Conference noted::bicycle

    	Guess I'll win it before you will...

found out from another source. the answer is '91.

    	Now, for the REALLY easy one...
    
    	Who was the first cyclist to popularize the use of heart-rate monitors?
  	a) Eddy Merckx
  	b) Francesco Moser
  	c) Greg Lemond
    
    
    	Take a guess? Who was the first pro-racer to use the Scott Drop-in
    	handlebars in the peloton? (That should be a DEAD giveaway, dude...)

Well, you may be right but I put down Francesco Moser. This was a *very*
subjective question. What does "popularize" mean? Popularize to who? To the
Europeans or to the Americans? To professional bike racers or to all elite bike
racers or to all bike racers or to all bikers? I believe Moser made good use of
heart rate monitors and other "hi-tech" training techniques in his training
regimen (with Testa or Conconi?). I also recall starting to hear about heart
rate monitors for the first time around that time in the context of "Moser gets
a hi-tech advantage in his world hour mark" type discussions.

An argument could be made for both Moser or Lemond as well as the engineer or
engineers who figured out how to make an affordable/portable one.

Now if the question had been, "What pro bike racer popularized the use of
aero-bars in the ranks of pure bike racers?" I would have to say Lemond. but
even then they were in heavy use by tri-atheletes before Lemond used them in
'89 so you'd have to have the "pure bike racers" clause in there.

By the way did anyone notice they didn't even spell Eddy Merckx correctly.
They spelt it Eddy Mercyx.

> Well, you may be right but I put down Francesco Moser. This was a *very*
> subjective question. What does "popularize" mean? Popularize to who? To the
> Europeans or to the Americans? To professional bike racers or to all elite bike
> racers or to all bike racers or to all bikers? I believe Moser made good use of
> heart rate monitors and other "hi-tech" training techniques in his training
> regimen (with Testa or Conconi?). I also recall starting to hear about heart
> rate monitors for the first time around that time in the context of "Moser gets
> a hi-tech advantage in his world hour mark" type discussions.
>
> An argument could be made for both Moser or Lemond as well as the engineer or
> engineers who figured out how to make an affordable/portable one.

    I wouldn't say Moser as he used them long before they became the norm.
    But I wouldn't say Lemond either. I don't think that it was a rider
    that made them popular, but the Italian sports professors, Ferrera and
    Contoni (?). Riders don't generally come up with these ideas on
    training themselves, but rather get advised to try it this way and
    realise that they had been doing it wrong before.
    
> Now if the question had been, "What pro bike racer popularized the use of
> aero-bars in the ranks of pure bike racers?" I would have to say Lemond. but
> even then they were in heavy use by tri-atheletes before Lemond used them in
> '89 so you'd have to have the "pure bike racers" clause in there.

    Lemond wasn't the first pro racer to use the bars either. Motorola were
    first. You could say that Lemond popularised them, but equally you
    could say that Fignon popularised them by being beaten by them!
    "Popularised" is far too subjective...
    
    Graham.

Come on Graham, we all know it was Kirkpatrick MacMillan....

    	Re .5
    
    	No, you're not a dummy, when entering these contests, making your
    	best educated guess is the way to go. I would even be willing to
    	venture that VeloNews is basing their contest questions on past
    	articles, regardless of how far back they may date.
    
    	Re .6
    
    	You may be correct about aero bars, but I gave my example as the
    	Scott "Drop-In" bar, which is not an aero bar. Although I realize
    	you were merely replying to .5 ...
    
    
    	In general, best of luck to you, may the best answer win...
    
    								Face