Last week we highlighted some sprint train video shot by action cameras on riders’ bikes at the Tour of California.
Shimano Race TV has now posted more on its YouTube channel – and it just keeps getting better. This time it’s the last 3km of Stage 8, and the main view is of John Degenkolb – Giant Shimano’s sprinter – gearing up for the sprint.
John degenkolb (giant-shimano) makes his way through the peloton
Viewers are treated to the hurly burly of the sprint ramping up, the pushing and shoving and Degenkolb losing his lead-out man Koen de Kort’s wheel in the finale. Mark Cavendish took the stage on Sunday.
The accompanying audio adds an extra dimension as you hear riders bark order and shouts of roadside fans. With quality like this – which should get better – and the popular reaction the videos have received, it’s surely only a matter of time before the UCI decides whether more races should be allowed to fix action cams to bikes. We can’t imagine the answer being anything other than yes.
The Amgen Tour of California received special dispensation from the UCI to add the cameras to the bikes and all week the Shimano team has been posting the videos giving an (almost) unprecedented view from inside a top race.