Perhaps Merckx contributed to the debate himself. I believe it is in his book that he mentioned that Ocana was riding "a very light bike". Granted the conditions were horrible, but my own experience with Teledyne tells me I wouldn't want to ride a Ti bike with Ti forks downhill fast in the rain. Or at the very least I would take fewer chances than on a steel frame.
It's like sayig that in a torential downpour during a Formula 1 race that the fact that a driver who got caught out on slicks and crashed, couldn't have done so because of the tires, as many guys on rain tires also crashed. Yes you can crash on rain tires, and yes you are even more likely to crash on slicks. Yes you can crash on a wet descent on any bike, and yes some designs are more likely to crash than others.
In those conditions, given a choice between the Speedwell Ocana was riding or the steel Motobecane Team Champion it was painted to resemble, I'd take the heavier genuine Team Champion every time. Or more realistically, I'll choose my own Team Champion over my own Teledyne every time. The Teledyne sure is fun on climbs or flat rides on good, dry roads, though.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Houston, TX
> Jerry Moos wrote:
> >
> > (cut) If the Teledyne
> > really was less solid in that situation, and if the "looseness" was due
> > mostly to the Ti forks, then maybe some of the blame for Luis Ocana's
> > famous crash in the TdeF while madly pursuing Merckx down a steep
descent in
> > the rain can be laid to the Ti forks on his Titanium Speedwell frame.
>
> Jerry, we have gone over this many times in the past and it is well
> established fact that the conditions during this stage were abysmal with
> torrential rain flowing across the road and that other pro riders,
> riding steel frames and forks, crashed too. The film footage shows pro
> riders dragging their feet on the pavement on the descent!!! The rider
> that crashed into a downed Ocaña was on a steel frame and fork.
>
> Chuck Schmidt
> L.A.
>
> .