Tour de France Tour de France 2021, Stage 3: Lorient - Pontivy, 183.9 km

[spalco]

Cycling needs to learn from F1 here. Look at what Grosjean survived in F1 cos of the safety improvements. Cycling has done very little in comparison here tbh

Should they ride in something like this?

 

[Sciatic]

I think the issue already seems decided, but I think the race radio issue is still relevant here: having every DD constantly yelling to all their riders “you need to be at the front going through that corner” increases the number of riders heading full gas into the squeeze points or critical corners on a course. Yeah, even without radios some would remember Pre-race instructions to do that, but others would not realize exactly where they are on the course or when to be at the front. Sorry to bring up what is annoying, we’ve already done that topic ad nauseum suggestion, but I really think it’s a factor. And we know what many DS are saying at those moments because we see the in -car videos of them urging riders to be at the front.

 

[Ramira]

I feel people are ignoring the fact that the nature of the course is why the GC riders were jostling so much for position. I'm pretty sure they all felt a crash was inevitable, so they all tried to stay at the front to minimize the chances of being caught up in it.

Now obviously this is in many ways a self-fulfilling prophecy. But I don't see how anyone can believe that the nature of the course didn't play a major role in making the peloton as nervous as it was, which in turn played a role in the crashes.

Not to mention a course like this makes it much harder to come back from a crash as there's a high chance you get stuck behind other crashes.

 

[topt]

Hope Rog is ok, otherwise I guess WVA is in 4th as plan B?

to do what, come top 10

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Roglic crashes and loses time, Thomas crashes and was already a bit behind, Lopez, TGH and Porte already far behind. Only Carapaz still in good position.
Pogi seems in the pole position now, greatly anticipated Slovenian duel may not even happen (making the race less exciting),

 

[Volderke]

That looks pretty disgraceful.

I will bet everything I have that Roglic touched Colbrelli's rear wheel, and Colbrelli probably was a bit upset because he probably almost lost his balance as well.

Those who claim it was a bodycheck (Zinoviev!), please come up with evidence, because for now, you are accusing Colbrelli of something very serious.

 

[cen]

Man I was really looking forward to this Tour but this is just not fun to watch.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

there have been more deaths in the professional peloton in the last 10-15 years than in F1. Now some might say thats down to there being more cyclists or more race days or whatever.

Yes, someone might say that, because that is how Maths work

 

[MrTea1976]

Third Vuelta for Roglic?

 

[saganftw]

I will bet everything I have that Roglic touched Colbrelli's rear wheel, and Colbrelli probably was a bit upset because he probably almost lost his balance as well.

Those who claim it was a bodycheck (Zinoviev!), please come up with evidence, because for now, you are accusing Colbrelli of something very serious.

thats what jumbo manager is saying, roglic was bumped

 

[Rackham]

I will bet everything I have that Roglic touched Colbrelli's rear wheel, and Colbrelli probably was a bit upset because he probably almost lost his balance as well.

Those who claim it was a bodycheck (Zinoviev!), please come up with evidence, because for now, you are accusing Colbrelli of something very serious.

And you're accusing Roglic of crashing by himself.

Based on nothing really.

 

[Volderke]

thats what jumbo manager is saying, roglic was bumped

Question remains if it was Colbrelli who did something wrong.

 

[Carols]

Roglic's crash maybe due to rustiness. It is one thing to train alone but moving in the peloton at high speed requires some racing close to the goal

It also requires riders not coming over on you and pushing you off the road!

 

[spalco]

And you're accusing Roglic of crashing by himself.

Based on nothing really.

Not nothing. There's two option: Roglic made a mistake or Colbrelli intentionally hurt him and then mocked him while riding off. The former is more likely.

 

[topt]

They can't put the Rog crash down to course design. He was JRA and went down.

he was pushed by Colbrelli and went down

 

[Volderke]

And you're accusing Roglic of crashing by himself.

Based on nothing really.

NO. Read again! I am saying that Colbrelli is NOT to blame. I left it open whatever happened, but there is rumour of a bodycheck, and there is rumour of Colbrelli doing something wrong.
Both are not sure.
And if there was a bodycheck, it isn't sure either if it was Colbrelli. You don't leave open the possibility that someone bodychecked Roglic, resulting in Roglic touching overlapped wheels with Colbrelli or the rider, and Colbrelli getting upset because Roglic hit his rear wheel (which is the most likely what happened).
Edit: rewatching footage, Colbrelli could have been next to Roglic, but I see no movement whatever by Colbrelli. Other options are they hooked handlebars, or Roglic was squeezed between Colbrelli and the rider just in front of him overlapping wheels. Either way, accusing Colbrelli because he made a gesture after the crash is a bit lame.

 

[Breezy1985]

Thomas was not in the finale. The road furniture made it more likely but ASO can hardly avoid it three weeks straight.

Roglic, and other crashes prior to 4k, were predictable because there's much less room for error on a narrow road with sloping sides, so smaller mistakes than usual cause crashes.

Sagan/Ewan was predictable because a S-curve in full sprint is dangerous, especially after a false flat downhill, although Ewan did make a very bad manoeuvre there.

Nonsense. If Rog was predictable then every crash ever in cycling is predictable.
Sagan and Ewan were fighting for position it's not the roads fault

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Question remains if it was Colbrelli who did something wrong.

I doubt anyone was in the wrong. Narrow road, sloping slightly to either side, riders packed together just a little more than usual as a result, very possible someone deviated 10 centimetres, causing Colbrelli to divert into Roglic.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

I feel people are ignoring the fact that the nature of the course is why the GC riders were jostling so much for position. I'm pretty sure they all felt a crash was inevitable, so they all tried to stay at the front to minimize the chances of being caught up in it.

Now obviously this is in many ways a self-fulfilling prophecy. But I don't see how anyone can believe that the nature of the course didn't play a major role in making the peloton as nervous as it was, which in turn played a role in the crashes.

You are absolutely right on that point!

My issue just is, that I don't think using more "boring" routes is a good solution.

I still want the excitement of an interesting route, with important key points - just without the race dynamics that create the crashes now.

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

I think it's fair to question the stage design and to consider overall changes to the approach of the first GT week. Maybe have always a Prologue and then 1-2 stages with super boring highway stages? Maybe introduce crazy regulations like last 20k on a flat stage everyone gets the same time? I don't know.

But overall, the blame is being too easily shifted on the UCI and ASO in my opinion. The way teams approach these stages nowadays is just as much to blame. Riders are waaaay too nervous and everyone is super aggressive, if you have 5 GC teams and 5 sprint teams wanting to be at the front you gonna get carnage either way, doesn't matter if the roads are wide or without turns. Every team wants the spotlight and the financial advantages of the Tour but if you're gonna have multiple stages rolling along flat highways no one is gonna watch and the value will drop.
Plenty of cycling fans have also quite some double standards. So many people want crazy cobble stages included in GTs, before the gravel stage in the Giro everyone was hoping for rain and everyone was yawning when they had the 170km flat in a line stage. But then after unexpected crashes everyone throws their toys out of pram.

Yes this final was quite twisted but I also didn't see something outrageously dangerous. No change of surface, no weird road furniture, no crazy round abouts. 2 crashes because riders clipped wheels/were too aggressive and one because of a curve that didn't look insanely sharp.
Too early at this point in the tour? Maybe - insanely dangerous? I wouldn't say so.

 

[bill1109]

he was pushed by Colbrelli and went down

remember when Vlad Karpets shoulder checked Contador off the road years back in the Tour? Dont recall what year. Not saying that is what Cobrelli did here though.

Alberto Contador nearly quit Tour de France after Karpets' bombing

PARIS (VN) ― Alberto Contador's rough and tumble Tour de France nearly ended early.

www.velonews.com

 

[ice&fire]

Third Vuelta for Roglic?

That would be a very Rominger thing

 

[Leinster]

Cycling needs to learn from F1 here. Look at what Grosjean survived in F1 cos of the safety improvements. Cycling has done very little in comparison here tbh

Quite right, cycling needs to learn how to stop bicycles turning into a fireball of death after every crash.


I think everyone agrees that there should be certain guidelines on the course design etc, but comparison with closed-circuit course like F1, where even on street-circuits they close down half the principality of Monaco for a week, aren't really a like-for-like with what the organisers of the Tour de France, who close down a public country road for a couple of hours at best, can do with their races.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Nonsense. If Rog was predictable then every crash ever in cycling is predictable.
Sagan and Ewan were fighting for position it's not the roads fault

The Sagan/Ewan crash would have been guaranteed with a full peloton sprinting, in this situation it was a combination of route and a bad move by Ewan that would not have happened without the S-curve. The Roglic one was not entirely predictable, but at least more likely due to road width and geometry. On its own, it wasn't bad, but the context of a dangerous descent into the finish coming just after it made it worse than it would have been otherwise.

 

[simoni]

That looks pretty disgraceful.

On what basis? That video shows a rider falling off, nothing more, nothing less.