# Stage 1 crash discussion



## PJay (May 28, 2004)

Cav crash - collarbone? His own fault for his argy bargy?


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Yes (I'm guessing) and yes. 

His own dumb idea to try to head Gerrans from passing him.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

He won't be winning any stages this year.

Aside from whether it was right or wrong it was an incredibly dumbass move. He knows better.


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## dcorn (Sep 1, 2011)

I've landed just like that on the top back of my shoulder. 3rd degree separation. I held my arm exactly like that all the way to the hospital.

Sucks to see him go out, probably his own fault for being a big too aggressive. Man, Cancellara really threw things for a loop with his go at the jersey.


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## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

Looks like Cav was at fault.

PJay, you should keep this in the Stage thread and not throw spoilers in the title. As stupid as it sounds, some people come into the pro cycling thread and freak out if they see spoilers without warning.


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

Gerrans


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## PJay (May 28, 2004)

i can't see any collarbone break in his form-fitting jersey - it might be a separation and not a break. it would be terrible to have cav go out injured on day 1. it is tough to lose that opportunity, in front of the queen and all.


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## TricrossRich (Mar 26, 2014)

hard to tell if its a broken collarbone or sperated/dislocated shoulder... if its a break, he's out... if its a speration/dislocation, I suppose he could continue, depending on how badly he WANTS it.

Personally... I thought it looked like he was being a bit rough, but he's often said "sprints are rough and that's part of the game, if you don't like it, don't be a sprinter." so I suppose he got a little of his own medicine.


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## Retro Grouch (Apr 30, 2002)

Cav was too far back to factor in the sprint and his pr!ck move against Gerrans backfires.

No tears shed from me over Mark's lack of good judgement.

At least he rode to the finish to pick up maximum pity points from the crowd.


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## PJay (May 28, 2004)

my bad - i was not thinking


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## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

he doesn't deserve this result however this one's on cav; he pushed gerrans into coquard setting off the chain reaction. renshaw was DQ'd for the same thing a couple years ago. one thing about the head butt though is that it's actually used to protect both riders from bar to bar contact, which is what typically initiates crashes.


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## roox (May 14, 2008)

thought i saw a bump through his jersey, tough to say with the crappy internet feed though . feel for him though, just getting over a broken clavical and seperation myself.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

roox said:


> thought i saw a bump through his jersey, tough to say with the crappy internet feed though . feel for him though, just getting over a broken clavical and seperation myself.


Hard to tell:


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)




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## Buzzatronic (Mar 18, 2013)

MMsRepBike said:


>


Wow that pic really seals it. Cav's fault by far. You can't just steamroll a guy who is in front of you. 

Hate to see him get hurt but even worse, hate to see him get other riders hurt.


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## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

It sure looked to me like Cavendish found himself boxed in and was trying to force open a hole through which he could get free. It's all on him this time from what I could see in the television coverage and the photo above.


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## jhamlin38 (Oct 29, 2005)

I will say it was "a racing incident". Gerrans was diving for Sagan's wheel, which was where Cav was. I blame neither rider. 
The fact that Cav stuck his head into Gerrans to hold his position makes it seem like Cav initiated, and caused the incident.


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## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

Buzzatronic said:


> Wow that pic really seals it. Cav's fault by far. You can't just steamroll a guy who is in front of you.


I agree. Cav seemed to be trying to find a gap between Sagan's wheel and Gerrans. Unfortunately for him, there was no gap. 

He wanted it too much, IMHO.


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## cdhbrad (Feb 18, 2003)

Having dislocated a collarbone in a crash, I didn't see any bulge at the top of his jersey, so likely a bad separation. Even if he starts tomorrow, he may not make the time limits as there is 11-12K of climbing and I would doubt he can use that right arm much to help with the climbing.


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

Have any of you ever raced? And by that I mean competed in a sprint? He was at max HR with tunnel vision on Sagan's wheel. Gerrans got a bit in front and was coming over to push him off. Cav wasn't giving up the wheel, and was leaning in to defend it. Watch it again without trying to instantly blame Cavendish like you guys do here. Cav is the most hated rider since Lance on this forum. 

The crash was nothing more than bars getting locked. Had that not happened, they would have just been yelling at each other at the finish.


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## go do it (Sep 12, 2007)

his fault 
1/2 second before the crash a gap opened up on his right 
got to pushy and got pushed to the ground


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

spookyload said:


> Have any of you ever raced? And by that I mean competed in a sprint? He was at max HR with tunnel vision on Sagan's wheel. Gerrans got a bit in front and was coming over to push him off. Cav wasn't giving up the wheel, and was leaning in to defend it. Watch it again without trying to instantly blame Cavendish like you guys do here. Cav is the most hated rider since Lance on this forum.
> 
> The crash was nothing more than bars getting locked. Had that not happened, they would have just been yelling at each other at the finish.


And why did handlebars lock?...which if you watch live they didn't, they only touched long enough to cause a very sandwiched Gerrans to loose control

Or does pushing someone else off their line into someone else's line not count for causing an accident?


Cav is easy not to like. He (used to) have a ridiculous ego (his head has deflated over the years, I'll give him that)...and on top of that has a legion of BFF English commentators who will talk about him for half an hour straight during live race commentary of a race he isn't even racing.


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

spookyload said:


> Have any of you ever raced? And by that I mean competed in a sprint? He was at max HR with tunnel vision on Sagan's wheel. Gerrans got a bit in front and was coming over to push him off. Cav wasn't giving up the wheel, and was leaning in to defend it. Watch it again without trying to instantly blame Cavendish like you guys do here. Cav is the most hated rider since Lance on this forum.
> 
> The crash was nothing more than bars getting locked. Had that not happened, they would have just been yelling at each other at the finish.


That would be plausible if Mark was planning to ride Sagan's wheel across the line.

My read: Cav had Sagan's wheel, expecting him to kick and ride clear. Gerrans came through hoping to box Cav in, therefore making him have to pass both Sagan and him (great move). Cav saw that he was all but beaten and decided to barge his way out with his head. Cab came over on Gerrans, not the other way around.

It wasn't a "racing incident", it was reckless riding by a guy who wouldn't accept that he had already lost. Sorry he's hurt but he really deserves to be out of the Tour for this. The injury will save the referees from making the wrong call. Hopefully he hasn't ruined Gerrans' Tour too.

Edit: Cav's statement:

"I'm gutted about the crash today" Cavendish said. "It was my fault. I'll personally apologise to Simon Gerrans as soon as I get the chance. In reality, I tried to find a gap that wasn't really there .I wanted to win today, I felt really strong and in a great position to contest the sprint thanks to the unbelievable efforts of my team. Sorry to all the fans that came out to support - it was truly incredible."

Good on him for owning it.


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## wilkenstein (May 2, 2009)

Update on Mark. He also claims it was his own fault and will apologize to Simon.

Mark Cavendish Update | Wall | Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team



> Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team confirms that Mark Cavendish underwent further examination on his right shoulder after today's crash.
> 
> The imaging underlined ligament ruptures with an AC-joint dislocation, which causes him a lot of pain. A final decision on his participation in tomorrow's stage will be taken tomorrow morning.
> 
> ...


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## spdntrxi (Jul 25, 2013)

watching the reply over and over... no doubt Cav was sticking his head out to block SG..but as Cav just finished his head but Colquard gives SG a nice shoulder bump sending SG back towards Cav.. who's bike was still leaning underneath SG's.. bam. Colquard had a lot to do with this wreck.

SG was definitely coming over to take PS wheel... and frankly Cav was drifting ever so slightly to the right (6-10inches) of the white line and was trying to move back to shut SG from PS's wheel.


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## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

Got to love the Mail. Still fighting the war.



> Tour de France dream hangs in the balance for Mark Cavendish after he dislocates shoulder yards from finish line in horror crash which hands victory to German rival


Tour de France dream hangs in the balance for Mark Cavendish after he dislocates shoulder yards from finish line in horror crash which hands victory to German rival and even made the PM wince | Mail Online


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## Hiro11 (Dec 18, 2010)

This reminded me of Renshaw's headbutt a few years ago. Scuffling like this is pretty common but that was particularly egregious: there was no hole, Cav was behind Gerrans and he simply tried to bully his way through to get Sagan's wheel. It looks like he pushed Gerrans into the Europecar rider causing them to touch handlebars and go down.

At least this time, Cav took full responsibility. Also, Cav's paid the price. If Cav's Tour isn't completely finished, he surely won't be contesting sprints for a few stages. I hope Gerrans is OK.

Kudos to Kittel, it isn't easy to clearly beat Sagan in a technical uphill finish like that. Kittel looked tough before h got sick in the Giro. If he stays healthy, he's going to a few more stages.


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## runabike (Jun 18, 2013)

spookyload said:


> Have any of you ever raced? And by that I mean competed in a sprint? He was at max HR with tunnel vision on Sagan's wheel. Gerrans got a bit in front and was coming over to push him off. Cav wasn't giving up the wheel, and was leaning in to defend it. Watch it again without trying to instantly blame Cavendish like you guys do here. Cav is the most hated rider since Lance on this forum.
> 
> The crash was nothing more than bars getting locked. Had that not happened, they would have just been yelling at each other at the finish.


That's not what happened. Cav caused it. It's his fault. He went for a spot that wasn't there.


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## 95624 (Oct 23, 2007)

Omega probably gave Cav better advice than Sky did. Cav accepted fault this time, rather than accusing others and getting pee thrown on him.


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## PJay (May 28, 2004)

95624 said:


> Omega probably gave Cav better advice than Sky did. Cav accepted fault this time, rather than accusing others and getting pee thrown on him.


D'oh! I forgot abt the p ee


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

Hiro11 said:


> This reminded me of Renshaw's headbutt a few years ago. Scuffling like this is pretty common but that was particularly egregious: there was no hole, Cav was behind Gerrans and he simply tried to bully his way through to get Sagan's wheel. It looks like he pushed Gerrans into the Europecar rider causing them to touch handlebars and go down.
> 
> At least this time, Cav took full responsibility. Also, Cav's paid the price. If Cav's Tour isn't completely finished, he surely won't be contesting sprints for a few stages. I hope Gerrans is OK.
> 
> Kudos to Kittel, it isn't easy to clearly beat Sagan in a technical uphill finish like that. Kittel looked tough before h got sick in the Giro. If he stays healthy, he's going to a few more stages.


You are totally wrong. Check the other thread. I posted pictures clearly showing Cav squarely on Sagans wheel till first contact. Clearly show this.


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

spookyload said:


> You are totally wrong. Check the other thread. I posted pictures clearly showing Cav squarely on Sagans wheel till first contact. Clearly show this.


You're misreading the action. Gerrans was not attempting to take Sagan's wheel, he was trying to keep Cav there. Instead of accepting that he was stuck, Cav barged his way out (deliberately leaving Sagan's wheel). This was in no way defensive on Cav's part and he admits it.


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## Hiro11 (Dec 18, 2010)

spookyload said:


> You are totally wrong. Check the other thread. I posted pictures clearly showing Cav squarely on Sagans wheel till first contact. Clearly show this.


Is this your thing? You troll cycling forums, tell everyone that they're complete idiots, that you know _exactly_ what happened? That anyone with an alternative explanation is _clearly_ wrong?

'Cause that's a weird, weird thing my man.


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## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

bikerjulio said:


> Got to love the Mail. Still fighting the war.
> 
> 
> 
> Tour de France dream hangs in the balance for Mark Cavendish after he dislocates shoulder yards from finish line in horror crash which hands victory to German rival and even made the PM wince | Mail Online


that is quite a find. no words...well, one word, actually: "WOW"


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

Cavendish bullied his way into trouble.

no tears for him.


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## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

De-spoilered the title a bit.


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

It sounds like Simon Gerrans is a little scraped up but no serious injuries. He probably won't make a run for the yellow jersey tomorrow but he still has 20 stages to race so that's good news.


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## Peter P. (Dec 30, 2006)

I'll bet OPQS now regrets leaving Tom Boonen off the Tour squad. At least then they'd have a backup sprinter for stage wins. Just about as dumb a move as leaving Wiggins home.


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## the_rouleur (May 3, 2014)

spookyload said:


> Have any of you ever raced? And by that I mean competed in a sprint?


Yes, and yes, and won a few. I'm not sure what relevance that has here as Cavendish was clearly in the wrong, made a stupid mistake which resulted in people crashing. He's admitted as much.


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## Gnarly 928 (Nov 19, 2005)

That was a bad move by Cavendish. He should be fined for that or something. Intentional head butting to move a guy over, which he did, causing him to tangle with the other rider and take them all down. All because of Cavendish's intentional and dangerous violation of the rules. Luckily the other guys weren't badly injured but that was no simple "Racing incident" that was a little self important bully trying a really nasty move..What a frikken Dink! Grow up, Marky...sometimes you can't get your own way...


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## Rich Gibson (Jul 26, 2013)

Oxtox said:


> Cavendish bullied his way into trouble.
> 
> no tears for him.


Don't remember the specific race but earlier this year Cav headbutted another rider in the sprint and brought the victim to the ground.

Rich


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## BikeLayne (Apr 4, 2014)

With Cav out or injured enough to keep him from giving his best it takes a bite out of the excitement. I wish he would have just lost and lived to fight again tomorrow. However I am happy that Cav has taken responsibility for the crash.


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

BikeLayne said:


> With Cav out or injured enough to keep him from giving his best it takes a bite out of the excitement. I wish he would have just lost and lived to fight again tomorrow. However I am happy that Cav has taken responsibility for the crash.


He should be suspended from racing all together. Crap like that can't be tolerated. The cost to the individuals and the teams who've invested in them is too great to allow a hot head to burn it down with ameteurish tantrum-tactics like this. This isn't NASCAR.


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## Fireform (Dec 15, 2005)

The team and sponsors can't be happy with him, considering the whole enterprise was built around him.


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## Buzzatronic (Mar 18, 2013)

spookyload said:


> Have any of you ever raced? And by that I mean competed in a sprint? He was at max HR with tunnel vision on Sagan's wheel. Gerrans got a bit in front and was coming over to push him off. Cav wasn't giving up the wheel, and was leaning in to defend it. Watch it again without trying to instantly blame Cavendish like you guys do here. Cav is the most hated rider since Lance on this forum.
> 
> The crash was nothing more than bars getting locked. Had that not happened, they would have just been yelling at each other at the finish.


You should talk to Cav, he seems to disagree with your assessment of his mistakes in this sprint.


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## BBoneCloneMN (Oct 21, 2012)

MMsRepBike said:


>


Can we talk about the ridiculous use of an antique filter on this image?


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

davidka said:


> You're misreading the action. Gerrans was not attempting to take Sagan's wheel, he was trying to keep Cav there. Instead of accepting that he was stuck, Cav barged his way out (deliberately leaving Sagan's wheel). This was in no way defensive on Cav's part and he admits it.


Yes. You got it!

The shot from the left front shows Cav being trapped by the two riders in white. :thumbsup: They were blocking Cav! Oh, the horror! And then rather than accept defeat, Cav barges hisself into another crash, embarrassing the Crown and making a mockery out of English restraint! Like a little boy. :frown2:


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## Retro Grouch (Apr 30, 2002)

BBoneCloneMN said:


> Can we talk about the ridiculous use of an antique filter on this image?


Funny you say that. At first glance, I thought the photo was the Djamolidine Abdoujaparov crash in the 1991 Tour.


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## PJay (May 28, 2004)

Coolhand said:


> De-spoilered the title a bit.


thanks. i looked for an edit option after figuring out i made this dumb move.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

Well, I guess his plan backfired on him. He's not starting today.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Cavendish's exit is bad/sad on many levels but it means he's out of tomorrow's 'sprint royale' in front of Buckingham Palace...</p>— the Inner Ring (@inrng) <a href="https://twitter.com/inrng/statuses/485708854433693696">July 6, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


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## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

Peter P. said:


> I'll bet OPQS now regrets leaving Tom Boonen off the Tour squad. At least then they'd have a backup sprinter for stage wins. Just about as dumb a move as leaving Wiggins home.


No doubt!


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

Cav did the same thing to Veelers in the 2012 TdF.
The Cav apologists need to wake up
View attachment 297608


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

aclinjury said:


> Cav did the same thing to Veelers in the 2012 TdF.
> The Cav apologists need to wake up
> View attachment 297608


most agree it's his fault but at least he owns up to it. 
how does that make people apologists?


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

aclinjury said:


> Cav did the same thing to Veelers in the 2012 TdF.
> The Cav apologists need to wake up
> View attachment 297608


Cav apologists? Is this another Lance Armstrong thing where everyone who doesn't attack Cav is an apologist and gets neg repp'd?


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## Pirx (Aug 9, 2009)

TricrossRich said:


> hard to tell if its a broken collarbone or sperated/dislocated shoulder... if its a break, he's out... if its a speration/dislocation, I suppose he could continue, depending on how badly he WANTS it.


Have you ever had an acromio-clavicular ligament separation? If it's a 3rd-degree separation, he won't ride anywhere anytime soon (well, we know already he's out of the Tour). I had one, and I just wish I had broken that damn collarbone instead. That broken collarbone, at least if it's a standard break, is easy to fix, and can be repaired to an "almost as new" state. A shoulder ACL separation, on the other hand, can be irrepairable. Much, much worse than a broken collarbone.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

I think if it was just Cav and Gerrans neither go down. It is the contact from Colquard that releases the pressure between the 2 of them and causes them to go down.
That being said it was Cav's fault. He wanted that win so badly he lost all sense and tried to force himself where there was no room.
Last it was QS's fault, what the hell was YOUR sprinter doing bunched in without a lead out. QS didn't come to the front until 5K. They should have owned the tempo from that point. The big red train would have never put Mario in such a position.


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

Does this 2012 TdF crash into Veelers look familiar to 2014 Stage 1? Yep. Except back then he didn't admit his fault nor did he apologize.

In case you don't remember the 2012 pic, that was when Cav crashed into Veelers in his failed effort to get to Kittel. Veelers was Kittel's leadout man then. Kittel ended up taking the win, of course. Notice in the pic that everyone's bike and body were pretty much in an upright position orthogonal to the road, except for the bully Cav, naturally. I think the Cav era has ended in finale of Stage 1. The bully has finally taken his own medicine. Kittel era now. Bigger, stronger, younger, faster.

(will Specialized be asking Cav to send back one of the few McLaren Venges back for FA analysis? lol)









View attachment 297612


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## dcorn (Sep 1, 2011)

Pirx said:


> Have you ever had an acromio-clavicular ligament separation? If it's a 3rd-degree separation, he won't ride anywhere anytime soon (well, we know already he's out of the Tour). I had one, and I just wish I had broken that damn collarbone instead. That broken collarbone, at least if it's a standard break, is easy to fix, and can be repaired to an "almost as new" state. A shoulder ACL separation, on the other hand, can be irrepairable. Much, much worse than a broken collarbone.


This. Two years later and my shoulder still bothers me when I move it a few different ways. 

No way in hell Cav is racing another tour stage.


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## gofast2wheeler (Oct 13, 2011)

Personally I feel the Tour will be less interesting now. Have been waiting for awhile to see Cav race against Kittel this year. Personally I think Sprinters are a special breed of cyclists. I am amazed at the fearlessness of these guys. Hopefully Cav gets better and is able to race again hopefully in next years tour. If he stuck his move he probably would have had a great chance of winning. No doubt Kittel is a very powerful rider and very big guy but I think Cav can hold his own.


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## RaptorTC (Jul 20, 2012)

aclinjury said:


> Does this 2012 TdF crash into Veelers look familiar to 2014 Stage 1? Yep. Except back then he didn't admit his fault nor did he apologize.


Because that one wasn't his fault. Watch the actual video and not just one still of him bracing for impact so they don't hook bars as he's about to get run into. Veelers drifted over the line to the right into him, just before a turn left. A sprinter shouldn't have to alter their line for a leadout guy that's fried and fading back through the pack. He didn't get relegated for it. 

That crash and this crash (which was 99% Cav's fault) are not really comparable.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

Interesting how Phil and Paul dissed Romain Feillu on his dangerous sprints but conveniently ignored Cavendish's spotty past.


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## Rich Gibson (Jul 26, 2013)

Good grief the lengths some will go to to rationalize the actions of their sports heroes. Cavendish has been on the downward slope (admittedly very slight) of his sprinting career since last year. He has head butted and angled his run in lines to cut off his opponents increasingly over the past two years. I subscribe to numerous sports networks as well as cycling.tv and have watched his sprint finishes cheering him on. It is dismaying to see him to have to rely increasingly on questionable practices to try and match the crop of new young sprinters. I suspect this injury may accelerate his end.
Rich


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

il sogno said:


> Interesting how Phil and Paul dissed Romain Feillu on his dangerous sprints but conveniently ignored Cavendish's spotty past.


It's not like other sprinters like McEwan have pulled dangerous moves over the years...


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

RaptorTC said:


> Because that one wasn't his fault. Watch the actual video and not just one still of him bracing for impact so they don't hook bars as he's about to get run into. Veelers drifted over the line to the right into him, just before a turn left. A sprinter shouldn't have to alter their line for a leadout guy that's fried and fading back through the pack. He didn't get relegated for it.
> 
> That crash and this crash (which was 99% Cav's fault) are not really comparable.


I watched the video, and I took that screen capture. Yes Veelers did drift a tad over to the right if you compare Veelers to the white strip. But that drift was not that much, and it's not atypical of what a leadout man would drift. The white strip only makes it an illusion that Veelers is drifting a lot, but he didn't drift anymore than the width of the line itself (which is not a lot, and very respectable, showing that he didn't attempt to throw a block on Cav). Don't tell me Cav's leadout men don't drift, and in some cases attempt to throw a block to the other contenders too! Cavs is a sprinter, he knows leadout guys can drift.

In the video, Cav had PLENTY of room to go straight. And in the still pic, you can see there was no rider in front of him. So instead of sprinting against Kittel mano-y-mano, he tried to jump over to suck wheel. 

Anyway, Kittel is now the new king. RIP Cav


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## Retro Grouch (Apr 30, 2002)

Time to move on?


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## JackDaniels (Oct 4, 2011)

il sogno said:


> Interesting how Phil and Paul dissed Romain Feillu on his dangerous sprints but conveniently ignored Cavendish's spotty past.


Also, according the them, Cancellara is (somehow) the one who actually caused Cavendish crash.


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

JackDaniels said:


> Also, according the them, Cancellara is (somehow) the one who actually caused Cavendish crash.


I can't stand Phil. The English commentators on Eurosport are a bit better, but still carry an obvious Brit homerism, but they're still no where near the Phil level of bias.

I watch the TdF broadcast on thru Sporza TV, based in Flemish region of Belgium.


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## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

Regardless of the right/wrong of Cav's responsibility for this crash, I will miss him in this Tour....

I'm not convinced that Greipel is back on form from his crash earlier this season and with Cav gone, he was the only one in my book that would have truly given Kittel competition in the flat sprints. 

It was a bad move on Cav's part but he is paying for it dearly. I hope to see him recover but he is hurt really, really bad. I have never separated a shoulder but for everyone I know who has, it is an injury that never gets 100% better. 

Is the Cav era over? I don't know but it wouldn't be a surprise now. Kittel has become the man to beat and Cav's move on stage one looked like an act of desperation....


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

thechriswebb said:


> ...Is the Cav era over? I don't know but it wouldn't be a surprise now. Kittel has become the man to beat and Cav's move on stage one looked like an act of desperation....


Kittel is looking lean and mean. He seems to have ridden into better shape than last year. His legs are well cut. He has no body fat. His pedaling at the finish was awesomely fluid. 

Will he blow it in the mountains? He's a big guy with really strong legs.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

aclinjury said:


> I can't stand Phil. The English commentators on Eurosport are a bit better, but still carry an obvious Brit homerism, but they're still no where near the Phil level of bias.
> 
> I watch the TdF broadcast on thru Sporza TV, based in Flemish region of Belgium.


The guy on BeIn TV who calls the races with Magnus Backstedt is pretty good. Maggie's good too.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

I am perplexed over Bobke's characterization of the Omega team lead out as the best in the race. Yes they did a good job, but they fell apart after Cancellara attacked. If OPQ's lead out was as good as Bobke had said it was, OPQ should have delivered Cavendish to 200 meters to go, with a clear shot to the finish line. 

I blame the crash in part, on the faulty lead out by Cav's team in the last 500-600 meters.


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## mtsheron (Jul 16, 2012)

I watched the stage live and for years Cavendish has done this when he has been challenged and cannot seem to pass a rider. He will drop his shoulder and try and muscle one to slow down. 

Folks he is a dirty rider! He cannot accept there are sprinters now on the scene better than he! Kittel is the new sprint king for sure. 

I cannot stand Cavendish and wish he would never return personally. He is like that soccer player that bites and has been caught over and over doing same!

Cavendish needs to get a check in reality and I believe this was it hopefully. No place for him if he cannot race clean.


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## mtsheron (Jul 16, 2012)

gofast2wheeler said:


> Personally I feel the Tour will be less interesting now. Have been waiting for awhile to see Cav race against Kittel this year. Personally I think Sprinters are a special breed of cyclists. I am amazed at the fearlessness of these guys. Hopefully Cav gets better and is able to race again hopefully in next years tour. If he stuck his move he probably would have had a great chance of winning. No doubt Kittel is a very powerful rider and very big guy but I think Cav can hold his own.


Kittel is better than Ole Dirty Cavendish! But I do agree if he had not been a dirty rider and caused a senseless wreck this tour would have been great watching Kittel slice and dice Cavendish to end the debate. But he chose his road to follow and karma bit his rump!


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## chizhang001001 (Nov 17, 2013)

i wonder if his headbutt will work on the giant Kittel


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## jspharmd (May 24, 2006)

Wow, just saw the better camera angle of the crash today. I watched in slo-mo multiple times and Cav totally tried to push Gerrans out of the way. Sad thing is that he opened it up for Kittel. I'm only a Cat 3 sprinter, and I'm totally armchair quarterbacking here, but it looked like a bit of patience would have allowed Cav a second to get free. They still hadn't caught Cancellara.

I still like Cav, even thought that was a poor decision on his part.


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