A trivia question

A while back I was looking at an issue of Cycle Sport, and it was about the top sprinters of all
time. There was a story about horrible crashes that happen in bunch sprints, like the one in
Armentieres, and abdujaparov, etc. But there was also a photo of poor Jean-Claude Colotti, lying on
the ground with his leg sliced open, obviously by someone's wheel. Anyone know where and when that
happened? I don't remember very much about that story, but I'm guessing it happened in the Tour.

 

I don't know the answer to your question.

Do you, or anyone, remember when Wilfried Nillesen (Belgian guy from a village around Alken, Belgium
where they make Crystal beer) sliced open his leg and it looked like you could see the bone???? It
think it ended his career! That has to be the worst!!!

"Marlene Blanshay" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]... A while back I was looking at an issue of Cycle Sport,
and it was about the top sprinters of all time. There was a story about horrible crashes that happen
in bunch sprints, like the one in Armentieres, and abdujaparov, etc. But there was also a photo of
poor Jean-Claude Colotti, lying on the ground with his leg sliced open, obviously by someone's
wheel. Anyone know where and when that happened? I don't remember very much about that story, but
I'm guessing it happened in the Tour.

 

"EP" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I don't know the answer to your question.
>
> Do you, or anyone, remember when Wilfried Nillesen (Belgian guy from a
village around Alken, Belgium where they make Crystal beer)
> sliced open his leg and it looked like you could see the bone???? It
think it ended his career! That has to be the worst!!!

That was bad - when he hit the signpost.

Another bad one was when Nelissen hit the cop at the TdF. Jalabert faceplanted and lost his
front teeth.

 

[email protected] (Marlene Blanshay) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> A while back I was looking at an issue of Cycle Sport, and it was about the top sprinters of
> all time. There was a story about horrible crashes that happen in bunch sprints, like the one
> in Armentieres, and abdujaparov, etc. But there was also a photo of poor Jean-Claude Colotti,
> lying on the ground with his leg sliced open, obviously by someone's wheel. Anyone know where
> and when that happened? I don't remember very much about that story, but I'm guessing it
> happened in the Tour.

I believe that was from Milan San Remo 1993 (Fondriest win). The organizers car unwisely decided to
follow Fondriest across the line, and was stopped just past the line. A mass pile up resulted when
the group came in, because the car was still there. Cipollini picked up his bike and smashed it thru
the cars rear window. The occupant of that car now organizes the Giro, Mr. Castellano....

 

Worst ever got to be the sight of Fabio laying in the road. The photo of that in L' Equipe is the
most tragic crash photo I have ever seen.

B-

"EP" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I don't know the answer to your question.
>
> Do you, or anyone, remember when Wilfried Nillesen (Belgian guy from a
village around Alken, Belgium where they make Crystal beer)
> sliced open his leg and it looked like you could see the bone???? It
think it ended his career! That has to be the worst!!!
>
>
> "Marlene Blanshay" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> A while back I was looking at an issue of Cycle Sport, and it was about the top sprinters of
> all time. There was a story about horrible crashes that happen in bunch sprints, like the one
> in Armentieres, and abdujaparov, etc. But there was also a photo of poor Jean-Claude Colotti,
> lying on the ground with his leg sliced open, obviously by someone's wheel. Anyone know where
> and when that happened? I don't remember very much about that story, but I'm guessing it
> happened in the Tour.

 

"Kurgan Gringioni" <[email protected]> wrote

>"EP" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> I don't know the answer to your question.
>>
>> Do you, or anyone, remember when Wilfried Nillesen (Belgian guy from a
>village around Alken, Belgium where they make Crystal beer)
>> sliced open his leg and it looked like you could see the bone???? It
>think it ended his career! That has to be the worst!!!
>
>
>
>That was bad - when he hit the signpost.
>
>
>Another bad one was when Nelissen hit the cop at the TdF. Jalabert faceplanted and lost his
>front teeth.

Willy was the unluckiest guy in the story of cycling. He had a huge talent, with sure a couple of
cobbled classic already written in his DNA. But he kept having terrible racing accident. Apart from
the two you mentioned, I remember him having at least another one, in a major classic.

 

"brian roth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> I believe that was from Milan San Remo 1993 (Fondriest win). The organizers car unwisely
> decided to follow Fondriest across the line, and was stopped just past the line. A mass pile up
> resulted when
the
> group came in, because the car was still there. Cipollini picked up his bike and smashed it thru
> the cars rear window. The occupant of
that
> car now organizes the Giro, Mr. Castellano....

Well I guess that settles the question of why the Giro never barred Cipo.......

 

You are right that he was destined for greatness. Unfortunately he was stupid as a fensepost and
would sprint like Abdujaparov - head down for all he was worth.

He came back after Armentieres and ended up in two more horrendous crashes before he bailed for
good. I seem to remember that he got a detached retina (ala Wust) after the last one.

Now that I think about it, I wonder if he started out with bad sight.

"Davide Tosi" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> "Kurgan Gringioni" <[email protected]> wrote
>
> >"EP" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >news:[email protected]...
> >> I don't know the answer to your question.
> >>
> >> Do you, or anyone, remember when Wilfried Nillesen (Belgian guy
from a
> >village around Alken, Belgium where they make Crystal beer)
> >> sliced open his leg and it looked like you could see the bone????
It
> >think it ended his career! That has to be the worst!!!
> >
> >
> >
> >That was bad - when he hit the signpost.
> >
> >
> >Another bad one was when Nelissen hit the cop at the TdF. Jalabert faceplanted and lost his
> >front teeth.
>
> Willy was the unluckiest guy in the story of cycling. He had a huge talent, with sure a couple of
> cobbled classic already
written
> in his DNA. But he kept having terrible racing accident. Apart from the two you mentioned, I
> remember him having at least
another
> one, in a major classic.