TdF Stage 2 *spoiler*

camerone

FF- have ypu any shots of the schlecks chasing on together, i have to say they were great images of two battered grimacing figures really digging in.
Jens is a fabulous team worker, chasing the break for god knows how long then really going deep to chase the schlecks back on. great stuff

thomasmc

deejay wrote:

mididoctors wrote:

Thought boardman's take was about right

well see...

it's not the giro... no mercy there

I thought his comment summed it up OK.
Brought a large smile though, coming from a guy that hit the deck more regular than most.
Thor says it best. IMO.

I did say in an earlier post that ES put adverts on and I presumed the crash was at the bottom of the Stockeu (T junction post :roll: ): but I've now seen the ITV bit.
So it happened after the Eddy Merckx rememberance stone while still under the trees at the top and before the steep downhill pave section.
It seemed to be a Lampre guy who went down followed by the motorbike.

So Spartacus was in the lead at the top of the Stockeu or he rode through the carnage.???

If it was Spartacus in the lead up there, then the race was already in a Tempo type Neutralised Plod anyway and no wonder they fell off.

It's now believed battery acid may have contributed to the treacherous road conditions

frenchfighter

camerone wrote:

FF- have ypu any shots of the schlecks chasing on together,

Pez has a good one

frenchfighter

Quite interesting that a lot of the injuries are in the same place. Right elbow, right shin, right shoulder, right thigh. For Lance, Schlecks and Contador among and others. Most must have fell the same way.

camerone

good photos,
cadel looks ill

timoid.

frenchfighter wrote:

Quite interesting that a lot of the injuries are in the same place. Right elbow, right shin, right shoulder, right thigh. For Lance, Schlecks and Contador among and others. Most must have fell the same way.

Makes sense. The road bends to the right and the bikes just went from under them. As Armstrong said it was more of a high speed slide than a crash.

mididoctors

think the giro has done for a few lads...cadel looks wasted

calvjones

mididoctors wrote:

think the giro has done for a few lads...cadel looks wasted

Jesus Cadel, you take the blood out before the Tour ya fool.

afx237vi

Moray Gub wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

Moray Gub wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

Well said Thor!

Does this just work for certain teams then becuase I could well imagine the reaction from the likes of yourself and othes if Radioshack had put the hammer down this place would be going into meltdown. Anyway For what its worth the Schlecks should have been nailed today its bike racing after all .

What does Radioshack have to do with it? I was just commenting on what I saw today. Not everything revolves around Radioshack, you know.

I know it doesnt but i know If RS has put the hammer down as you were clearly looking for someone to do you would be going puce .

What are you on about? I was looking for someone to put the hammer down? Really? Where did I say that?

FWIW, slowing down on the descent of the Stockeu is understandable. It makes sense for everyone. The stopping of the sprint, in my opinion, was over the top.

Putting the hammer down when someone crashes in entirely different and has nothing to do with happened yesterday. Did you even watch the stage or are you just doing a dennis and commented on stuff you know nothing about?

fatboyslim.

Bit late to this discussion but it strikes me that Cancellara cannot win the Tour, Schleck can, so makes sense for Saxo to give up Canellara's yellow .. bit disappointing for Spartacus, but he knows the score. If Contador or someone similar had been down and the Schlecks has been in Fabian's group he and the rest of his team would have put the hammer down and gained as much time as possible. Neutralising the sprint was just Saxo's way of making it look like it really was a protest, but anyone with any sense knows the truth. Feel sorry for the GC contenders who could have gained some time, and for the sprinters who could have gained some points on Cavendish.

deejay

stagehopper wrote:

From Velonews:

"It all started when Lampre rider Francesco Gavazzi crashed out of the breakaway on the Stockeu. A TV motorcycle then crashed while avoiding hitting Gavazzi, and the bike spilled oil on the road. The oil had time to run down the hill by the time the peloton came through a few minutes later, setting off a dangerous domino effect that saw over 60 riders sliding across the road."

Well done hopper. They should have mentioned in the woods under the trees.
I find this Forum hilarious with all the speculation, inuendo and utter bull shite and the suprise of my life that Ostriches can write and are on this Forum.
Take the one about resurfaced road being so new it caused the pile up and No it wasn't it was due to Pot Holes.
Then the pictures show a Belgian country back road where Mr Blobby has been along to fill in the cracks and just like he does in England.
I did note on another highlght program that the dangerous pave on the steepest slope (think Hovis Advert) has been Tarmac over.
There, there and to think that Eddy, Ferdie, Stan Ockers Sean Kelly and others did ride these Hills before the Tour de France was thought of.
Maybe they had proper Bikes. Forgot Rik. :roll:

Keep it up it's great but I can't spend a lot of time here as I have other things to do and enjoy.

Nobody has answered if Cancellare was one of the first over the Stockeu or if he rode through the carnage.

Kléber

deejay, the bike didn't crash. It was thought that happened at first but it's not the case, one bike did go into the ditch but it was upright. Gavazzi goes down on a slight corner, the same happened to everyone else on the same stretch of road.

FransJacques

Saxo bank were very self serving yesterday. They're a commercial organization not a charity and, logically, rode like that. It WAS wrong NOT to contest the sprint. The times are neutralized inside of 3 kms anyway so why not agree to sprint from 3km out?

They had other options than to pussy it over the line like they did. Fine let all the injured guys back..ALL..not just your spindly climbers, but then let the sprint happen. The climbers should be languishing at the back anyway, like they used to do.

Unf these days every team is trying to ride a la USPS/Disco during the LA years - how many times do I have to read riders saying guys were contesting the sprint who shouldn't've been?

Cancellara morphed from (self-appointed) patron of the peloton to a bit of an ogre.

deejay

Kléber wrote:

deejay, the bike didn't crash. It was thought that happened at first but it's not the case, one bike did go into the ditch but it was upright. Gavazzi goes down on a slight corner, the same happened to everyone else on the same stretch of road.

Thanks.
So no one threw oil on the road at all.
It was just the overhanging trees still dripping rain on the road. :roll:

Anyone ever ride a TT on the Portsmouth Road G9 course.
Wet roads as I tried to get round the Guildford roundabout (AA house) and the bike just went.
The skin on my right leg to the thigh was gone and I jumped on again (with marshalls help) and completed the 17 of a 25 mile race a bit below par.
Just thought I'd mention it in case the children here think I get a bit Flipant.

deejay

The Speed and they all want the front. It must happen

knedlicky

stagehopper wrote:

knedlicky wrote:

Seemed to me that before Cancellara went to the race directors car to arrange the neutralisation, he had a conversation over his headphone, so presumably with Riis, who probably told him A. Schleck was still behind the main peloton and therefore in danger of losing a couple of minutes to Martin and a minute or so to both LA and Contador, and suggested what Cancellara should do. I doubt any consideration was given to any other riders who were behind.

Only problem with this theory is Cancellara went to the race director's car about 1km from the end, well after the Schlecks and other GC contendors rejoined his leading group.

Cancellara did go to the race director’s car a couple of km before the finish, to presumably get permission for the slow formation ride-in, but he also went to the race director’s car much earlier than that.

When there was Chavanel, then 50 secs back Cervelo chasing (in the same group were Cancellara, Evans Martin and Gerdemann), then at 1-40 Armstrong and Contador, then at 3-40 the Schlecks, he also spoke to the race director then went to the front to stop the chase and slow everything down.

ms_tree

I expect someone else has said this but I couldn't help thinking that if HisTwitness has stayed upright he'd have got his team on the front just like he did on that Causeway a few years back and powered away to put time into everyone else. No gifts I seem to remember is his mantra, so I couldn't believe it when they let him come back.