No ear phones but more data about the riders in Tours UCI survey results

Cycling’s governing body is moving for changes in elite road racing, and highlights results from a recent survey to back its vision.

The results of the UCI’s recent unscientific fan survey revealed that many like the sport, but want more of everything — more TV, more action and more diversity.

In early July, the UCI offered up an informal online survey open to fans to offer their views on a variety of topics. The cycling governing body produced a report, available via this link

The UCI said more than 22,300 fans from 134 countries on the five continents participated in the survey. Some of the key takeaways:

>> 62 percent of participants actively ride bikes, 27 percent race, and 21 percent use a bike to commute.

>> About 70 percent say pro bike racing is “easy to understand,” and two-thirds say the rules are “not too complicated.”

>> When it comes to racing, about half say racing is too “predictable,” citing such causes as earpieces, power meters and team budgets.

>> Fans also were worried about a relatively small number of teams dominating the results, three-quarters said that the difference in budget between teams can make races “less interesting.”