Cav is...

[Libertine Seguros]

Whatever, dude. Both Cav and Haussler saw that Ciolek was going backwards and moved across to be in front of him, and neither of them saw the other, and they rode in to each other. There was no malicious intent on the part of either of them, and no great incompetence either. It was an accident. Sprinting is dangerous. It happens.

It wasn't deliberate, it wasn't malicious, it wasn't vindictive.

It was, however, stupid, and Cav's fault. I see very little to blame Haussler for here. He didn't move anything like as much as Cav did. Cav must shoulder pretty much all responsibility for it, but it was clumsy rather than spiteful.

 

[hektoren]

Sprinting is dangerous.

Which is precisely the reason why the sprinting-in-a-straight-line-rule applies.
Your flippant and apologetic attitude is a great comfort for Arnaud Coyot, I bet.
Out with a broken hip, is he?

 

[Jamsque]

Clumsy I'll accept, and Cav was certainly moving more than Haussler. I don't think it was anything too far beyond what happens in any normal sprint finish though.

I doubt Arnaud Coyot gives a crap either way.

 

[la.margna]

actually, it's Ciolek's fault, he shouldn't sprint for a stage win with the big guys, he is to slow and therefore a dangerous obstacle

[not bo taken too seriously]

seems that Cav was definitely zig-zaging, so he got penalized by the jury, although Haussler was not innocent with his bodycheck

 

[Black-Balled]

Dammn, poor Boonen is having a tough year!

I think he could us a little pick-up!

 

[Hawkwood]

Wow, sprinters in crash metres from line, who would have thought it?

Still I suppose Cavendish can now join the ranks of the real hardcore sprinters.

 

[Cerberus]

actually, it's Ciolek's fault, he shouldn't sprint for a stage win with the big guys, he is to slow and therefore a dangerous obstacle

[not bo taken too seriously]

seems that Cav was definitely zig-zaging, so he got penalized by the jury, although Haussler was not innocent with his bodycheck

He wasn't penalized in any real way, calling a 30 second time loss a slap on the wrist would be an overstatement. He's a sprinter, he cares for winning stages not for whether he's number 100 or 110 in the GC. Now I agree that he obviously didn't intend to cause a crash, but giving him some non-penalty is just stupid, either he should be punished or he shouldn't. Make-believe punishments are pointless.

 

[issoisso]

Blind Cav fans aside, it's what everyone else is saying: There's a reason you sprint in a straight line and don't block. The reason is, if you do, these things happen.

Cavendish swerved wildly three times during the sprint. The third time he took someone down.

It's as bad as Bos throwing Impey.

 

[flicker]

He wasn't penalized in any real way, calling a 30 second time loss a slap on the wrist would be an overstatement. He's a sprinter, he cares for winning stages not for whether he's number 100 or 110 in the GC. Now I agree that he obviously didn't intend to cause a crash, but giving him some non-penalty is just stupid, either he should be punished or he shouldn't. Make-believe punishments are pointless.

A slap on the wrist yes. Intentional no. Cleaner then any Robbie McQuewan sprint yes.

 

[tgsgirl]

He wasn't penalized in any real way, calling a 30 second time loss a slap on the wrist would be an overstatement.

Oh, but he also got a 200 Swiss francs fine. I bet he's counting the pennies as we speak!

 

[Anonymous]

thing is, it was fairly obvious at about 500m that there was going to be a crash, id alreads said to the telly that it was going to end in tears. The leadouts were a mess, the corners and things before the finish were crap, one corner with a huge high kerb on one side and railings on the other, so by the time they got to 300m they were battling for space.

Cavendish and Haussler where both converging on cioleck and to be honest its a good job they hit each other or cioleck would have been wiped out. Cav caused the actual crash, but if he hadnt I think heinchrich would have caused one 20yards later.

The whole sprint was a mess and part of the blame lies on organisers..

Then again, we all love a good crash in the final kilometre as long as nobody is hurt

 

[Hawkwood]

Call that a crash, this is a real crash

Djamolodine Abdoujaparov the master:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nt4x3nuzfQ

 

[hektoren]

Clumsy I'll accept, and Cav was certainly moving more than Haussler. I don't think it was anything too far beyond what happens in any normal sprint finish though.

I doubt Arnaud Coyot gives a crap either way.

Of course this wasn't a normal sprint finish, or they'd be outlawed in a sec.
He moved more than acceptable, causing a pile-up and (by the looks of it) a broken hip. Nothing more to it. Nothing less.

 

[Wheels Go Round and Round]

Djamolodine Abdoujaparov the master:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nt4x3nuzfQ

without a doubt.............the greatest ever

if this little guy had the leadouts that Cipo or any other rider of their day got............he would have re-wrote the history books

incredible acceleration

 

[hektoren]

thing is, it was fairly obvious at about 500m that there was going to be a crash, id alreads said to the telly that it was going to end in tears. The leadouts were a mess, the corners and things before the finish were crap, one corner with a huge high kerb on one side and railings on the other, so by the time they got to 300m they were battling for space.

Cavendish and Haussler where both converging on cioleck and to be honest its a good job they hit each other or cioleck would have been wiped out. Cav caused the actual crash, but if he hadnt I think heinchrich would have caused one 20yards later.

The whole sprint was a mess and part of the blame lies on organisers..

Then again, we all love a good crash in the final kilometre as long as nobody is hurt

Well, somebody DID get hurt, so I suppose we don't all love it. The riders had already passed through the area at a more leisurely pace, and a crash did occur first time around. In addition they had been briefed this morning on todays' circuit. How much more help does Cav need to learn to read what's before him and act accordingly? Your thesis that part of the blame is to be lain at the organisers' doorstep is just plain silly.

 

[stefrees]

Blind Cav fans aside, it's what everyone else is saying: There's a reason you sprint in a straight line and don't block. The reason is, if you do, these things happen.

Cavendish swerved wildly three times during the sprint. The third time he took someone down.

It's as bad as Bos throwing Impey.

i normally respect your opinions as you always talk a lot of sense and are one of the most widely knowledgeable on here, but that quote is completely wrong.

Cav was in the wrong, but it was a mistake and it wasnt deliberate and he wasnt the only one to blame. 80% Cav, 10% organisers, 10% haussler

 

[El Oso]

Maybe Cav wasn't at fault for the crash, check out the front wheel:

P.S. IMO he was still riding reckless

 

[hrotha]

I didn't think he was doing anything that isn't done virtually in every sprint finish.

 

[Cobblestones]

Maybe Cav wasn't at fault for the crash, check out the front wheel:

P.S. IMO he was still riding reckless

I looked at the vid several times and it first did look to me as if the Manx dud hit something on the road like a bit of sand or oil or whatever which caused him to lose balance. The video is a bit unclear, but the crash happened at 1:19 and it does look like, when you look very carefully, that the wheel breaks first, then Cavendouche goes down.

So, yes, he's a fvcking idiot for being all over the road, but maybe the actual crash could have been caused by the wheel breaking in two.

 

[Jamsque]

I don't think any sprinter ever kicks in a perfectly straight line. They are always moving across the road. Granted, Cav today probably moved more than most do, but it was nothing totally out of the ordinary, it was just unfortunate that Haussler was moving across the road in the opposite direction and they didn't see each other.

But I'm wasting my breath, this thread was started so people who already hated Cavendish could hurl insults at him, not for any actual discussion of today's crash.

 

[doddy13]

Cavendish was to blame, he seriously attempted to block out Ciolek by swinging across. Bad crash.
Broken wheel? Having watched in super slow motion I don't buy it.

 

[stefrees]

I don't think any sprinter ever kicks in a perfectly straight line. They are always moving across the road. Granted, Cav today probably moved more than most do, but it was nothing totally out of the ordinary, it was just unfortunate that Haussler was moving across the road in the opposite direction and they didn't see each other.

But I'm wasting my breath, this thread was started so people who already hated Cavendish could hurl insults at him, not for any actual discussion of today's crash.

i do agree with you. cav was in wrong but it was an accident, accidents happen. in that one photo cav looks really shaken up

 

[Magnus]

Cavendish was all over the place. And his wheel didn't collapse untill he put it in front of Haussler.

 

[Necessary Evil]

I don't think any sprinter ever kicks in a perfectly straight line.

True. If you look further back there was swerving all over the road. Sprints often weave all over the place.

 

[Roland Rat]

That's some pothole.