dirtypot Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 That '91 crash was hard! Road racing is not for sissies!
tombeej Posted April 8, 2015 Author Posted April 8, 2015 Those guys coming through had no idea what was coming. They were following the bunch sprint on what they thought was a wide open boulevard. To have no barriers there (and instead just small cones perched on top of each bollard) is outrageous. The guy who came off worst was the young American, Peter Stetina from BMC. He's got a broken leg, broken knee cap and 4 broken ribs. This video shows how it went down. The body doing flickflacks through the air is Peter. He hit the first one at about 60 km/h and then went somersaulting into the second one. How he's still alive, I don't know. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=43&v=86LAfAoKFE8
Tubehunter Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 These are the poles in question, not sure if they had the orange cones on the during the race: ImageUploadedByTapatalk1428441667.879408.jpg No way you will keep a full peloton trying to shake riders off their wheel from using the whole lane and avoid hitting this when blinded from riders in front, if you're moving through the group to position for the final sprint. That the organisers could not foresee this, leaves a clear indication of their understanding of the dynamics to the sport! Every time I look at this pic I get a metal taste in the back of my throat, as I imagine hitting this at full taps! Hope none of the injuries are career ending for the riders affected!!!!
tombeej Posted April 8, 2015 Author Posted April 8, 2015 No way you will keep a full peloton trying to shake riders off their wheel from using the whole lane and avoid hitting this when blinded from riders in front, if you're moving through the group to position for the final sprint. That the organisers could not foresee this, leaves a clear indication of their understanding of the dynamics to the sport! Every time I look at this pic I get a metal taste in the back of my throat, as I imagine hitting this at full taps! Hope none of the injuries are career ending for the riders affected!!!! Peter has lost his whole season. His big focus this year was GC at the Tour of California, which he had a good chance getting.
tombeej Posted April 8, 2015 Author Posted April 8, 2015 Take a look at the video again - Philippe Gilbert somehow threaded between those bollards at full taps. Incredible instincts and skills to make the gap. That would have been his whole season gone as well, and the Ardennes Classics are just around the corner. Actually those bollards nearly took out the whole BMC crew there.
davem Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 That '91 crash was hard! Road racing is not for sissies! And no helmet! Ouch
jimmycool Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 Ratty, as a somewhat more recreational rider we will look at this scenario and wonder how a cyclist could simply just ride into this?? Makes no sense right? But when you're at the end of a stage and bleeding through your ears from effort and every inch of effort goes into holding a wheel trying to maximise your return on effort, all judgement about where, different unforeseen obstacles could be absolutely vanish. Bear in mind most sprinters tuck head down when they put in maximum effort and use their peripheral vision to keep them in a straight line. As an example here's one of the craziest I remember watching live on TV. In those days the barriers had feet that stuck into the inside of the lane and Djamolidine Abdoujaparov who was one of the best sprinters at the time hit this at full pace. http://www.google.pl/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=video&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCUQtwIwAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DoBtCaLYFKjo&ei=JfAkVbW8EdXc8AXd_IDgBA&usg=AFQjCNE5XGpDweqzCI2v5w-uh5qCok-uJw&bvm=bv.90237346,d.dGc (Edit: Please let me know if the link works as I can't open YT at the office, but I've copied the link to the video through google. Alternatively, you could google '1991 Tour de France Abdu crash') Yup, it works. Hectic crash that. It is quite understandable how one could crash into something like these poles in the pandemonium that is the finish sprint. Even if you had checked out the last section before the race that is the kind of thing that you would sit up after the finish line and suddenly remember - "oh ja, there were those poles there!!"
American Flyers Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 They could have used a fence around the low poles...
'Dale Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 Very very rough week for safety standards in road cycling taking into account the two collisions involving Shimano Neutral Service at Tour of Flanders too on Sunday.
Tubehunter Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 Very very rough week for safety standards in road cycling taking into account the two collisions involving Shimano Neutral Service at Tour of Flanders too on Sunday. Yeah, the neutral car driver for Shimano is clearly not a cyclist or has spent ANY time at a cycling event. Anyone who knows something about cycling would just understand that you do not overtake on the inside of a corner as the cyclists will aim to hit the apex. Not rocket science this, yet bam, takes the rider down from behind. Dude broke his collarbone hitting the deck! The 2nd one is even less understandable??? Can only imagine he was fiddling with his phone or GPS or some other device when he hit the back of the other support vehicle. Chavanel must've had words from the ensuing takedown by his own car! Agreed. All very special and somewhat alien for safety standards in 2015!
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