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What a terrible sport - Tour of France
- Thread starter singveld
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Tour de France 2013: Mark Cavendish exonerated after sprint collision
The race referees exonerated Mark Cavendish from any wrongdoing in a controversial sprint finish won by Marcel Kittel in which the German's team-mate Tom Veelers ended up on the deck but the Manxman still ended up in the midst of a storm. Veelers was all wrathful indignation after a clash of shoulders with Cavendish brought him down at high speed and in the aftermath of the episode the Omega Pharma-Quickstep leader did himself few favours by grabbing the tape recorder of a journalist who asked if the incident was his fault.
Cavendish's explanation for the clash on the final curving run to the line was that he was trying to make his way on to Andre Greipel's wheel as the German launched the sprint; he added later via Twitter: "I believe I didn't move line. I'm actually coming past Veelers & we touch elbows when he moves". According to the race director, Jean-François Pescheux, the commissaires – having had a long hard look at the video footage – decided Veelers was at fault as he had been dropping back through the faster moving sprinters, hence their view that no action should be taken.
Veelers blamed Cavendish, however. "I remember that I did the lead out for Marcel Kittel, I steered off, let [myself] go back [and] suddenly I get ridden off my bike by Mark Cavendish." Asked by French TV if he felt Cavendish had pushed him, he replied: "Yes, I think it's clear to see from the video that he's riding me on the ground." Kittel's take on the episode was more diplomatic: it was "very unlucky they bumped into each other. I don't imagine it was done on purpose."
Whoever was at fault, this stage was a breakthrough for Kittel, as unlike his stage one victory in Corsica, when Cavendish had been held up by a crash, here the 25-year-old overcame both the Manxman and Greipel, overhauling the latter in the final metres to become the first rider to win two stages in this Tour.
Kittel and Greipel and their domestiques have found Cavendish's measure, for the moment at least. By the sparkling waters of the Channel, in front of Vauban's walled port city, he was beaten into third place by the German duo, making his score for this Tour one victory in three opportunities. Cavendish's straight-line speed remains unmatched but critically both his main opponents have got their respective trains organised as well as Cavendish's Omega Pharma squad, and better on occasion.
This in turn makes it impossible for him to get the final straight run at the line which he needs, as Cavendish's style is largely reliant on gaining an initial advantage with his jump rather than coming from behind as Kittel did here when he overhauled Greipel in the final metres. He has been disrupted on occasion in the past – for example at Redon in the 2011 Tour with Tyler Farrar – but Greipel's Lotto and Kittel's Argos are more consistent than Farrar's Garmin were. A repeat of Cavendish's 2011 victory in the green points jersey is looking less likely by the day as he is still over 100 points behind Peter Sagan.
"We ran out of riders," said Cavendish, who lost the wheel of his final lead-out man, Gert Steegmans just when he needed it most. "I came from too far back. When I came out it was too late there were two strong riders in front of me. We could have done things a little bit differently. I've been told the commissaires would have relegated me if I'd won, but make it a straight sprint. The road veers left."
The presence of three well-marshalled teams battling for supremacy made the final kilometres a more than usually hectic affair, with neither Cavendish's, Greipel's or Kittel's whiteclad trains ever having complete control. Nerves were frayed further by a change of wind direction 20 km out. After the riders had spent most of the stage battling into a headwind, the breeze was on their backs for the final blast along the coast from the village of Cancale; it is in just this situation that the field can split, so the battle to get to the front for the little pull up from the seafront was almost as desperate as the final fight for the finish line.
The form of Team Sky remains an open question. At this key point in the race Chris Froome had only one domestique for company. While Ian Stannard did a herculean job to keep the race leader in front, the Briton was again isolated compared to, for example, Alberto Contador, who had three riders at his side.
The other Sky riders, Froome said, were "saving their legs for what's coming in the next few days." Even so, they look below strength.
Froome should give himself and his fragile-looking team a more substantial cushion during day's time trial from Avranches to the Mont-Saint-Michel. It is a relatively short test at 33km, and although the stage win may well go to the former world champion Tony Martin, who is said to have recovered from his high speed crash on stage one, none of Froome's closest rivals overall has his pedigree. "It's fast and flat so hopefully it's a good one for me," said Froome. "It's a very good opportunity to gain time."
The race referees exonerated Mark Cavendish from any wrongdoing in a controversial sprint finish won by Marcel Kittel in which the German's team-mate Tom Veelers ended up on the deck but the Manxman still ended up in the midst of a storm. Veelers was all wrathful indignation after a clash of shoulders with Cavendish brought him down at high speed and in the aftermath of the episode the Omega Pharma-Quickstep leader did himself few favours by grabbing the tape recorder of a journalist who asked if the incident was his fault.
Cavendish's explanation for the clash on the final curving run to the line was that he was trying to make his way on to Andre Greipel's wheel as the German launched the sprint; he added later via Twitter: "I believe I didn't move line. I'm actually coming past Veelers & we touch elbows when he moves". According to the race director, Jean-François Pescheux, the commissaires – having had a long hard look at the video footage – decided Veelers was at fault as he had been dropping back through the faster moving sprinters, hence their view that no action should be taken.
Veelers blamed Cavendish, however. "I remember that I did the lead out for Marcel Kittel, I steered off, let [myself] go back [and] suddenly I get ridden off my bike by Mark Cavendish." Asked by French TV if he felt Cavendish had pushed him, he replied: "Yes, I think it's clear to see from the video that he's riding me on the ground." Kittel's take on the episode was more diplomatic: it was "very unlucky they bumped into each other. I don't imagine it was done on purpose."
Whoever was at fault, this stage was a breakthrough for Kittel, as unlike his stage one victory in Corsica, when Cavendish had been held up by a crash, here the 25-year-old overcame both the Manxman and Greipel, overhauling the latter in the final metres to become the first rider to win two stages in this Tour.
Kittel and Greipel and their domestiques have found Cavendish's measure, for the moment at least. By the sparkling waters of the Channel, in front of Vauban's walled port city, he was beaten into third place by the German duo, making his score for this Tour one victory in three opportunities. Cavendish's straight-line speed remains unmatched but critically both his main opponents have got their respective trains organised as well as Cavendish's Omega Pharma squad, and better on occasion.
This in turn makes it impossible for him to get the final straight run at the line which he needs, as Cavendish's style is largely reliant on gaining an initial advantage with his jump rather than coming from behind as Kittel did here when he overhauled Greipel in the final metres. He has been disrupted on occasion in the past – for example at Redon in the 2011 Tour with Tyler Farrar – but Greipel's Lotto and Kittel's Argos are more consistent than Farrar's Garmin were. A repeat of Cavendish's 2011 victory in the green points jersey is looking less likely by the day as he is still over 100 points behind Peter Sagan.
"We ran out of riders," said Cavendish, who lost the wheel of his final lead-out man, Gert Steegmans just when he needed it most. "I came from too far back. When I came out it was too late there were two strong riders in front of me. We could have done things a little bit differently. I've been told the commissaires would have relegated me if I'd won, but make it a straight sprint. The road veers left."
The presence of three well-marshalled teams battling for supremacy made the final kilometres a more than usually hectic affair, with neither Cavendish's, Greipel's or Kittel's whiteclad trains ever having complete control. Nerves were frayed further by a change of wind direction 20 km out. After the riders had spent most of the stage battling into a headwind, the breeze was on their backs for the final blast along the coast from the village of Cancale; it is in just this situation that the field can split, so the battle to get to the front for the little pull up from the seafront was almost as desperate as the final fight for the finish line.
The form of Team Sky remains an open question. At this key point in the race Chris Froome had only one domestique for company. While Ian Stannard did a herculean job to keep the race leader in front, the Briton was again isolated compared to, for example, Alberto Contador, who had three riders at his side.
The other Sky riders, Froome said, were "saving their legs for what's coming in the next few days." Even so, they look below strength.
Froome should give himself and his fragile-looking team a more substantial cushion during day's time trial from Avranches to the Mont-Saint-Michel. It is a relatively short test at 33km, and although the stage win may well go to the former world champion Tony Martin, who is said to have recovered from his high speed crash on stage one, none of Froome's closest rivals overall has his pedigree. "It's fast and flat so hopefully it's a good one for me," said Froome. "It's a very good opportunity to gain time."
Mark Cavendish causes Twitter uproar after appearing to snatch a reporters tape recorder from him
http://bcove.me/k3kmdj6c
http://bcove.me/k3kmdj6c
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Crash not my fault, blasts fuming Cavendish who storms off with reporter's dictaphone
Mark Cavendish found himself at the centre of a raging controversy in Saint-Malo after appearing to barge Dutchman Tom Veelers and send him tumbling.
Cavendish is no stranger to crashes in sprint finishes but is rarely held responsible for them, as seemed the consensus here.
The Manx Missile was accused of altering his line to pounce on the leading pair, Marcel Kittel and Andre Greipel, and cutting across Veelers, hitting his arm.
I was watching it live. It's not his fault. The guy he knocked off was the lead out man for Kittel. Lead out riders give it full gas and then take their foot of the accelerator before reaching the finish line while other sprinters are still going full tilt behind them. Because of the nature of the sprint, such collisions will happen from time to time.
If you have raced a bike, you'd realise that it was not the case. The fact that he was not held responsible means that the judges who are experienced cyclists agree with me too.
As to why he snatched a recorder, I guess the answer is is bloody pissed off for being blamed for the accident.
Road cycling itself is a great sport but forget about the professional community. Nothing but a bunch of cheats.
how do you know amateurs are not doping?
I don't, hence i said professionals.
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Cavendish may be an arrogant man but is not a bad sprinter so do not think he did it on purpose. Anyway race jury has already cleared him of any wrongdoing. The man himself later explained that the road was bearing left and he has to follow the road. But think he may not win the green jersey again this year as he is too far behind Peter Sagan.
Germany's Marcel Kittel celebrates as he crosses the finish line at the end of the 213 km first stage of the 100th edition of the Tour de France cycling race on June 29v between Porto-Vecchio and Bastia, on the French Mediterranean Island of Corsica
An aerial view shows the pack of riders as they cycle along the coast during the 145,5 km third stage of the centenary Tour de France cycling race from Ajaccio to Calvi, on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica.
The pack of riders cycles past a vineyard during the 195 km eight stage of the centenary Tour de France cycling race from Castres to Ax 3 Domaines on July 6.
Netherlands' Lieuwe Westra throws a bottle of water as he rides in the breakaway during the 145.5 km third stage of the 100th edition of the Tour de France cycling race on July 1 between Ajaccio and Calvi, on the French Mediterranean Island of Corsica.
German rider Marcel Kittel of the Argos-Shimano procycling team celebrates on the podium wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey after winning the 1st stage of the 100th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Porto-Vecchio and Bastia, Corsica, France, on June 29.
A detail of the top tube on the bike of Peter Sagan of Slovakia riding for Cannondale is seen at the start of stage nine of the 2013 Tour de France.
The pack rides during the 156 km second stage of the 100th edition of the Tour de France cycling race on June 30 between Bastia and Ajaccio, on the French Mediterranean Island of Corsica.
The pack rides during the 156 km second stage of the 100th edition of the Tour de France cycling race on June 30 between Bastia and Ajaccio.
Netherlands' Johnny Hoogerland is seen on the ground after a fall during the 213 km first stage of the 100th edition of the Tour de France cycling race on June 29 between Porto-Vecchio and Bastia, on the French Mediterranean Island of Corsica.
Spanish rider Joaquim Rodriguez of the Katusha procycling team receives treatment during the 6th stage of the 100th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Aix-en-provence and Montpellier on June 4.
Tony Martin of Germany is taken to an ambulance on the finish line after crashing in the first stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 213 kilometers (133 miles) with start in Porto Vecchio and finish in Bastia, Corsica island, on June 29.
Andre Greipel of Germany celebrates crossing the finish line ahead of Peter Sagan from Slovakia, second place, left, and Marcel Kittel of Germany, third place, rear in white, to win the sixth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 176.5 kilometers (110.3 miles) with start in Aix-en-Provence and finish in Montpellier, southern France, on July 4.
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