Geoff will grow up a rich, lonely man, and will realize that he wasted the best years of his life in blind pursuit of the success that would undoubtedly come naturally to such a talented young man. However, I think the author might be a little bit out in dreamland. Certainly, antilock brakes would be nice and the idea of an automatic transmission is interesting, but it is important to realize that cycling equipment has stayed relatively unchanged for a long time for one particular reason - it works. Don't get me wrong - I'm all for advancements in bike technology. But bicycle racing has been a professional sport for more than a century.
Fads come and go, but certain technologies just plain work.
I particularly noticed the mountain bike on page 185, given raves for its performance. When not studying in the States, I live in Delhi. It is almost as if the author set out to chronicle the poverty and deprivation in Bangalore and threw in IT as an aside. No one denies the sad state of affairs in Indian cities, including Bangalore. The author stops short of blaming the IT industry for the problems faced by the rural poor, but criticizes them for not donating to charity.