-=> Quoting Bill Piehler to Barry Austern <=-
 BP> This is one of the reasons I don't like to ride a racing bike on the
 BP> road, which has handle bars which force you to look down onto the
 BP> road, rather then ahead......look  at the accident that happened at the
 BP> Tour de France, where riders ploughed into stupid spectators stepping
 BP> right into the road to take pictures......
While I do have a hybrid that I ride when the weather is bad, most of my 6000
miles a year is done on a road (i.e. racing) bike or a sports/touring bike
with drop handlebars.  You are not "forced" to look down onto the road.
Racers _may_ drop their heads and look at the road to improve their
aerodynamic profile and get a little extra speed, they are not forced to do
so.  And, of course, there aren't supposed to be obstacles (or stupid
spectators) in the roadway.  Be assured that racers can see what's in the
road ahead.  It may not always possible when you are going 30 mph to avoid a
"stupid spectator" who insists on stepping in front of you any more than it
is possible for a car to avoid a stupid pedestrian that steps in front of it.
The straight handlebars of MTB and hybrids may be O.K. for short rides (and I
consider 30 miles to be short).  But they are a pain for long rides like
metric and English centuries.  And most of the Tour stages are over 100
miles.  The "short" Tour stages are time trials; where areodymanic efficiency
will make the difference between a win and bringing up the rear.
    ===  ==== =   _@
    Ken Peck +  _ \<._
    =========  (_)/ (_)   Kenneth_Peck@clr.com
... Beware of finding a Jesus entirely congenial to you.
--- Blue Wave/QWK v2.10
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