Disc dilemmas
Stannard certainly has more to celebrate than Fran Ventoso.
The Movistar rider was badly injured during Paris-Roubaix, which he claims was a result of falling on a disc brake in crash with a rider from Direct Energie.
Ventoso published an open letter on his Facebook page, calling for the technology to be removed from the peloton before another rider is injured, perhaps more seriously even than he was. The UCI suspended disc brake trials in professional racing the next day.
Stannard says that in the light of Ventoso’s injuries, the whole issue needs to be looked at.
“At the end of day, pro cycling is dangerous enough as it is, and we don’t need guys falling on discs. It sounds like a nasty injury”
“Before I read those comments, I was quite in favour,” says the former British national champion. “Obviously, they’ve proved to be quite dangerous. It’s not something we want to see.
“Before this weekend I’d have said they have a place [in the peloton]. The performance is much better, especially in the wet, but at the end of day, pro cycling is dangerous enough as it is, and we don’t need guys falling on discs. It sounds like a nasty injury.”
Team Sky tested disc brakes last year, he continues, but the team hadn’t considered using them for the Northern Classics.
“It was something we were looking at for later in the season, rather than for the Classics, where there aren’t any extreme descents. On the cobbles, the bikes slow themselves pretty quickly,” Stannard adds.
