GIRO - Spoiler
- Thread starter limerickman
- Start date
Hey I agree, ok maybe Bettini drifted a bit but he defineately didn't switch Cooke, Bettini isn't that kind of rider and you can clearly see Cooke lifting his hand to possibly pat him on the thigh as we all know you do in a tight sprint to let Bettini know he's there.limerickman said:
Don't forget the speed these guys are going and things just happen in nano seconds. Maybe Cooke wouldn't have crashed if he hadn't had lifted his hand, but then he wouldn't have had to if Bettini hadn't drifted over.
It was a racing incident that happens in half a second and goes with the territory. There have been much rougher sprints, just read all the comments from the sprinters on stage 2. Petacchi cries conspiracy and all the other guys say it's tough out there without a lead out train, welcome to our world.........One thing is for certain though, that wouldn't have happened to Robbie McEwen with his bike handling skills. He would have eased back, gone to the right, came past Bettini on the right hand side and still would have won....
MJP1 said:
I haven't seen the video yet, but the way Cooke describes it he was on Bettini's wheel while they were both in the middle of the road. Cooke makes a move and has to go one way or the other and chooses the left. THEN Bettini goes for the barrier. Not to make Cooke take the long way around him (totally within reasonable tactics) but to squeeze him against the barriers and interfere with his line - a relegatable offense.
limerickman said:
I thought he clearly changed his line like most if not all sprinters have at some stage in a career (though hes not a sprinter as such). He got relegated and and deserved to. Thats all that should happen about it. I dont think hes dirty or malicious at all.
One thing on Cooke his reputation is worse than what he has actually done. Cipo tried to ride him into the barriers last year at the Tour De Med and it barely rates a mention. If it was the other way around then its Cooke being dangerous etc.. again. His style maybe rough but does not mean everytime a crash happens he is to blame. Same for McEwen really, when was the last time he was responsible for a crash? They got big mouths though, thats for sure. Its the guys like Rene Haselbacher who are really dangerous. The ones who have no place in the bunch kicks and make it dangerous for everyone.
I agree. Cooke & pretty much all sprinters have crashes. IT goes with the territory. Crash-makers are a different story. Hasselbacher, as you said, plus Mederic Clain, Abdoujaparov.oely said:
Lim, I am not sure why you would think of Cooke as being prone to bingles more than other sprinters. The 3 crashes in big races that I can recall he's been in over the last 3 years haven't been his fault.
I've seen it now. Definitely changed his line.
To give Bettini the benefit of the doubt he maybe thought he would drift towards the barrier so that he could force Cook to pass on his right, maybe not realising that Cook was already coming.
Still should have been DQ'd.
To give Bettini the benefit of the doubt he maybe thought he would drift towards the barrier so that he could force Cook to pass on his right, maybe not realising that Cook was already coming.
Still should have been DQ'd.
I'm afraid I don't know the UCI rules well enough to know whether Bettini committed a punishable offence. I sat and watched the video link on http://www.eurosport.com/cycling a number of times.patch70 said:
My observations:
1. Bettini did move to the left, effectively closing down the lane. (Is this against the rules?)
2. That move didn't need to cause a crash because he seems to have kept enough distance to keep Cooke from hitting the barrier. Cooke seemed to hit the barrier due to bad bike handling. Even in slow motion, at the critical moment, there is absolutely no movement of Bettini's bike to indicate a collision or impact with Cooke.
3. Bettini crosses the line, seemingly unaware that Cooke hit the pavement.
4. Bettini does look a bit guilty / upset in the post-race photos and I don't know if it is because he feels bad that Cooke hit the ground, or if it is ecause he feels at fault.
hmmm....
patch70 said:
I didn't mean to single Cookie out from every sprinter, I singled him out in respect of his actions yesterday.
Of course sprinters will do a bit of pushing and shoving.
Sean Kelly, Eric Vanderarden, Abdou, Moncassin, Cipo, Steels, all come to mind.
If I recall correctly, Bart Voskamp and Christian Henn in the 1996 TDF stage 18, were actually leaning shoulder to shoulder in the middle of the road as they crossed the line.
Classic stuff.
Todays stage 5 was not as exciting as stages 3 & 4, but it did see a good fight to the line between DiLuca and Alessandro Petacchi.
The final kilometre was uphill and Alessandro gave it a got shot and DiLuca looked like he had to work hard to get it in the end.
(DiLuca was born in the same region where todays stage finished).
The final kilometre was uphill and Alessandro gave it a got shot and DiLuca looked like he had to work hard to get it in the end.
(DiLuca was born in the same region where todays stage finished).
ed073 said:
Phil Anderson (the former Auusie pro), his wife does some work for Eurosport and she told us told on ES, that she interviewed DiLuca last night after stage 4.
She said that DiLuca is a really nice guy.
He's quiet and very self-effacing.
he is going really, really well this year.
ed073 said:
Very good.
I bet that was a good day meeting PH, Ed ?
He was a very very good rider. Hard as nails. He was a great champion back in the early 1980's.
His American wife, Christy Anderson, does some commentary work at ES during the grand tours.
limerickman said:
yep.....one of my absolute heroes. I wanted him to be all stand-offish and aloof, but I was let down
He also rode the Bay Series criteriums in Melb in his final year, 1994. He was easily 10kmh faster than anyone else through the corners. Incredible skills.
If only he could have dropped bloody Eddy Planckaert on the run in at the '88 Ronde.....
ed073 said:yep.....one of my absolute heroes. I wanted him to be all stand-offish and aloof, but I was let down
He also rode the Bay Series criteriums in Melb in his final year, 1994. He was easily 10kmh faster than anyone else through the corners. Incredible skills.
If only he could have dropped bloody Eddy Planckaert on the run in at the '88 Ronde.....
He also rode the crocodile trophy (claimed to be the hardest mtb race in the world) over the last few years. He had a second and a top 10 in '03 and '04.
ed073 said:Elli's finest hour.....and some German geezer.
I was just reading an interview in a back edition of Cycle Sport when he had his
maillot Jeune for 4 days in the TDF.
He said it was a privilege to get it so late in his career and he wasn't used to having his team work for him ! (more used to him working for his team !)
