Garmin Slipstream race Radios?

decrrrrrr · 13-07-2009 11:28am #1

Have searched around for the answer to this one but couldn't find it..

What are the yellow boxes/units that some of the Garmin riders wear on their helmets?

http://www.slipstreamsports.com/photos/photo/3703976281/david-millar-tour-de-france-2009-stage-6.html

They look like a race radio unit yet not all of the riders are wearing them (I suppose it is down to personal choice as to where you put them)

TinyExplosions · 13-07-2009 11:49am

I'm not sure, but I suspect it's to do with storing (and possibly transmitting) power data to the team cars, they have been publishing that info throughout the tour

Nietzschean · 13-07-2009 11:52am

velonews had it in one of the feeds that those were the race radios... i guess we'll know for sure on the stages when they can't use the radios!

emtroche · 13-07-2009 12:03pm

Guy on eurosport the other day said he asked Matt White (garmin DS) and he said that they're just radios. Suppose its a bit tidier than havin it under the jersey with a cable up the neck.

Captain Havoc · 13-07-2009 12:06pm

I also heard them say it on Eurosport that they're radios

hynesie · 13-07-2009 12:50pm

Does this have anything to do with the Cyclops Joule which is being tested by Garmin (scroll to the bottom and press more to see reference to it)?
Seems kinda stupid to put the radio on top of the helmet, not exactly aerodynamic.

hynesie · 24-07-2009 9:50am

BikeRadar have a bit of info on this today

Garmin-Slipstream also uses its Edge 705 computers to display and record wattage information from its Powertap rear hubs but unbeknownst to many, each power meter is also sending data to an innocuous looking little yellow box either mounted beneath the saddle or on the back of the rider's helmet. They're not just storing the data for later analysis though – the Edge 705 already does that on its own.

Instead, it's apparently some sort of real-time telemetry system that transmits each rider's wattage information back to the team cars. Exactly how that information is used during a stage, however, isn't clear. Understandably, Garmin-Slipstream officials haven't been eager to discuss the system's details with us.

blorg · 24-07-2009 11:24am

I think teams other than Garmin are doing this. I am following the Tour on the ITV4 highlights and they occasionally mention that a rider's heart rate is up to whatever, he must be feeling the pinch now, so this data must be passed on from some riders to the commentators. They have never mentioned power AFAIK.

Garmin Slipstream race Radios?

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