alo

Should cyclists be allowed to block the path of others while racing?

Badger6

Deliberate obstruction is already prohibited. What's your question?

Trsnrtr

Moving to the forum, Professional Cycling for the Fans

jamesdak 

Haters gotta hate...

Iride01 

If you police the fans too much then you'll wind up with requirements that the ASO or other organizers put more barricades along the entire route and have more people everywhere to keep fans out of the way. That'll be a big drain to sponsor money, it'll mean less fans, less sponsor money, less less and less cycling as a professional sport.

And how is the fan being careless any worse than some of the subsequent crashes where the riders themselves were careless?

And you have to remember that the ASO is not a government that can make laws. At least the fans aren't pulling off the cyclists they don't like and beating them up, which once was a thing.

MinnMan

wrong thread

kingston 

The video is about Cav's line on the stage 6 finish not the spectator who took out the peloton on stage 1

Iride01 

Oops!

Yeah, I read the title wrong for sure. And typically I'm loathe to watch vids if the OP doesn't describe anything of their viewpoint about the vid.

Eric F 

Nothing special about that sprint that doesn't happen in a whole lot of sprints.

kingston 

The video is worth a look if you like a good slow motion bunch sprint analysis.

CliffordK

A couple of years ago there was a big hoopla about a rider, perhaps Segan doing the same thing. It is clear in the video above that while others were sprinting, one rider was forced to coast across the finish line.

Interesting commentary that the road lane markings didn't follow straight towards the finish line.

Perhaps what the race organizers should do is take some red paint, and paint about 10 straight lines towards the finish in the last 1/4 mile.

Of course that doesn't mean that riders won't move around as they jump from a draft to taking wind. Or, perhaps having to hunt for a hole when they move to the front.

CliffordK

Ok, back in 2017...

The whole group moved from the left side of the road to the right side of the road, and a rider was bumped into the wall. And the infamous elbow.

Eric F 

I remember looking very closely at that finish after it happened. It was messy. From what I saw, the "elbow" by Sagan was more likely a reaction to Cav next to him getting his brake hood inside Sagan's elbow, and Sagan was trying to get out of that contact by lifting his elbow. Cav got himself trapped, lost his ability to keep control of his bike, and paid the price.

himespau 

Sure didn't look like he was going straight, but, if that's how they're going to consistently call it, then they've gotta keep calling it that way.

MinnMan

Gray at best. Cav was drifting some, but he made no obvious move to impede the Fenix riders. It would be overreach for the officials to step in.

indyfabz

Wow! Cannot believe it was that long ago. If I had been asked to guess I would have picked 2019. Maybe 2018 at the very, very outside. Seems like just yesterday we discussing it in the Addiction thread in Road.

indyfabz

Not the first time for the OP.

vane171

Very true, still I wouldn't be proud of winning this way, that's for sure. It is an obvious obstruction.

alo

I think it is playing dirty. I think more people will get injured from this type of behavior in the future. I also believe there are riders looking for an opportunity for payback. That's what happens. They just need to make it look like it was unintentional.

I think race organizers should hand out penalties for this type of thing to stop it happening.

MinnMan

Don't ya just love the TdF? How it draws people in to the world of bike racing?

James1964 

Very common tactic. If one of the Alpecin Fenix riders had crashed, then the race officials might have relegated Cav.

Eric F 

You win one of the most prestigious races a bike racer can win, and you’re not proud because you played the game the way it’s played at this level? Ridiculous. There was nothing unusual about this sprint. You should start paying attention to the banging and pushing that goes on before the sprint is even launched.

Eric F 

There’s nothing new or especially unusual in this sprint. Nothing at all.

slcbob

I think this was supposed to be his great come back after crashing in front of his mum the year before. Instead it put him back into the wilderness for the rest of a half decade.

As often as I screw up a year or so ago that is really 3 or 5 or 10, it has been a good long while without Cav at the top.

Heck, how long for Froome now? Is it 2018 last GT and 2019 crash, or am I missing a year?

Flip Flop Rider

it's racing. Jockeying for position is a part of it. Contact is sometimes a part of it. I'm not saying anything goes, but racing in close quarters like that things happen