Ferminal said:
They post their results in PDF format? What kind of Mickey Kangaroo outfit is this?
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They post their results in PDF format? What kind of Mickey Kangaroo outfit is this?
Frosty said:
Just saw the highlights and yeah McEwen had a go from about 300 out, firstly going up the inside of Swift and others, then Swift just out dragged them all to the line. The crash was well behind them after they initially jumped seemed like someone barged up the inside of Thomas as he was slowing.
Couldn't clearly see the crash 4km earlier from the helicopter shot but Ligget was sure Cav went down first, which probably means he wasn't lol.
auscyclefan94 said:1:Ben SWIFT (GBR) - SKY PRO CYCLING, 2:Robbie McEWEN (AUS) - TEAM RADIOSHACK, 3:Graeme BROWN (AUS) - RABOBANK, 4:Romain FEILLU (FRA) - VACANSOLEIL DCM PRO CYCLING TEAM, 5:Jürgen ROELANDTS (BEL) - OMEGA PHARMA-LOTTO, 6:Francesco CHICCHI (ITA) - QUICK STEP, 7:Michael MATTHEWS (AUS) - RABOBANK, 8enis GALIMZYANOV (RUS) - KATUSHA 9:Francisco VENTOSO (ESP) - MOVISTAR TEAM, 10:Allan DAVIS (AUS) - ASTANA
Swift is quick but I doubt he would of beat these guys without a gap.
Except, that is exactly the sort of competition that Swift can beat. And he proved it.
Sum_of_Marc said:
Exactly, Ben is a quality sprinter (I have first hand knowledge, being a former team mate
)I think he is somewhat held back by focusing on the track, though in a few years, he will certainly be a force to reckon with.
I have to say, gravel on the road in the last few kms of a sprint finish is pretty sloppy of the organizers.... They should know better.
On the other hand, good win for Sky and young Swift. Hope to see more of him this season, unlike last when he was largely invisible in big races.
On the other hand, good win for Sky and young Swift. Hope to see more of him this season, unlike last when he was largely invisible in big races.
Swifty! Awesome to see him taking opportunity of the chaos.
So far the Australian tarmac is winning the Cavendish vs Greipel showdown.
So far the Australian tarmac is winning the Cavendish vs Greipel showdown.
TDU race organiser on the claims of road surface gravel:
"Let's get one thing straight, the gravel on that road that they saw, was caused by the team cars that stopped for the crash, spinning their wheels and taking off," he said.
"We can't have a billiard-table finish for every circuit, we can't have a straight run, there has to be technical aspects of the course.
"Having said that, it breaks my heart and makes my guts churn."
I'm inclined to believe Mike Turtur. But how did the gravel get churned up by team cars stopping for the crash PRIOR to the crash actually happening?
As you'll see on the highlights, the corner in question was a tight hairpin turn, located with plenty of distance from the finish. There was a house's gravel driveway located on the outside of the corner's exit - exactly where many of the riders were drifting towards as they exited the turn.
"Let's get one thing straight, the gravel on that road that they saw, was caused by the team cars that stopped for the crash, spinning their wheels and taking off," he said.
"We can't have a billiard-table finish for every circuit, we can't have a straight run, there has to be technical aspects of the course.
"Having said that, it breaks my heart and makes my guts churn."
I'm inclined to believe Mike Turtur. But how did the gravel get churned up by team cars stopping for the crash PRIOR to the crash actually happening?
As you'll see on the highlights, the corner in question was a tight hairpin turn, located with plenty of distance from the finish. There was a house's gravel driveway located on the outside of the corner's exit - exactly where many of the riders were drifting towards as they exited the turn.
Quote, Matt Goss, CN article;
"They went down after the corner - there was just so much gravel on the sides of the road and after that particular left-hander there was actually gravel in the middle of the road," he described. "Somebody hit it with a front wheel and just went ****-up, took everyone down... It looked sickening, it looked horrible."
"They went down after the corner - there was just so much gravel on the sides of the road and after that particular left-hander there was actually gravel in the middle of the road," he described. "Somebody hit it with a front wheel and just went ****-up, took everyone down... It looked sickening, it looked horrible."
there was a LOT of gravel all over the road shortly after the "crash corner" - it wasnt swept at all. noone crashed there, but it was awfully bad.
so big Mike - go have a look at the course before coming out and stating it was all swept and in the next breath, "well i havent looked at it"
now...
sky tactics - HOW VERY SAD!
attacking after crashes. and gerrant thomas - LEARN TO RIDE!
really -he leads out ben swift. then sits up and HE is the one who decides to crash in fron of the field!!!! ive seen leadout men ride rivals into barriers, but to fall of at 70kph and destroy most the other sprinters was pretty average.
sky - GTFO the way and let the real sprinters through team of wannabe's!
so big Mike - go have a look at the course before coming out and stating it was all swept and in the next breath, "well i havent looked at it"
now...
sky tactics - HOW VERY SAD!
attacking after crashes. and gerrant thomas - LEARN TO RIDE!
really -he leads out ben swift. then sits up and HE is the one who decides to crash in fron of the field!!!! ive seen leadout men ride rivals into barriers, but to fall of at 70kph and destroy most the other sprinters was pretty average.
sky - GTFO the way and let the real sprinters through team of wannabe's!
Pieter Weening, seven stitches in his elbow: "We took the corner full speed but there was sand and gravel everywhere, it seemed like the Sahara. If I had wanted to do cyclocross I'd have stayed at home. We are professionals doing our sport, the least you can expect is that they take a broom and clear the corners in the final."
Firstly, I think it looks like and sounds like an unsuitable corner to include on the stage route anyway, regardless of a crash. Too tight, too narrow, CLEARLY too much surrounding gravel anyway. If any cars happened to exit that driveway earlier in the day, gravel instantly gets displaced onto the road and the corner is instantly rendered dangerous.
Secondly, I can only assume Mike Turtur believes the crash was caused by the riders BEFORE any gravel got subsequently flung out onto the road by the attending team cars AFTER anyone went down. That's the only way his statement makes any sense. I guess if I was advising Mike Turtur, I'd be telling him to say that, too.
Lastly, if Turtur considered these factors and STILL chose to include that corner on the route, he needed to station an assistant to sweep any gravel from the road before the riders got there.
First really bad organisational mistake I've seen Turtur make in the race's history.
Secondly, I can only assume Mike Turtur believes the crash was caused by the riders BEFORE any gravel got subsequently flung out onto the road by the attending team cars AFTER anyone went down. That's the only way his statement makes any sense. I guess if I was advising Mike Turtur, I'd be telling him to say that, too.
Lastly, if Turtur considered these factors and STILL chose to include that corner on the route, he needed to station an assistant to sweep any gravel from the road before the riders got there.
First really bad organisational mistake I've seen Turtur make in the race's history.
Hehe, so much for the reliability of the live reporting for this event. What was reported as three Sky riders in the first crash was actaully 1 Sky and 2 Garmin (jerseys, ey) and the rider that got a gap at the crash was Rogers not Rojas.
danjo007 said:
What are you talking about? if a crash happens in the last 4km noone stops everyone keeps going. Do you expect everyone to sit up and neutralise the race? What about McEwen should he not have contested the sprint either? It was hardly even attack. Some people go down in a corner when they are on the front, so they keep riding.
Did you watch the Tour last year when HTC and some other riders crashed on a corner and the pelaton kept riding for Petacchi to win? I guess they should have all waited for Cavendish as well.
Thomas did is leadout, and sat up as any leadout man does. Then a Vasco rider and a Katusha start playing silly ******s and the Katusha rides into him from behind. He obviously should have seen that coming according to you.
Look at the replay.
Okay, having seen the evidence with my own eyes I'm gonna say that Thomas could've done a much better job of preventing that late crash... Letting himself slide back smack-bang in the middle of those contesting the sprint was not the way to go.
As for the gravel fall which took out Cav & Goss et al. I think the direction is guilty as charged. The accident there was preventable.
As for the gravel fall which took out Cav & Goss et al. I think the direction is guilty as charged. The accident there was preventable.
Moondance said:
Absolute rubbish
Thomas could not have done any more. Its not his fault that 2 riders tried to push into a gap to the left of him that was too small.
All the time, in every race, the leadout riders, once theyve pulled off, will slow but maintain their position. Theres nothing wrong with that - it would have been a whole lot more dangerous there if he had tried to weave out of the way - the responsibility is on the sprinters behind to avoid him, and that shouldnt be too hard when they know that Thomas will maintain his line.
Watch the sprint, you see the Telefonica realising he couldnt squeeze through alongside the Vaconsoleil guy, so went to the right of Thomas. But the rider behind, who looks like Katusha, so must be Galimzyanov, tried his luck - and so he is more to blame.
Hard to tell who was the first to go down in the early crash, looked like a mess.
G was definitely the one who started the crash at the finish, although it was an odd one. Thomas is leading out on the front, but he leaves the left side open so Robbie jumps early. Graeme Brown sees Robbie go and launches his sprint to the right of the Sky duo, Ben Swift reacts and also goes right, which leaves a spent Geraint Thomas to drop back straight down the middle since he's surrounded by sprinters.
He leaves plenty of space for riders to pass him on the left in single file, but after Jurgen Roelands follows Robbie past two riders try to squeeze through the gap side-by-side, head-butting and elbow-fighting all the way. Roman Feillu on the inside looks like he might clip the barriers as the duo squeeze by G, and he swerves out just enough to push Denis Galimzyanov in to Thomas. It looks like Denis' elbow might have hit Geraint's arm or handlebars, pushing his front wheel out and sending him straight to the scene of the accident.
So not really Geraint's fault as such, he had no choice but to drift back straight down the group, and it was really Feillu/Galimizyanov's barging that knocked him over. Still, he should know that as final lead-out man he has to move over to the barriers once he hits the front to close the door on Robbie McEwen before he can launch.
G was definitely the one who started the crash at the finish, although it was an odd one. Thomas is leading out on the front, but he leaves the left side open so Robbie jumps early. Graeme Brown sees Robbie go and launches his sprint to the right of the Sky duo, Ben Swift reacts and also goes right, which leaves a spent Geraint Thomas to drop back straight down the middle since he's surrounded by sprinters.
He leaves plenty of space for riders to pass him on the left in single file, but after Jurgen Roelands follows Robbie past two riders try to squeeze through the gap side-by-side, head-butting and elbow-fighting all the way. Roman Feillu on the inside looks like he might clip the barriers as the duo squeeze by G, and he swerves out just enough to push Denis Galimzyanov in to Thomas. It looks like Denis' elbow might have hit Geraint's arm or handlebars, pushing his front wheel out and sending him straight to the scene of the accident.
So not really Geraint's fault as such, he had no choice but to drift back straight down the group, and it was really Feillu/Galimizyanov's barging that knocked him over. Still, he should know that as final lead-out man he has to move over to the barriers once he hits the front to close the door on Robbie McEwen before he can launch.
euanli said:
G Thomas had a device on his pedal that causes crashes also..
Actually a decent leadout by Sky and well done Swift for beating some very good sprinters... not bad for a lead out guy!
Moondance said:
Ya, it would have been better to peal off to the right rather than the left since there would have been more roon to get out of the way but it's not like what he did doesn't happen in every single sprint almost. There are always lead outs falling back through the peloton and in the end it wasn't he who caused the crash since he was the one that got buimped into but I agree that it could have been avoided if Thomas had a little more experience as final lead out.
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