Unbelievably Stupid Cycling Controversy

The New York Times has an article about a new motorized system that supposedly is being used by some professional cyclists to cheat, you know, in addition to doping.  The stupidity of this thought is clearly defined by the following paragraph in the article:

The Gruber Assist boosts riders’ efforts rather than transforming their bicycles into motorbikes. Schweitzer said the system supplements a rider’s input by an additional 100 to 110 watts. Given that a pro cyclist might typically produce about 400 watts during the final 30 minutes of a race, the device offers a significant gain despite a weight gain of about four pounds for the stock system.

FOUR POUNDS? That is 1.8 kilograms for us cyclists.

If I have learned anything about professional cyclists over the past decade of sometimes serious amateur riding, it is that they are all weight freaks. My bike, a steel Mondonico FOCO frame with 3-cross wheels, weighs roughly 10 kilos (22 lbs) ready to ride and is considered far too heavy for anything but training.

Four pounds?

The UCI minimum bike weight is 6.8 kilograms (15 lbs). Over the course of a 160 or 200 kilometer bike race, paying a 25% penalty over your competitors for 100 watts in the finale makes no sense at all, because you wouldn't make it to the finale in the front group.

1.8 Kilos?

A lot of the bikes are weighed on certain stages as well, to make sure the riders are not using a bike that is too light.  Sometimes, bikes have little weights glued to them to make them heavy enough.  No pro in his right mind is going to pay a 1.8 kilo penalty for 30 minutes of boost 5 hours later.