Future sport

I was frozen last week in the waste lands of SW Florida and yet LA was in Hawaii doing something beyond what I could even conceive, he was doing intense body core temp testing. That was incredible to me, he is so detail oriented that the thought of keeping the core temp inside a few degrees range is now down to a science...WOW.  This is a light speed jump from when Greg Lemond introduced the bull horn handle bars and the solid disk rear wheel for TT's into the Grand Tours!
So where does that leave the guys and gals who are in the local races? What if they can't compete in the regional's because of this tech and they have to have it to be competitive and it is not in the budget of mom and dad or their own for that matter? Recently I've seen that the big name bike manufactures have gotten into the 10K range on competition bikes. Is that the real price tag or is it like designer jeans? I know you can get a great pair of 501 button-up fly s fro 30$ but when I see a pair of DKNY jeans , on sale, for 240$ all I can think of is the quip from Will Farrell in Zoolander, '...I must be taking crazy pills...'a frcken pair of jeans is made in China, how fricken greedy are the sellers??? Then you have to ask what is in a name and what posses a person to part with this kinda money for a pair of jeans?
Well if I were LA and wanted to push the envelope in order to have the best tuned machine, his body, and the best bike I would do the same. But  in the same breath I have heard from the pros of other countries that the young talent is starting to dry up because the cost of equipment, travel and entry fees is unbearable. So from that angle how do we really know if the next LA, Contador, Lamond, Hinault, Mercx or whom ever will never begin in our sport because of lack of equipment or entry fees. We don't.  When the economy is borderline depression all over the world then suddenly funneling that money that's been held for upgrades in the UCI offices or some pet project doesn't seem so important now does it? When 10 years from now their won't be anyone to participate or even watch the sport because the of dwindling grassroots participation then the hind sight will be 20/20.
.Well it's up to us the consumer and my vote, if it were counted, would be to focus on the average joe. Let these big money guys keep the R&D going but the smart manufactures would take a lesson from Dell. Make a great bike by finding the best carbon frame from last year and add last years top of the line name brand drive train you buy in volume and give us a great deal and sell thousands of bikes! Oh yea, keep the price in the $650 to $1250 for top range with great equipment.  I'm just spit-ballin here but it will work because it has in every other industry in the world. And how about no t-shirts and low entry fees at sanctioned races. Give the winners points for kits, tires or what they need and the ability to move up in class and nothing else. Think 1930's not 1990's and our sport will make it!
If I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.
Get'em LA!