f1seb

Horse crap!!! This has nothing to do with ethics one bit, or Cancellara being impressive....you want impressive? Let's ask him to neutralize the Time Trial stages and see what he says to that. If it was Radio Shack team falling on their face today and not Saxo Bank than he wouldn't even be looking back those riders. He's so concerned about Andy and Frank why doesn't he stop and wait and then pull them into peleton instead of slowing everybody down. It's a race for crying out loud....or wait maybe he just soaked his battery cause of the rain?

roccobike

IMHO, Today's segment of the TDF was a real disappointment. Tomorrow promises to be a difficult ride. If it rains, it could be extremely dangerous.
I know some (not all) Nascar fans tune in to watch the wrecks, but I don't think that's what cycling is all about. I know the French are very happy that one of their own is in yellow, but I hope they are looking at the big picture and how disappointing today's events were. If one of the favorites is wiped out tormorrow due to a broken bone or other serious injury, it will taint the TDF result. Just my opinion.

deep_sky

More internet armchair quarterbacks

If you don't believe the actual riders because your pet internet tinfoil hat theory isn't supported by what they said, then turn off your tv and get back to trolling from your mama's basement on some other forum with your fellow paranoids.

mrvile

Yeah but isn't that what an internet forum is anyway?

Let them spew, it makes for interesting discussion, as biased as it may be. Who isn't biased?

The Weak Link

Aliens abducted 3 cyclists on Astana and used them for experimentation, but the journalists are covering it up because they are afraid it will shed a negative light on the Tour.

walie

Hey Tour de France riders, the Giro called, its thinks you're pansies

SkinnyLegs

I just hope all these crashes won't make everyone gun shy tomorrow. Really looking forward to some drama on stage 3.

Sylv

Had nothing to do with ethics, it was advantageous for the greater good of Team Saxo for Cancellara to do that. I'll say it was impressive from the standpoint that he was able to convince the rest of the riders to agree to neutralize the race.

rangerdavid

all these crashes, and no one took out Contadore? WTF???



now that's a waste.

NathanC

Feel bad for Thor. He was in a good spot for the sprint.

mazdaspeed

I think they were all frazzled and pissed off. I can't blame fc for doing what he did, it wasn't fair for the race to be screwed up for everyone because of a ridiculously dangerous course. When the best in the world are falling left and right something is wrong.

recon455

Nonetheless, the fact that the entire peloton crossed the line without contention was a great display of sportmanship in my opinion, even if it was only to help Saxobank, which it wasn't.

roccobike

+1, I sent them their aluminum foil helmets to counter the alien rays, but I guess they forgot to wear them.

Cactuskid

dont you watch Football, most players wear them , for years

eb314

I didn't know about the oil. Are they going to neutralize all the times, or do the finishing times stand?

Nbob

The "unwritten rule" seems to be - in the case of unforeseen circumstances ( like being knocked off your bike by a spectators' souvenir musette ) then neutralize but if it's rider error/bad breaks then race on.

When almost half the riders go down - sometimes 2 or 3 times -while going straight on an oil slicked road that, I think, falls into the unforeseen and FC was right to neutralize BUT ....

With about 30K left to go all the guys with any hope of GC ( except Van de Veldt, who's added to this years collection of broken bones and is out - and maybe Hincapie) had rejoined so it should have been race on.

I haven't seen any quotes from the riders about a protest so the only reason for the non- sprint is to neutralize the points because both Cavendish (and Renshaw) as well as Farrar (broken wrist but will continue) got caught up in the carnage and couldn't rejoin.

Don't be hating FC because HTC and Garmin, not Saxo, were the main beneficiaries.

Shuke

What does it mean to "neutralize" the times? I think everybody should get the 3:56 time loss except Chavanel, he rode a great race and deserves the yellow.

chasm54

*facepalm* That is exactly what happened. The neutralisation of the stage means that nobody got any points for their placings, thus meaning that the stage makes no contribution to the competition for the green jersey. As well, of course, as depriving the spectators of what could have been an entertaining sprint for the minor placings.

As for those who think this was an admirable display of sportsmanship, you evidently have absolutely no idea what you were watching. And why isn't this thread in the pro cycling forum?

deep_sky

None of us have any real idea, because we were not on the road at the time. All we can do is review the comments made by the riders actually there, rather than call them a bunch of amateurs who don't know how to ride in wet conditions. Armchair quarterbacking it and saying that they are in effect a bunch of limpwristed p*ussies just makes you look foolish.

Nbob

That's more or less what happened - In every race everyone in the peloton is awarded the same time as the first rider in the peloton when he/she crosses the line. If all the GC contenders finish in the peloton they all get the same time which means no difference in the time gaps from the proceeding days.

When riders decide to "neutralize" ( either because of sportsmanship or as a form of protest) they all agree to stay together in the peloton and get the same time.

Today the aim wasn't so much to neutralize the time but to neutralize the sprint points. Chavanel got 25 points for the stage win but since the race was neutralized all the other points that would have been awarded to the next 24 finishers were not awarded. Thus, the green jersey standings remain largely unchanged from the day before (the first three riders in the breakaway did collect points for the field sprints however).

It appears to me that since Cavandish, Farrar, Petacchi and others were so far behind due to the carnage the peloton decided it wouldn't be fair to have a sprint finish and it wasn't a protest.

Nbob

Sure- Hushovod picks up some easy points because three of his closest rivals are double digits behind due to unique and unforseen circumstances. Sure- He opens up a somewhat insurmountable 50 point lead on Farrar (when two days in a row he doesn't get to contest the sprint through no fault of his own) This is not like yesterday when Cav took himself out of the race or Farrar caught a bad - but standard for bike racing - break.

What were you watching?

SpinDr

Hushovd didn't pick up any points yesterday, did he? I thought we had agreed, the race was neutralised.

Apologies if you're talking about what would have happened, if it HADN'T been neutralised.

clarknick67

yeah, the race was neutralised.

rollin

Wasn't it Turin last year where they rode in formation because of parked cars on the course?

FlashBazbo

Interesting to read today's quotes, after they couldn't find any motorcycle with a breached crankcase or fuel tank.

During the race, Cancellara apparently announced to the peloton that the race had been neutralized by the officials, when it hadn't. Ethics? (Team Cervelo is highly ticked about this -- and should be.)

The fuel spill rumor was apparently started by Contador, with minor help from Armstrong. Both now have backed off their stories. They just say it was slick (and it surely was). Give Armstrong big kudos for coming clean on this one.

Gerard Vroomen (Team Cervelo) summed it up: "Note to peloton: Cobblestones are also slippery. So Cancellara will stop the peloton when Contador crashes tomorrow?”