Do they ever fall?

Teach

Just watched todays Tour and (just in case you've not heard yet). The winner punched the air and was suitably happy. Just wondered if pro riders have ever fallen off whilst doing this and even worse in falling off have given an easy win away?

frenchfighter

Not that I can recall off the top of my head.

This is not from a pro race but is what you talk about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk7RmxDk ... re=related

Doobz

sometimes they take their hands off too early and end up being pipped at the post... I think I would rather crash..

frenchfighter

Lol

Teach

Doobz wrote:

sometimes they take their hands off too early and end up being pipped at the post... I think I would rather crash..

Ooh that is bad. It's a basic school boy mistake. Cycle hard until you cross the line.

Kléber

McEwen was hit by a cameraman yesterday after crossing the finish line.

As for finish line spills, I do remember one rider celebrating his win with a km to go, then wiping out on the final corner, and then to have the bunch come past. Was it the late Rudy Dhaenens? But it's rare, riders know what to do, they are relaxed and will adjust the celebration according to the conditions, ie no wild chest thumping if there's a monster crosswind.

westerburk

yes sometimes they get really far ahead and have a sleep. when asleep theyre passed and even though on waking they peddle really fast they cant then beat the slower rider.

They look like t its then

you see this quite regulalry in the pro peleoton

RichN95.

westerburk wrote:

yes sometimes they get really far ahead and have a sleep. when asleep theyre passed and even though on waking they peddle really fast they cant then beat the slower rider.

They look like t its then

you see this quite regulalry in the pro peleoton

Abdel-Khader Zaaf did this in 1950

afx237vi

westerburk wrote:

yes sometimes they get really far ahead and have a sleep. when asleep theyre passed and even though on waking they peddle really fast they cant then beat the slower rider.

They look like t its then

you see this quite regulalry in the pro peleoton

I know you're joking, but it's not as if that is unheard of in the Tour de France. There's the famous story of Abdel-Kader Zaaf, the Algerian rider who rode the 1950 race. He was on his way to the yellow jersey after breaking away in extremely hot conditions, but eventually collapsed due the conditions and went to sleep under a tree. When he came round, he was so disillusioned that he started pedalling in the wrong direction.

What a tit, eh?

e2a: Rich beat me to it!

afx237vi

PS, the reason that Zaaf was able to get so far ahead that he actually had time for a kip, was because the rest of the peloton had gone for a swim in the sea. Really.

RichN95.

afx237vi wrote:

I know you're joking, but it's not as if that is unheard of in the Tour de France. There's the famous story of Abdel-Kader Zaaf, the Algerian rider who rode the 1950 race. He was on his way to the yellow jersey after breaking away in extremely hot conditions, but eventually collapsed due the conditions and went to sleep under a tree. When he came round, he was so disillusioned that he started pedalling in the wrong direction.

What a tit, eh?

e2a: Rich beat me to it!

I didn't know about the swimming though. I love those crazy stories of the old days

westerburk

i was joking but that is very funny

ta

afx237vi

RichN95 wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

I know you're joking, but it's not as if that is unheard of in the Tour de France. There's the famous story of Abdel-Kader Zaaf, the Algerian rider who rode the 1950 race. He was on his way to the yellow jersey after breaking away in extremely hot conditions, but eventually collapsed due the conditions and went to sleep under a tree. When he came round, he was so disillusioned that he started pedalling in the wrong direction.

What a tit, eh?

e2a: Rich beat me to it!

I didn't know about the swimming though. I love those crazy stories of the old days

Yeah, he got away with his team-mate Marcel Molines, who won the stage into Nimes. The story is that because they were both North Africans, they were the only ones who could withstand the heat (although that didn't really pan out too well for Zaaf, clearly).

Monty Dog

If you want a good read, Olympic Gangster written by Matt Rendell is the biography of Jose Beyeart, the 1948 Olympic RR champion who went on to ride LeTour in 1950. The stories of Jose's run-in with Bartali's 'enforcer' at the Giro make the contre-temps at the finish the other day just a bit of handbags.

disgruntledgoat

Was the Zaaf the guy who occasionally rode in a Fez?

westerburk

no that was tommy cooper

moray_gub

afx237vi wrote:

PS, the reason that Zaaf was able to get so far ahead that he actually had time for a kip, was because the rest of the peloton had gone for a swim in the sea. Really.

The Tour aint what it used to be eh

Pross

Did they then run back to their bikes and therefore inadvertently create the modern day triantelope?

emadden

Kléber wrote:

McEwen was hit by a cameraman yesterday after crossing the finish line.

As for finish line spills, I do remember one rider celebrating his win with a km to go, then wiping out on the final corner, and then to have the bunch come past. Was it the late Rudy Dhaenens? But it's rare, riders know what to do, they are relaxed and will adjust the celebration according to the conditions, ie no wild chest thumping if there's a monster crosswind.

Nope... Rudy rolled a tub on a tight left hander at the end of a stage of the Tour when he was leading by about 20 seconds. It was the last corner in the stage. I was gutted for the guy... I think it was 1989 and he was riding for PDM. King Kelly was in the green at the time.