessing in disguise if there is no invite back.
Chuck

There simply must be better places for a race at this time of year.
John

It seemed like only 1 teams tyres were popping on that descent. Though really its not like Oman will be missed.
Larry @CycleItalia

Do carbon rims get so much hotter than aluminum under braking that the tires explode? Besides Bardiani, Movistar was also reported to have had these issues. Problems like this are well-known with carbon clinchers, but tubulars too? Maybe the UCI needs to review some equipment regulations? Ol’ Eddy’s gotta be wondering when the “hard men of cycling” like Boonen and Cancellara wanna go back to the hotel, what is happening to the sport he was once the king of? On the other hand I can understand why nobody wants to take real risks in what is pretty much a meaningless, early-season event.
- Campbell Macmillan
  
  Leave your wheels in the trunk of your car in the middle of summer without letting some air out. Tubes will pop. Whole tire exploding maybe not.
  - Larry @CycleItalia
    
    During almost 30 years of cycling tours in the summer in France and Italy we’ve had plenty of wheels left inside vehicles in the blazing sun. NEVER any sort of explosion. I’ve read essays on increases in pressure based on altitude and temperature that tend to refute the explosion idea, but perhaps these carbon rims get so hot the metal valve stem melts the rubber in the tube and then blows out?
    - jules
      
      pressure x volume = temp
      
      20 deg. -> 50 deg. celcius is only 293 to 323 Kelvin, which is only a 10% increase. as volume of an inflated tyre is essentially constant, this is a 10% increase in pressure. say 120 psi (134 absolute) to 133 psi (147 absolute).
      
      tube explosions? hard to understand, in a static environment
      - Guest
        
        50C? Here in Melbourne down the cool end of Oz we can easily see 70C inside a car in summer Yesterday even. My steering wheel has gone a little soggy this last year. I can see a tube going bang at 145 or so. Gets hotter than that some places
        
        jules
        
        ok but I doubt they were worried about tubes exploding while stored. tubulars are typically rated to take high pressures - 150 psi?
        
        Hamish Moffatt
        
        Why didn’t they prepare the bikes for the conditions anyway?
    - sps12321
      
      I’ve had innertubes explode after pumping tire up outside in winter (-20C) and bringing the wheel inddors (+20C)
    - Emil Holt
      
      Had a tube explode on my girlfriends bike last summer on the Hautacam as we were standing there waiting for the pros. Bike left standing in the sun. 23mm tire pumped to 7 bar on a plain Mavic Ksyrium rim, so yes, it happens.
      
      Also, the plastic in the toe caps of my black Giro Empires melted and deformed.
      - Larry @CycleItalia
        
        And how many other bicycle tires exploded around you under those same temperatures and mounted on aluminum rims? When multiple teams have multiple failures all at the same time, it points to something more than just a hot day, otherwise one would think all the tires would explode, including the ones on bikes on the roof of the team cars?
        
        Campbell Macmillan
        
        I’ve never seen it happen with an aluminum rim only carbon and only with clinchers. Probably less likely if you are running 25’s and lower pressure, but if they are 22-23’s running higher pressure (120 psi).
        
        Emil Holt
        
        I’m not saying that one or more of the teams at the Tour of Oman didn’t have equipment of poor quality, just that high temperatures and exposure to sunlight CAN make tubes explode.
Shazwan Kamel

If Etixx or Trek did not get invited it will harm the race as well. And they dont want that do they?
Shawn Chung

Interesting… Bardiani CSF very recently signed a new tire sponsor.
- Dave
  
  The team has an official anti-fatigue medication supplier?
http://thewannaberacer.com The Wannabe Racer

Eddy is laying down the lay the only way he knows how.

It was great to see Boonen and Cancellara take the lead in calling a halt and leading discussions. Two of the senior members of the peloton who have to be well respected. Plus the only guys with a palmares anywhere close enough to Eddy’s to be able to talk to him.
- Cynic
  
  Eddy has sold out, he’s just a (well) paid lackey now.
  Why is he making a fuss about this, when the issue is clearly rider safety and not made up?
  His Palmares is easily bought for the right price.
Keir

“We will not invite you back in 2016″
“Do you promise”?
thebarman

I’ve had this happen to me when I’ve left a rear Mavic pro alu wheel in the sun at a bbq on the yarra this year. Was like a gunshot going off !
velocite

I got the impression that no-one wanted to race in the conditions. If this is the case then the riders/teams should take a joint position: no Trek next year then we won’t be there either.
Eddy

I wonder if they rode past the foreign workers’ camps?
Doubt it.
Best to stick to the hotels, don’t think about the horrific slum of men living like slaves who built your hotel, etc.
campirecord

I love seeing Cannibal being told to shove his oil money even higher up his arsse.

Rider protest at Tour of Oman could lead to some non-invites in 2016

By Shane Stokes - February 23, 2015