The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to
In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.
Thanks!
And now Roglic is accused by some of having had a motor during the Amstel Gold Race. Seen the images after his mechanical breakdown.
It wouldn'tAs for dull race. Maybe we would need a cycling super league, where around 6 cyclists would compete each week against each other and split the money.
That for sure would be fun to watch.
Correct. But normally, after one or two seconds, the pedals should stop turning. And they didn't, till Roglic went with his hand to his handlebar. Then, suddenly, the pedals stopped turning. We've seen those kinds of pictures a few times, involving other riders. With an explanation afterwards. But never convincing.A rider turns his pedal with his hand, likely trying to get the chain on or to switch a stuck gear. And after somebody decides OK lets cut the video at this point and as the new video starts with a wheel spinning, surely a motor installed.
C'mon.
The pedals stop turning when he drops the bike on the ground.Correct. But normally, after one or two seconds, the pedals should stop turning. And they didn't, till Roglic went with his hand to his handlebar. Then, suddenly, the pedals stopped turning. We've seen those kinds of pictures a few times, involving other riders. With an explanation afterwards. But never convincing.
As for dull race. Maybe we would need a cycling super league, where around 6 cyclists would compete each week against each other and split the money.
That for sure would be fun to watch.
Correct. But normally, after one or two seconds, the pedals should stop turning. And they didn't, till Roglic went with his hand to his handlebar. Then, suddenly, the pedals stopped turning. We've seen those kinds of pictures a few times, involving other riders. With an explanation afterwards. But never convincing.
No. 6 riders being challenged by other riders, who'd then constantly beat them. Oh... wait...
P.S. If some still want to believe otherwise, then after La Flèche Wallonne of Liège–Bastogne–Liège feel free to take apart the crankset for inspection. Just don't broke the bike this time, like the last time it happened, when Zeeman got expelled.
Of course not. I'm actually thankful any race takes place in COVID times, whatever the route.
How was the race dull? The last 60-70km or so there were non-stop attacks, none of them fruitful, but it wasn't just a peloton riding pace. Every hill in the last laps you saw them properly suffer, big names were riding against eachother, the world champion cracking, sensational finish. And that on an "easy" improvised parcours.
I see, there is more to it than that. I have seen some heavily edited video, on how the back wheel is spinning and somebody insinuating surely that has to be the proof. Then i watched the whole video, where Roglič used his hands to spin the wheel and just disregarded the insinuation as being a bad joke. The video:
Now i see there is more to it. Potentially problematic parts being:
First of all there was a mechanical involved or Roglič wouldn't had have changed the bike or be fiddlling with the bike in such way in the first place.
- Back wheel is spinning.
- Pedals are spinning.
- Roglič is doing something around the handlebars.
...
Roglič is doing something around the handlebars.
Didn't put too much thought into this but highly likely, as a last resort, Roglič tried to use a gear shift (Di2 groupset) to see if that could fix the issue or make a difference.
If I were Pidcock, I'd be sceptical of the final verdict.
...I'll just leave this here...It proves that the photo finish was in the wrong place...but it doesn't prove that Pidcock won...however surely now the result has to be in major doubt and be looked at again by the UCI?
Your first statement, contrary to your further affirmations because based on the very angle of this photo and the distance from which it was taken, now seems likely. If the black line is the real finish, then this photo demonstrates Pidcock is clearly first.It could be photo finish got it wrong on this race, but this picture doesn't prove that. This picture was taken like a light year away, from where the photo finish took place.
Your first statement, contrary to your further affirmations because based on the very angle of this photo and the distance from which it was taken, now seems likely. If the black line is the real finish, then this photo demonstrates Pidcock is clearly first.
Sure he is declared the winner based on the photo finish, which evidently is no longer up for scrutiny now, even if it seems spurious. And I contest what you claim the picture "doesn't show." For Van Aert's wheel hasn't yet crossed the black line (not even in the air), whereas Pidcock's is clearly beyond it.Pidcock was clearly gaining momentum on van Aert and that is what the mentioned picture shows. As for what the situation was, half a wheel back, this picture doesn't show that.
What is left open is if photo finish system and the start of the black line where perfectly aligned. It is hard to judge from TV camera, but lets say photo finish system and that start of the black line where not perfectly aligned. This is for sure something organizers will likely pay more attention to from now on.
Still, as far as i understand it in that case van Aert would still be declared the winner, as the decision came down to a photo finish and the photo finish decision is final. Regardless if the start of the black line on the road was perfectly aligned with the photo finish system or not.
On the AGR finish it's certainly close enough for TV pics to fool the viewer. However for the womens race last wedesday no amount of technical explanation is going to explain how Vollering wasn't given the win - it wasn't even particularly close. Given that blunder just a few days earlier, it doesn't inspire much confidence that the AGR finish would have been correct eitherThis article analyzes the finish, taking into account the Flamme Rouge tweets, concluding that WvA is the rightful winner, basically for the same reason CyclistAbi mentioned above.
Making sense of the controversial photo-finish at Amstel Gold
'What's the deal with that photo finish?', and other important questions.cyclingtips.com