Crash etiquette on the Tour (newbie question)

rodgers73

Why is it that when there is a crash on the Tour riders wait for people to be patched up etc before carrying on? I'm pretty sure I've heard that it is viewed as bad form to take advantage of your rivals having an accident.

If I'm right, I cant think of any other racing sport where this would ever happen. Is it a simple question of tradition and/or good manners or is there some other reason behind it??

Clements753

Being the complete b'stard that I am - when racing if I hear a crash I instantly attack.

I imagine over a three week tour as long as the crash doesn't happen at the pointy end of a stage when the win is in the offing then "what goes around comes around" would play into it. A long way from the finish line the people who have gone down would still get back on say why be a d**k and make it hard for them when next time you might be the one on the deck.

esspeebee

A variety of reasons, as I see it: Firstly, as you said it's traditional and good manners. Secondly, teams have good memories for this sort of thing, and what goes around, comes around: if you drill the pace along when a rival team leader is in trouble behind a crash, then that team isn't likely to slow down when you're stuck the same way or have bike troubles next week. Not to mention that you might well end up riding on their team next year. Thirdly, while a win is a win, it's better to beat the competition outright rather than being seen as taking advantage of their bad luck.

rodgers73

Seems like cycling is a little more gentlemanly than other sports then!

TheEnglishman

rodgers73 wrote:

Seems like cycling is a little more gentlemanly than other sports then!

Rampant drug abuse aside....

rodgers73

Ooh! Controversial!

cougie

Yeah cos no other sports people would take drugs.....
Especially not footballers. There's no millions to be made in that game is there ?
Oh....

jibberjim

Because you need friends in bike racing, and if it hurts no-one but having to expend a little more energy to pull back the break (and in that case you can call on the teams you waited for to help too) then it's a wise move to wait and let them catch up - the team will do the same to you next time. You saw today that when waiting would've meant the break would win, they didn't wait, winning was too important, and the other teams will recognise that and not hold it against the teams who kept pulling.

OffTheBackAdam

This was debated a day or three back, on Eurosport. Seems like there isn't as much waiting, as in days of yore.

Monty Dog

In the days of 'patrons' plus their enforcers, if the order went out to wait or attack, that's what the riders did. There probably hasn't been a patron since Bernhard Hinault - if you crossed him, riders would often pay the consequence.

ratsbeyfus

Roche (Senior) was winging recently that injured riders spent too long on the deck, rather than jumping on their bikes straight away. He complained that they were drafting cars too much to get back to the peleton IIRC.