I’ve looked a little further into this. Not only are cyclists now allowed electronic gears to make shifting more crisp and accurate, they are also allowed disc brakes rather than rim brakes. These artificial aids, available for years on cars, motorbikes and mountain bikes, allow riders to reach incredible speeds downhill, as a purist I’d prefer no brakes at all so those with the best human endeavour or skill will be rewarded the most.
It gets worse, over the past few weeks I’ve had the displeasure of catching the The Ashes. I was staggered that not only were the players wearing helmets but also pads and gloves. Why on Earth do players at the very highest level require the use of artificial aids (however small) over natural human endeavour ,or skill, can’t be a good thing can it? Surely, they have a bat to hit the ball with? As a purist, I always preferred the old days.