Stage 13, a cheap win by McEwen

Crankster

I just got around to watching stage 13. I am outraged!
Robbie McEwen was sitting in the peloton sucking wheels for almost 4 hours while others pulled. All he did was wait until the final moment then outsprint his own teammate Freddy Rodriguez and also Stuey O'Grady for the win!

What a cheap move by McEwen!

Guido Trenti who finished 4th clearly deserved it a lot more than McEwen. Or maybe Henrik Redant. But not McEwen.

He has done absolutely NO work at the front! And from what I hear this is not the first time he has done it either. In fact, he has been doing this to other riders for almost 10 years, it turns out!

Also, after looking up some results from the past, there seems to be a whole class of cheap winners who do the very same thing to other, much more deserving cyclists. For example, Petacchi and Cippolini almost never do any work at the front, but scored hundreds of wins by "stealing" stages from other, more deserving riders. Tom Boonen was doing this also earlier in the season, perhaps his crash and incurred injuries was a result of peloton "never forgetting"? This kind of outsprinting for first without leading the group for at least 10 miles or so is something that might fly at cat 6 "bum" races, but this would never happen among pros, where people will remember the so-called "sprinters" and will make sure they won't get their next chance to pull their dirty tactics on others.

I am just so outraged right now! Why would anyone be so evil, so unfair? Didn't their mothers teach them any sense of fair play? You let the guy who deserves the stage win go ahead and win it, rather than selfishly pocketing a win that you clearly DO NOT DESERVE all for yourself.

limerickman

If you did see stage 13, you'd have seen that Lotto (McEwans team) were
going full bore for the last 20kms trying to catch the breakaways.

They did pull.

whiteboytrash

Nice work Limerickman..... like I said Americans just cant do irony...... another failed attempt at humour........ leave the gags to the British Cranker......

Crankster

You mean limerick's serious reply to my humorous post was somehow "nice work"? Oh yeah, he showed me!!! Zingers flying all over cyberspace! Ouch...

And whoever said I was an american? I am more of an international man of mystery. I lived all over the world, but I can assure you US is not where I grew up or spent most of my time living.

To limerickman - since you really decided to take my post seriously, then I fail to see contradiction to what I posted, as McEwen did absolutely no work at the front. His teammates did go to the front at some point, so perhaps it's Henrik Redant or Freddy Rodriguez who deserve a stage win?!

And you are cracking me up with your seriousness - so by following your logic, on other stages where Lotto did ZERO work for McEwen (most stages in last year's Tour for exaple as McEwen doesn't need a team if he can find Petacchi's wheel) his wins were indeed "cheap" as my original post implied? Brilliant logic!!!

rejobako

Crankster: I think it's fair to say there's a difference when we're discussing sprinters who spend all day in the peleton with their teams chasing a breakaway rider from behind, and a mountain finish where two riders are alone in the front. Sprinter's etiquette as they approach the finish is . . . there is no etiquette. Every man for himself. If you can use a competitor as a leadout against his will, more power to you (both literally and figuratively).

That being said, I think your overriding point remains valid: it's is not as simple to say "wheelsucking is prohibited" and be done with it. That's an oversimplistic statement, and is not applicable when the "wheelsucker" is a domestique who is part of a breakaway. In that case, the domestique's role is to monitor developments and be ready to drop back if necessary; the thought that this person should help the breakaway gain time is absurd. At some point, this role changes, if it becomes clear that the team captain doesn't need him and that a stage win is possible.

So I do have some sympathy for Pereiro when he suggest that Hincapie didn't do his share up front once they got to within a few kilometres of the finish. On the other hand, Pereiro had no agreement with Hincapie further down the slope when he attempted to breakaway alone, so the suggestion that Hincapie owed any favors to Pereiro at the top is similarly illogical.

Unless, of course, your goal is to find fault with anything a Discovery rider does . . .

limerickman

me serious ?
Naw, I was just pointing out to you that Lotto and McEwan actually pulled for 20kms on stage 13, my international man of mystery friend.

As regards your sabre-like (or should that be rapier-like ??) humour, I think the audience is still out on that one.

Crankster

Oh, so McEwan (sic) actually went to the front and pulled? I am sorry to say I missed that part in my TV coverage. Or did you mean to say "Lotto riders pulled with McEwen in tow"?

wolfix

Crankster, you wrote what I wanted to write. I knew where you were going as soon as I saw the title. Hincapie's win would not even be an issue if he was anything else but an American. There seems to be an anti-American theme throughout this forum.
It's too bad nationalism is part of the posts. I admit I am guilty of this. If you read my posts, you will get the impression that I see no purpose to the exsistence of the French. And that impression of me would be correct. And I have been anti-French before it became politically correct. I became anti-French when I was young and met many of them. And I love to point out as to how the TDF is won by an American about 50% of the time since Lemonds involvement. I wouldn't be against moving the TDF to California. I bet the riders would love to come here and ride. They could bring their families and visit Disneyland, Hollywood, and drink some good wine from Napa valley instead of that French stuff.
Part of my job requires me to deal with international students. I know it is not fair to judge other cultures by their students. I realize that students usually come from a pampered background and they are not a fair reflection upon the hard working people of their home country.
During my competitive period I was a sprinter. I knew what the game was all about. Fairplay???? If fairplay was part of the game why did the #### promoters put ##### hills in the course???? Nothing bothered me more then seeing a pathetic skinny ass climber win a race.
The name calling on this forum needs to stop. It is ok to challenge another opinion. That's what the world is all about. I have visited other forums and they always fall into the same pattern. However, if anyone wants to light the torches and attack France tonight I will organize it !!!!!

rejobako

Wolfix: God bless America, and pass the apple pie, but dude -- that was disturbing.

wolfix

I should learn to have my coffee before I post......

patch70

It is hilarious the way that whenever anyone criticises Armstrong, Horner, Hincapie etc that the cries of "Anti-American" start flying.

Ullrich, Mayo, Basso have also been criticised here but nobody seems to think that this is Anti-German/Spanish/Italian etc.

Why the paranoia?

whiteboytrash

....I think it could be something to do with the innocent people you kill in unprovoked wars.... but I could be wrong.

rejobako

That's way out of line, but I suppose that's to be expected of you. Simplistic, overgeneralized, and needlessly inflammatory. With those qualifications, it's a wonder you don't love George W. Bush -- you have much in common.

Fixey

So what did you think of Hincappi's win then? talk about an un-deserved win...