Giro Spoiler

[Philster]

Taylor's in pink!!! Way to go!!!

[lukasz]

Yeah that was a pretty impressive ride. Go Team America.

[velobran]

Let's make this a rolling thread?

Stage 3: Shitty sprinting move for sure. Ferrari should be stoned for that. Unofficial word on Phinney is broken ankle?

[mainemike]

that move was blatant!

Let's make this a rolling thread?

Stage 3: Shitty sprinting move for sure. Ferrari should be stoned for that. Unofficial word on Phinney is broken ankle?

[kentinmania]

A near miss for my man Démare. Both for podium spot and massive crash.

Cavendish is though as a rock. How the hell can he escape any injury. Amazing.

[Tomi]

A near miss for my man Démare. Both for podium spot and massive crash.

Cavendish is though as a rock. How the hell can he escape any injury. Amazing.

Démare definitely means business. He had to freewheel around Cavendish and still get a fourth place. I think he could have won this one with Cavendish as a launcher !

[velobran]

A near miss for my man Démare. Both for podium spot and massive crash.

Cavendish is though as a rock. How the hell can he escape any injury. Amazing.

He narrowly missed a wheel-to-helmet contact thanks to him tucking his head and the rider behind him moving a few cms.

[jitahs]

Démare looked to be getting slightly gapped when Cav went down...

I doubt that lukasz would've put that move on...looked super aggressive put clean to me.

+1 #ww

[AJPM44]

Phinney just posted that nothing is broken.

[jitahs]

I'm wrong - Ferrari relegated to last place.

[jitahs]

Excellent sprint rules summary from inrng:

"For such a dangerous and risky activity, there are very few rules on sprinting. Here’s the sole mention in the UCI book:

2.3.036 Sprints Riders shall be strictly forbidden to deviate from the lane they selected when launching into the sprint and, in so doing, endangering others.

That’s all you get. Note it’s a bit ambiguous too. What does “and” mean? Is it it that you are strictly forbidden from changing lanes… or forbidden from changing lanes if it endangers others?

The first rule of sprint club is that you not talk about the rulebook
Dangerous sprinting is a bit like an elephant: it’s hard to describe but you know it when you see it. A rider switching direction and forcing others to swerve is dangerous; the same is true when the lead rider cuts across others and makes them brake. An accident can happen but even if it doesn’t the rider can get punished. Today’s move by Ferrari looks like an invitation for the commissaires to set an example.

By contrast a rider drifting across the road is more subtle. In the case with Cavendish and Démare today it is ok to jostle and jump. It seems that you can change lanes here so long as you do it over time. Rather than hopping from one side of the road, your lane doesn’t have to be straight. A diagonal charge to the line is often ok. Ferrari by contrast seems to have rode across everyone.

The next step
The Giro has a jury of commissaires and they can review TV footage. They’ll be reviewing the footage and almost certainly he’ll be punished. If the jury doesn’t act, a rider or someone from his team can protest the result and insist the jury reviews something. The question is whether Ferrari is merely relegated for today’s sprint and fined or given a bigger sanction, even throwing him out of the race.

Note comparisons with other dangerous things like Mark Renshaw’s Tour de France headbutt are not the same since that involved a distinct “act of violence” during a race and the rules – fairly or unfairly – distinguish between hitting someone and taking them out by dangerous riding. To put it another way you can carve up riders at 70km/h and provoke multiple injuries and one rule applies but pinch another rider or pull their hair and another rule applies.

Riders have their own rules
More often nobody’s citing the rulebook at the finish line, it’s more a matter of riding within the rules set by the sprinters themselves. Once a rider gets a reputation as dangerous they can find themselves shut out of the sprint. Others know a particular rider is not a wheel to be on and sprint trains try to shunt the riskier riders out of the way.

Hot heads
Sprinters are often lively types. You don’t hear it on TV but the sprint itself is lively with a lot of shouting, sometimes you can see the shoulder rubbing and more. Once over the finish line fast-twitch fibres aren’t just in the legs but tongues wag quickly and many can type fast too via twitter."

[72gmc]

Ferrari may wish he had been ejected after the next few weeks. At 29 he should know better.

[velobran]

Ferrari may wish he had been ejected after the next few weeks. At 29 he should know better.

Post ride interview claimed he said "I don't know and don't care what happens behind me". I need to find what I read again to be sure he was that dickish.

[mainemike]

what should farrar do? he can't seem to win.

[al415]

Here is a clip of the end of today's stage from the guardian.

Mark Cavendish crashes in Giro d'Italia

_60078019_cavap.jpg

[jitahs]

what should farrar do? he can't seem to win.

Tyler faded badly yesterday and today was a wash; I think he's below peak race form but will get faster as the stages go by. Cav, if he hasn't peaked too early, could win everything though. Unless some young opportunist comes out of left field to crash him again. He came from nearly last week to almost finish it off today. Really strong right now.

[NHWolverine]

If something good came out of this it was the bunny hop over Cav. Incredibly impressive!

[rabo]

What was Phinney doing so close to the sprint in the last 3 K ? He had no business there, and now is hurt for nothing. BMC?

[Tomi]

What was Phinney doing so close to the sprint in the last 3 K ? He had no business there, and now is hurt for nothing. BMC?

It's just bad luck. There is statistically more chance to be stuck in a crash if you stay in the middle or end of the peloton.

[twowheels]

Bonehead, selfish move by ferrari. A good sprinter in that situation will give a quick glance to ensure the way is clear. Because he didn't do so, he took out the points leader the pink jersey and a bunch of other guys.

Taylor was in good position. Its usually safer near the front and he was on the far side of the road from the main action. It was bad luck. Hope he and Cav aren't too badly injured but i suspect that at the very least they will be very sore for a good long while, which will take its toll in a brutish race like the giro.