Ground Control to Major Tom...

I'm kind of a techie guy, then again aren't most men (boys and their toys, and all). But in regard to the smoldering debate of using race radios, the pendulum has definitely swung the other way for me. I once thought this simple technological implementation was great. Ongoing race communication allowed teammates to better function as a whole, and it seemed to level the playing field for most riders as the strongest could easily thwart any attacks.

But now I've come to realize that some riders [and teams] have become overly dependent on using race radios and most have lost their racing instincts that perhaps helped them get to their current level. It's also made most breakaways nearly impossible to succeed.

MORE: 2002 Cyclingnews article on the debate

Enter wireless technology into the game. My only questions are: Will the riders be able to pick up phone calls or satellite radio with those things? When will the iHelmet be coming out?

Brad Huff (Slipstream/Chipotle)
(Photo: Kurt Jambretz/www.actionimages.cc)

And, the time trialing version on Paolo Bettini (Photo: Bjorn Haake)