The 100th Edition Of The Tour de France: Chirps, Opinions, News, Updates.

[jcza]

please explain this "everyone gets the same time" thing they keep on saying....expecially after a fall..

 

Crash in the final 3km means everyone will get same time UNLESS there are gaps.

 

Example: 3 riders in a breakaway with 5 min advantage chased by bunch. 3 leaders cross line and clock starts, if the bunch crashes in the final 3km all riders in bunch will get same time. 3 leaders will keep their 5 min advantage.

[SwissVan]

I thought if there is a certain number of riders then they wont be eliminated on time?

 

Yes I believe that's how it works, BUT the rulez are ze rulez ja?

 

If they can turn a blind eye to large groups of riders who sometimes miss the cut off by several or more minutes then why not ole Ted who missed it by 7 seconds... he may have miscalculated the cutoff based on his power meters time and not missed the cutoff intentionally.

 

"His SRM power metre indicated that he finished inside the time cut, but the official timing ruled otherwise. The record breaking average stage speed of 57.841km/h set by Orica-GreenEdge also played against him"

 

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ted-king-i-wanted-to-race-its-the-tour-de-france

 

Spilt milk etc... but the inconstancy does leave a taste of sour milk

[SwissVan]

Once beyond the flamme rouge, within the final km, if you suffer any technical difficulties or crash or are held up by a crash, you get the same time as the riders you were nearest at the time of the incident.

 

Not the flame rouge (last km) but within the last 3 km's

[eeeek]

Not the flame rouge (last km) but within the last 3 km's

 

Learn something new everyday! Thanks.

[nickc]

I think I must be the only person who isn't overly sympathetic to King's exclusion...

The grand tours are notoriously tough and dangerous, but they are also known for highlighting just how unjust Lady Luck is. Had King's crash come after the TTT, or had the TTT been later on in the schedule, chances are that King would have been able to drag himself up the mountains, or recover enough to use a TT bike with his injuries, but as luck would have it it was not the fact that he sustained an injury that ended his tour or the ASO/UCI, but the perfect storm combination of the exact nature of his injury and the timing of the TTT stage.

 

I feel for him, I really do, and I don't feel like it has detracted at all from how brave he was to head out on the TTT course on a road bike... At the end of the day during the TTT King knew that he was racing the clock, and realistically, the cut-off - he didn't make it, kudos to his effort but you can't fault ASO/UCI for that.

 

I agree rules are rules but one still wonders if this had been Thomas Voeckler and not an American rider what would have happened?

[jcza]

Yes I believe that's how it works, BUT the rulez are ze rulez ja?

 

If they can turn a blind eye to large groups of riders who sometimes miss the cut off by several or more minutes then why not ole Ted who missed it by 7 seconds... he may have miscalculated the cutoff based on his power meters time and not missed the cutoff intentionally.

 

"His SRM power metre indicated that he finished inside the time cut, but the official timing ruled otherwise. The record breaking average stage speed of 57.841km/h set by Orica-GreenEdge also played against him"

 

http://www.cyclingne...-tour-de-france

 

Spilt milk etc... but the inconstancy does leave a taste of sour milk

 

I understand the sympathy but his DS should take the blame then. I don't think he had a chance after his team dropped him almost immediately. Sprinters riding in a big group over the mountains will never change, they know they are safe.

[SwissVan]

I understand the sympathy but his DS should take the blame then. I don't think he had a chance after his team dropped him almost immediately. Sprinters riding in a big group over the mountains will never change, they know they are safe.

 

Yep, I just like to pick on the sprinters...especially if a bearded pom with new teeth is one of them

[Thorn199]

I understand the sympathy but his DS should take the blame then. I don't think he had a chance after his team dropped him almost immediately. Sprinters riding in a big group over the mountains will never change, they know they are safe.

I've read that his team didn't even lodge a formal protest. Certainly no chance of getting the decision reversed then...

[jcza]

I've read that his team didn't even lodge a formal protest. Certainly no chance of getting the decision reversed then...

 

Saw on twitter that the team accepted the result as it was correct despite the "apparent" time difference.

[eeeek]

Yes I believe that's how it works, BUT the rulez are ze rulez ja?

 

If they can turn a blind eye to large groups of riders who sometimes miss the cut off by several or more minutes then why not ole Ted who missed it by 7 seconds... he may have miscalculated the cutoff based on his power meters time and not missed the cutoff intentionally.

 

"His SRM power metre indicated that he finished inside the time cut, but the official timing ruled otherwise. The record breaking average stage speed of 57.841km/h set by Orica-GreenEdge also played against him"

 

http://www.cyclingne...-tour-de-france

 

Spilt milk etc... but the inconstancy does leave a taste of sour milk

 

I guess that is why I am such a big fan of 'no exceptions', the second you make even one deviation from the rules you open yourself up to arguments about where to draw the line. The rules are the line.

 

On the very dangerous flipside of that, if the riders felt that ASO was being unreasonable or had been inconsistent, they shouldn't have started stage 5. The riders and DSs can't cry foul everytime that they feel ASO race jury getting a little self important, and not actually do anything about creating the culture in the sport as it pertains to how and when the rules are enforced or waived.

[GrumpyOldGuy]

The scenery helps during those less exciting stages, I normally watch the daily stage later in the evening when I get home usually by fast forwarding to the last 20km but while doing this yesterday I stopped to look at some of the amazing scenery shots, did u see the shot of the cliff that looked like a eagles beak, amazing...?

 

The helicopter film crews are doing a better job every year....

 

Indeed the crew are, I have spent a lot of time in Marseille so I actually know the area around there fairly well, its a starkly beautiful countryside indeed. I got all sentimental when they showed views of the old Port in Marseille as I have spent many happy and enjoyable hours at some of the great cafe's dotted around the port, and on Sunday the fish market on the dock side is still probably one of the biggest and certainly oldest fresh fish markets in France, its simply incredible to go wonder around, although as the Med is so depleted of any fish bigger than pan size lately many of the fish appear to be juveniles but are still heavily sought after for that great French favorite "Bouillabaisse"

[dracs]

The final crash...

 

Officials’ medical report:

Zubeldia (ESP) 5th metacarpal fracture left hand (splint)

Noval (ESP) repair dressing left hand

Dupont (FRA) heartburn (gastric dressing)

Bouhanni (FRA) crash in finish; trauma to back leg and dermabrasion left and right shoulder (radio balance and normal echo). Stomach pain.

El Fares (FRA) left knee tendinitis (anti-inflammatory, analgesic)

Hoogerland (NED): sunburn forearm

Muravyev (KAZ): stomach pain, early gastroenteritis, headache

Bonnet (FRA): digestive disorders

Trentino (ITA) wounds right knee

Klöden (GER): superficial wound right calf

Vande Velde (USA): crash at finish; cervical contusion [Crash occurred earlier in stage 5 —Ed.]

Hesjedal (CAN) crash at finish; the sixth left rib fracture [injury occurred in stage 1 —Ed.]

Bouet (FRA) crash at finish; non-displaced fracture left wrist (splint)

 

 

Useful info for the peloton.... For eg. avoid riding behind Mr Bonnet today...

[Daideron]

Hesjedal has some serious injuries. But nothing compared to Hoogerland! How ever will he continue in such agony?!

[Daideron]

And I suspect Bouhanni's teammates inflicted that beating on him, not the crash! I hear he is a diva, and seems his team could care less about him, seeing as he spent an age chasing back alone yesterday

[Thorn199]

http://www.bicycling.co.za/race-news/tour-de-france/rider-diaries/daryls-tdf-blog-keep-yellow-at-all-costs/

[kosmonooit]

And I suspect Bouhanni's teammates inflicted that beating on him, not the crash! I hear he is a diva, and seems his team could care less about him, seeing as he spent an age chasing back alone yesterday

 

Guess Team Cannondale could have rallied around Ted and help him get through it instead of dropping him at the start, did they ever have a chance in the Team TT? and they don't have any GC contender so wtf ...

 

Circumstances are Ted got through stages 2 and 3 already with his dislocated shoulder, which he has had before and had said he just needed a few days to get through it, he was strong mentally and it meant so much to him, and what was achieved by eliminating him? Self righteous officious officials get to flex their power, that's about it. Very mean decision.

Edited July 4, 2013 by kosmonooit