Three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond "believes the use of team radios should be restricted to make the three-week race more unpredictable," according to Martyn Herman of REUTERS. He said, "The Tour is less complex now because of radios. Riders are told everything. Maybe they could have one-way radios to call in mechanical problems, or for more water, but when you basically have the team tactician in the car calling all the shots it takes away from the race." Team orders "rule these days," making "epic duels" like that between teammates LeMond and Bernard Hinault on Alpe d'huez in '86, chronicled in the book "Slaying the Badger," rare. LeMond thinks that is "partly down to technology." He said, "Last year was boring because Team Sky controlled it. Riders have become robotic. Racing is not just physical, it's also tactical and psychological. But now the team just calls up on the radio and says, 'Kid, this is what's happening, get up there and ride.' I think without that it would be less predictable. The fans would love it" (REUTERS, 6/15).
