# Poor Zabriskie



## haiku d'etat (Apr 28, 2001)

Rthur2sheds said:


> rotten way to lose the maillot jaune...awesome stage, though


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

I was just thinking "Man I wonder why we never see guys hit wheels?" Dang that does suck pretty bad for him. Going down at 30+ can NEVER be fun.

K


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## Rthur2sheds (Jul 30, 2004)

rotten way to lose the maillot jaune...awesome stage, though


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*wow*



Rthur2sheds said:


> rotten way to lose the maillot jaune...awesome stage, though


I guess they were on the rivet, huh? Geez. That's a sucky way to go.


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## OnTheRivet (Sep 3, 2004)

*Gendarme takes him out?*



Rthur2sheds said:


> rotten way to lose the maillot jaune...awesome stage, though


Shades of Laurent Jalabert. What the hell is a Gendarme doing in the road. Wait to see the replay.


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## Terrapin1 (Jun 30, 2005)

1.5 kms! Damn. He must be in pain, it looked at though he couldn't pedal anymore.


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## MaRider (Mar 21, 2002)

OnTheRivet said:


> Shades of Laurent Jalabert. What the hell is a Gendarme doing in the road. Wait to see the replay.


It seemed to me the road was clear. The was some water on the road after he crashed, but it was probably from DZ's water bottle.

To me it looked as if he was looking back, trying to figure out if they have 5 guys still together when he ran into the wheel of the guy in front of him.


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## rollinrob (Dec 8, 2002)

Phil and Paul mentioned that he had touched another riders rear wheel and that was what had brought him down. Its a shame as he was doing so well and could have kept the Mellow Johnny for a couple of more days. I love to see the local Bay Area guys do well! This time last year he was racing the Burlingame Crit. Boy what a difference a year makes!


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## fred2000 (Apr 26, 2004)

*That's Not Water.*

If you watch DZ's crash there is a stripe on the road and sadly it wasn't his water bottle. Looks like he scrapped a good chunk off his hip. Ugh. I hope he recovers well.


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## katooom (Aug 25, 2003)

>What the hell is a Gendarme doing in the road. Wait to see the replay

Hard to tell much from replay, but I think the Gendarme could be key - why was he on the road side of the barrier!!? Z probably touched a wheel, but did the rider in front have to swerve to avoid the cop?

So bad for Z, they would have kept it. 

I cant imagine how he must feel, physical and mental. Good job Z - enjoyed the three days, keep the faith.


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## PdxMark (Feb 3, 2004)

*9.0 for the gendarme*

As painful as the crash was, it seems that the "what ifs" might be even more painful. Even with the slight pause for DZ's crash, and the loss of him for a pull, CSC finished down by just 2 seconds. It's probable that CSC lsot at least 1 second for the crash, so DZ lost the jesey not by getting beat but by crashing... That'll hurt for longer than the scrapes & bruises.

I'd score the gendarme 9.0 for form and timing on his jump.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*yes, but*



PdxMark said:


> As painful as the crash was, it seems that the "what ifs" might be even more painful. Even with the slight pause for DZ's crash, and the loss of him for a pull, CSC finished down by just 2 seconds. It's probable that CSC lsot at least 1 second for the crash, so DZ lost the jesey not by getting beat but by crashing... That'll hurt for longer than the scrapes & bruises.
> 
> I'd score the gendarme 9.0 for form and timing on his jump.


Yes, but Z might not have ever had the jersey if Lance had not pulled out of his pedal at the start of his ITT. Could well have gone start to finish in yellow. Those freak things cut both ways.


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## haiku d'etat (Apr 28, 2001)

Fixed said:


> Yes, but Z might not have ever had the jersey if Lance had not pulled out of his pedal at the start of his ITT. Could well have gone start to finish in yellow. Those freak things cut both ways.


  we all know lance didn't want the jersey from the prologue and sat up a bit to let Z take it.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*uhuh*



J's Haiku Shop said:


> we all know lance didn't want the jersey from the prologue and sat up a bit to let Z take it.


Sure. No way he would have wanted his team to have the advantage of starting last in the TTT. Having the yellow from start to finish could have been his greatest Tour accomplishment (right next to passing Jan in the ITT), a helluva way to go out.


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## haiku d'etat (Apr 28, 2001)

Fixed said:


> Sure. No way he would have wanted his team to have the advantage of starting last in the TTT. Having the yellow from start to finish could have been his greatest Tour accomplishment (right next to passing Jan in the ITT), a helluva way to go out.


don't believe the hype.


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## OnTheRivet (Sep 3, 2004)

J's Haiku Shop said:


> we all know lance didn't want the jersey from the prologue and sat up a bit to let Z take it.


Nope, there are reports of Tex throwing his helmet when he was told he lost by 2 seconds. Not the reaction of a guy sitting up.


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## haiku d'etat (Apr 28, 2001)

OnTheRivet said:


> Nope, there are reports of Tex throwing his helmet when he was told he lost by 2 seconds. Not the reaction of a guy sitting up.


it's all spun just the way he wants it. i'm a big lance fan, but you guys have to see that he's orchestrating it all. um, helloooo?

ps. i did it all for the nookie.


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## dagger (Jul 22, 2004)

*Caught a wheel*

and Zabriskie is well known to not having good pack riding skills, as also noted in the USA today that was printed before the race. It's funny that was published for the day that he would crash.


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## crashjames (Jan 14, 2003)

*Knew that was coming*



J's Haiku Shop said:


> we all know lance didn't want the jersey from the prologue and sat up a bit to let Z take it.



that someone would suggest Lance "let" Z win - is it so hard to believe that someone 8 years younger could beat LA and everyone else by 2 seconds? Maybe if LA could keep clipped in he might have won Stage 1...guess we'll never know.


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## snowman3 (Jul 20, 2002)

Rthur2sheds said:


> rotten way to lose the maillot jaune...awesome stage, though


Yeah, I felt so bad for the kid. Keeping the jersey was right there in his grasp till the crash. We'll have to wait till tomorrow to hear how bad his injuries are. I hope he can finish the tour. He must feel crushed right now and feel he let the team down.


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## lonefrontranger (Feb 5, 2004)

J's Haiku Shop said:


> it's all spun just the way he wants it.


um. that tinfoil hat feeling good today?


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## bsdc (Feb 15, 2002)

Rthur2sheds said:


> rotten way to lose the maillot jaune...awesome stage, though


It just goes along with what I have been saying when others say Lance is going to run out of luck and lose this year. He doesn't need luck. He's the best. All he has to do is ride a strong, conservative race. Everyone else will have to push their limits to beat him. When you reach your limit, you're more likely to make mistakes. Zabriskie is a great rider and I'm really sorry to see him go down like that, but I don't think he'll be the last to "fall" trying to get an edge on Lance.


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## haiku d'etat (Apr 28, 2001)

lonefrontranger said:


> um. that tinfoil hat feeling good today?


when will your camel's nose make it under the tent flap?

the only more powerful person on earth is Oprah.


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## cityeast (Sep 16, 2004)

the only more powerful person on earth is Oprah.[/QUOTE said:


> So why isn't Oprah wearing the yellow jersey?
> 
> This is why all "LA is a Shoe-in" parrots have to be careful. Think chaos theory. Think what if. Think whatever you damn like. It ain't over till till the generously-sized lady sings.


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## wirespeed (Jul 4, 2005)

Yay! Nothing broken! 


> *Zabriskie plans to ride, see how he feels*
> Reuters
> 
> BLOIS, France -- Deposed race leader David Zabriskie is to continue in the Tour de France despite suffering a high-speed crash in Tuesday's team time trial.
> ...


For the record, having watched it several times live this morning, my recollection is that the gendarme hopped over the fence _after_ Dave crashed and appeared to be looking to help in any way he could.


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## katooom (Aug 25, 2003)

>For the record, having watched it several times live this morning, my recollection is that the gendarme hopped over the fence _after_ Dave crashed and appeared to be looking to help in any way he could.[/QUOTE]

I wonder though, the gendarme was very near the 'track out' point of the turn. Did some of the leading riders have to 'check up' a bit and cause the problem. Why was he there? are cops usually posted on the circuit side of the fence? Also, posting at the outside drift point of a turn is asking for trouble.

Whatever the reason, feel very sorry for Z. CSC would have taken it.


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## cyclopath (Feb 20, 2005)

Eurosport is reporting a chain-skip as the culprit....


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## wirespeed (Jul 4, 2005)

> Why was he there? are cops usually posted on the circuit side of the fence? Also, posting at the outside drift point of a turn is asking for trouble.


That's what I'm trying to clarify. The gendarme was only on the circuit after the crash had taken place and after the rest of the CSC team had gone on ahead. He appeared to be jumping onto the circuit to lend aid.

I find it funny that people on this forum started what is essentially a rumor that is unsubstantiated by any of the Tour diaries/news articles or reports, and everyone is running with it.

The gendarme in _no way_ caused the crash.


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## cadence90 (Sep 12, 2004)

*Not the gendarme's fault:*

Clipped wheel, chain skip and...









...body/soul damage.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*well what I'm always waiting for is*

since He gets all the credit when things (sporting events, wars, etc) go right how about some blame when they go wrong.
"Dave what happened out there?"
"God made my chain skip and I crashed"


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## katooom (Aug 25, 2003)

wirespeed said:


> That's what I'm trying to clarify. The gendarme was only on the circuit after the crash had taken place and after the rest of the CSC team had gone on ahead. He appeared to be jumping onto the circuit to lend aid.
> 
> The gendarme in _no way_ caused the crash.


After further review, I concede the gendarme had nothing to do with the fall.

He was, however, on the circuit side of the barrier the entire time - no doubt about that. And it was rather bad positioning for a gendarme to be placed. They should be on the inside of the turn (but not the apex!) as the teams come through.

Regardless, I still feel very sorry for Z.


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## RkFast (Dec 11, 2004)

atpjunkie said:


> since He gets all the credit when things (sporting events, wars, etc) go right how about some blame when they go wrong.
> "Dave what happened out there?"
> "God made my chain skip and I crashed"


This coming from a guy who would blame George Bush and Halliburton for Phonak's lousy chioce of team colors, if he could. 

Zabriskie? Im sure Ill get flamed for this....but I say karma had a lot to do with his crash. They guy had a constant smirk on his face and when interviewed after Stage One, acted like he could care less. Ive seen old men at the corner deli who just won $5 at the scratch off games get more excited and show more appreciation for what has taken place than what Zabriskie has shown the last few days. Not saying he has to jump up and down, but it would have been neice if Zabriskie had ONE nice word to say about what took place, jeez. Or did I miss something?


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## obfg (Jul 18, 2004)

*He may have been there for a reason*

Just a theory:

The gendarmes are there for crowd control. They have to be inside the barriers so they can move back and forth to control a larger area. It would seem to me that the most dangerous part of a race could be a fan reaching over the barrier as a rider comes by on the outside of his turn and accidently knocking him down. Thus, the best place for the gendarme to ensure the safety of the riders is out the outside drift point of a turn. He may be an obstacle, but the riders can see him clearly and take appropriate measures. Much easier than avoiding a fan whose enthusiasm causes him to suddenly reach out to touch one of the the riders as they go by. ("Gosh. I was so excited. I just wanted to touch him. I had no idea that I could cause him to crash.")




katooom said:


> After further review, I concede the gendarme had nothing to do with the fall.
> 
> He was, however, on the circuit side of the barrier the entire time - no doubt about that. And it was rather bad positioning for a gendarme to be placed. They should be on the inside of the turn (but not the apex!) as the teams come through.
> 
> Regardless, I still feel very sorry for Z.


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## covenant (May 21, 2002)

OnTheRivet said:


> Nope, there are reports of Tex throwing his helmet when he was told he lost by 2 seconds. Not the reaction of a guy sitting up.



Are you trying to say Lance didn't know the time difference until he got off the bike?

link?


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