Philippe Gilbert suggests novel approach in cycling's radio debate

Philippe Gilbert has suggested that teams should be limited to one or two radios per squad, believing that the change could bring some uncertainty into races while not completely removing all communication between riders.

The former world champion discussed the idea during an appearance on podcast Le Peloton, where he acknowledged the ongoing debate about race radios, which was ignited once again by the dramatic racing at the World Championships in Montreal.

“What I proposed was having a maximum of one or two riders per team acting as captains,” Gilbert said on Le Peloton. 

He explained that the designated riders would carry the increased responsibility for communicating with the rest of their team, changing the current dynamic within the peloton.

“We’d have a leader and a captain, that would be interesting,” he added.  

The discussion of race radios has been particularly prevalent following the World Championships, where the riders competed without the regular team radio communication that they have in the WorldTour. 

Mathieu van der Poel was among those who welcomed the lack of radios in Montréal, after he took the bronze medal behind Brandon McNulty and Michael Matthews in the men’s elite road race. 

The Dutchman had spent much of the race on the attack, and explained that the lack of radios meant that the riders had to rely more on their instincts, something that he thrives on. 

“That is the most beautiful thing there is, also without radios,” Van der Poel told NOS post-race. “I think that always produces very beautiful races. I’ve said it a few times already, I’m a fan of it.”

“You have to race on instinct. And that is what I like doing most,” he added. 

Gilbert’s fellow former professional and current Lidl-Trek sports director Maxime Monfort countered his proposal during the discussion on Le Peloton, suggesting it would be impossible to turn the clock back. And, given the financial stakes, Monfort claimed that increasing the unpredictability would not appeal to sponsors who invest in the sport. 

“The financial stakes for the teams are so high that we can’t just leave things to chance simply because we don’t have earpieces,” Montfort said. 

While Gilbert acknowledged Monfort’s argument, he questioned whether some sports directors used the radio simply for the sake of doing so at times.

“Some sports directors overplay the act of shouting at riders just to try and stay relevant, simply because they are former riders themselves,” Gilbert said.