How are flat tyres and other mechanical problems handled during a race?
In every race, or most road races, each team has a ’follow car‘ that drives behind the main group of riders. A team mechanic is in the back seat, waiting for some problem to occur. When it does, he is on hand– ready to fix it. When a rider gets a flat tyre he puts his arm in the air, the race official will then radio the rider’s team car. The car then catches up with the rider and takes care of the problem. There are no time-outs in cycling, so the repair must be done quickly, and it’s up to the rider to get back in the race. So the pressure is on the mechanic to perform quickly.
