# Giro Stage 2 - 244k



## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

Well, HTC proved they can still TTT. They even sent the Italian TT champion across the line first, possibly setting up two HTC riders to wear the jersey in the first two days.

Radio Shack posted a good time, as did Liquigas. Garmin proved to be also-rans. Again. Maybe they are resting Farrar for Stage 2?

Speaking of Stage 2, looks to be about as flat as a hipsters broom stick handlebar. Trick is its the second longest stage of the race. Well, I guess it shares that honor with the second-to-last stage. So the trick will be getting a man in a large break or keeping everything close enough to get your leadout train in order. If there were a large hill I would say Cavendish is out, but that hill aint much. And I think HTC wants a second man in Rosa on teh second day. However, I'm still not sure of his fitness. I will pick Cavendish, to make me eat crow from earlier this season.

Knowing my luck, it will be Robbie Hunter.


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## AJL (Jul 9, 2009)

HTC went all out on the TTT, but it was short, so I think Cav can recover. I'm going to pick Cav, because I think he's hungry and the HTC train will still be strong.


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## wiz525 (Dec 31, 2007)

Agree. Cav.


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## moabbiker (Sep 11, 2002)

Robbie McEwen looked great today so I'm gonna pick him. He has a good shot at getting pink if he can bag a win.


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## Sojourneyman (Jun 22, 2007)

Petacchi!


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

A breakway with 13 minutes that will get caught with 1k to go (thanks to race radios), then cav for the win.


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## jd3 (Oct 8, 2004)

So far-- a solo break of almost 20 minutes. It's now being brought back and Cav will win.


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

How the eff did Garmin screw that up?

Actually, watching the replay, it looks like Fischer blew it....left Farrar on his own too soon.

Edited to add: Cavendish is STILL a whiny little doosh.


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## coop (Jun 8, 2008)

Not trying to spoil, but hey Garmin, 4 in the front with less than a K left? How'd that work out for ya?


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

coop said:


> Not trying to spoil, but hey Garmin, 4 in the front with less than a K left? How'd that work out for ya?


thank god the 6 hours wait gave cause for some gloating. 

wonder how the protest turns out.


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

Sojourneyman said:


> Yeah. Garmin should've had that. Fischer's no Dean.


When I saw Fischer's green jersey pull off at 700m to go, I was like "WTF??"


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## Sojourneyman (Jun 22, 2007)

robdamanii said:


> How the eff did Garmin screw that up?
> 
> Actually, watching the replay, it looks like Fischer blew it....left Farrar on his own too soon.


Yeah. Garmin should've had that. Fischer's no Dean.


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

spookyload said:


> They have Jonathan Vaughters managing the team. If Cav had done that to AleJet, he would have been relegated and tarred and feathered.


Is Balloon Head in the car for them at the Giro?

Wouldn't mind seeing Cavendish tarred and feathered either. Could be a perfect sideshow act after the stage.


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

robdamanii said:


> How the eff did Garmin screw that up?
> 
> Actually, watching the replay, it looks like Fischer blew it....left Farrar on his own too soon.
> 
> Edited to add: Cavendish is STILL a whiny little doosh.


They have Jonathan Vaughters managing the team. If Cav had done that to AleJet, he would have been relegated and tarred and feathered.


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## slimjw (Jul 30, 2008)

Nice one on Petacchi! Cav, as usual being a huge baby and making a fuss about not winning because Petacchi didn't hold his line perfectly in the final meters.


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

he just had the same done to him that he does to others, justice.

on the other hand I guess this is the coolest jersey in the Peloton


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

slimjw said:


> Nice one on Petacchi! Cav, as usual being a huge baby and making a fuss about not winning because Petacchi didn't hold his line perfectly in the final meters.


by not perfectly you mean crossing back and forth?


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

spookyload said:


> Hold his line perfectly? Did you actually watch the sprint? he went from the centline of the street to the left hand gutter.


and then back to the center line.


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

slimjw said:


> Nice one on Petacchi! Cav, as usual being a huge baby and making a fuss about not winning because Petacchi didn't hold his line perfectly in the final meters.


Hold his line perfectly? Did you actually watch the sprint? he went from the centline of the street to the left hand gutter. I am pretty sure I could hold a better line at that speed blindfolded. That was 12-15 feet of lateral movement. Welcome to watching Pro Cycling if you think that is a normal sprint, it is nice to get new people watching the sport.


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## agm2 (Sep 18, 2008)

I have to agree, Petacchi wasn't even close to holding his line. I hate to say it, but I'm siding with Chavendish on this one. I don't think he should be relegated but he should be slapped on the wrist and if he does it again then to the back of the timesheets he goes.


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## uno-speedo (Oct 26, 2004)

Italian race with Italian commissaires judging an Italian. What more can I say.


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## Caine (May 20, 2006)

Real b**ch move by Petacchi. 

Que the "a win is a win," crowd...


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## slimjw (Jul 30, 2008)

spookyload said:


> Hold his line perfectly? Did you actually watch the sprint? he went from the centline of the street to the left hand gutter. I am pretty sure I could hold a better line at that speed blindfolded. That was 12-15 feet of lateral movement. Welcome to watching Pro Cycling if you think that is a normal sprint, it is nice to get new people watching the sport.


I didn't say he held his line perfectly. I saw the overhead replays and have watched enough pro-cycling to know that finishes like this are a regular occurrence in every grand tour. Since this is the case I would say a certain percentage of finishes like this are indeed "normal" since they somehow happen year after year. Being such a veteran of the sport you should know this and not need to dispense with patronizing admonishments to perceived newcomers on an internet forum, but thanks for the warm welcome. 

People's opinions about finishes are generally based on which dog they have in the fight and mine is no different. Petacchi's finish wasn't great but Cavendish of all people doesn't have much room to be complaining about someone deviating from their line. He has pulled the same move or worse many times. Don't even get me started on the crashes he caused last year or the lines he shut down after weaving all over the road like a drunken sailor.


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## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

spookyload said:


> Hold his line perfectly? Did you actually watch the sprint? he went from the centline of the street to the left hand gutter. I am pretty sure I could hold a better line at that speed blindfolded. That was 12-15 feet of lateral movement. Welcome to watching Pro Cycling if you think that is a normal sprint, it is nice to get new people watching the sport.


Ah; I was wondering what Cav was pissed about.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

That move was wrong no matter who pulled it, on whom and what either's nationality was. Anyone who doesn't hold their line and impedes someone else should be relegated.


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## albert owen (Jul 7, 2008)

Cav isn't looking in the very best of form. It seems to me that an "in form" Cav wouldn't have let Petacchi get those few yards in front so that he could swing across and baulk Cav. 
Either way Cav should get on with it and enjoy his day in Pink. We wouldn't want him turning into a Garmin Girl would we?


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## 32and3cross (Feb 28, 2005)

The move was wrong but no was was Ale-Jet getting relegated for it for three reasons - A) He jumped first and was already in front of Cav when he moved over (so much so that Cav actually got on his wheel) B) at no point did Cav have to stop pedaling so the judges will see no impeding C) While Ale-Jet swings over he never closed the left side down enough that there is no way through for Cav.


I agree its not the cleanest sprint I have ever seen but its not worth a relegation. Add to that when Cav is on the front he is often all over the road (just ask Henrick).


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## zosocane (Aug 29, 2004)

albert owen said:


> Cav isn't looking in the very best of form. It seems to me that an "in form" Cav wouldn't have let Petacchi get those few yards in front so that he could swing across and baulk Cav.


THANK YOU. This is the winning answer. 

The bottom line is that Petacchi is in better shape than Cav. Petacchi out-powered Cav, and Cav clearly lacks his usual burst of blinding speed visible in July. Petacchi didn't hold the cleanest of lines, but it wasn't egregious enough to relegate him. The replay shows that Cav's only hope to beat Petacchi was to leverage off of Petacchi's draft up to the very last moment. Cav could have done a clean sprint up the left barriers but he didn't because he DIDN'T HAVE IT. Give Petacchi credit for all the training he did a couple of weeks ago with Scarponi on Mt. Etna.

And please no "Italian judges" rubbish. A few years ago Giro judges relegated Italian Paolo Bettini for an egregious display of cutting off a couple of riders in the final sprint. Bettini "won" the sprint but was stripped of the victory.


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## tinkerbeast (Jul 24, 2009)

> Cav's twitter
> 
> 
> "Phew, calmed down now. I'm always disqualified for every little move, but this is not Petacchi's fault. It's the fault of the jury or......teams who have a prejudice against me. So I'm sorry to Pettachi for taking my frustration out on him. What happened today is sprinting.......and that's why I love it. Its about tactics aswell as power. Lets bring back oldschool sprinting! Congrats to a great champion today.And amazing ride by @htchighroad today again. Absolute legends. So happy to keep the Maglia Rosa in the team. Love you guys."


Ah, it's nice to know the disembodied voice of cav's rage is still alive and kicking and contradictory as ever on these forums. Even cav seems to think its a fair sprint... geez! commence fanboy backtracking in 5.. 4.. 3.. 2..


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## Road Hazard (Feb 5, 2011)

32and3cross said:


> The move was wrong but no was was Ale-Jet getting relegated for it for three reasons - A) He jumped first and was already in front of Cav when he moved over (so much so that Cav actually got on his wheel) B) at no point did Cav have to stop pedaling so the judges will see no impeding C) While Ale-Jet swings over he never closed the left side down enough that there is no way through for Cav.
> 
> 
> I agree its not the cleanest sprint I have ever seen but its not worth a relegation. Add to that when Cav is on the front he is often all over the road (just ask Henrick).


This is the correct analysis, imho. 

Cavendish probably is the faster guy in a sprint, but that's not the sport of road racing. Positioning, lead out trains, team protection all factor in. If you want to know who the fastest guy on a bike is, do a time trial. I suppose they could set up pure sprint races like runners on a track do, each guy gets their own lane... but road racing is what it is. 

Pettachi's move was close to impeding/violation (well he did impede Cav in the literal sense) but he's veteran enough to know how far he can push it without "crossing the line" haha, figuratively anyway.


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## pianopiano (Jun 4, 2005)

*Stage 2 - Last few kilometers*

From the head on view, it looks much worse than it probably was. From the overhead view, it doesn't look too bad at all, and credit goes to Petacchi for the nice win :thumbsup: :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ByNvVshx2M


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## Ride-Fly (Mar 27, 2002)

tinkerbeast said:


> Ah, it's nice to know the disembodied voice of cav's rage is still alive and kicking and contradictory as ever on these forums. Even cav seems to think its a fair sprint... geez! commence fanboy backtracking in 5.. 4.. 3.. 2..


Thanks for providing that quote. I was neither a fan or hater of Mark until this. Now, consider me a fan. I like competitors that display good sportsmanship.


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## jhamlin38 (Oct 29, 2005)

My take. Cav is in top form. he had a serious edge in speed, although it came a fraction late. 
Pettacchi is a timeless wonder. i'm a big fan of his, and have been back to his fassa bortollo days.
Cav's right to *****. He didn't hold his line even after they touched. No way the italians were gonna yank it from allejet.
Cav should win several this Giro and he'll undoubtedly be the man at the Tour. 
Farrar will have to wait to get his gt wins in espana. although i hate to say it.


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

agm2 said:


> I have to agree, Petacchi wasn't even close to holding his line. I hate to say it, but I'm siding with Chavendish on this one. I don't think he should be relegated but he should be slapped on the wrist and if he does it again then to the back of the timesheets he goes.


Ditto.
Petacchi was all over the road, forcing Cav to go from left side, to slow down, then go on the right side, back to the left side. Was it intentional? Probably. Would Cav win if not for these shenanagans? Very likely considering how fast he closed.

But this is Italy and denying Petacchi a win would raise all kinds of hell.

It is interesting how so many people complain about not holding a line by a foot or two when it is Cav or Renshaw sprinting, but can ignore 6 foot line crossover by Farrar (resulting in a crash) or 15 foot line crossover all over the road by Petacchi.

On the record, how many of you think there was nothing wrong with Petachhi's line?


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

32and3cross said:


> The move was wrong but no was was Ale-Jet getting relegated for it for three reasons - A) He jumped first and was already in front of Cav when he moved over (so much so that Cav actually got on his wheel) B) at no point did Cav have to stop pedaling so the judges will see no impeding C) While Ale-Jet swings over he never closed the left side down enough that there is no way through for Cav.
> 
> 
> I agree its not the cleanest sprint I have ever seen but its not worth a relegation. Add to that when Cav is on the front he is often all over the road (just ask Henrick).


A) Blocking or not holding your line only works when you are ahead. You can't block someone if you are behind them.

B) Cav had to slow down when getting pinched (twice) to switch from left side to right side to left side.

Ask yourself this: if Cav sprinted precisely the way Petacchi did today, would you still be saying it was a kosher sprint? 

This forum would be full of posters accusing Cav of intentional blocking and how he cannot ride a bike in straight line. The very same people who are defending Ale-Jet.


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## moabbiker (Sep 11, 2002)

What happened to Garmin ? They were in total control till the end. Clowns again?


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## hawker12 (Oct 19, 2003)

Salsa_Lover said:


> he just had the same done to him that he does to others, justice.
> 
> on the other hand I guess this is the coolest jersey in the Peloton



Indeed, nice looking jersey.


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## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

*Questions regarding S. Lang.*

I turned on the race with approximately 90km left. S. Lang was out in front alone with a 6:20min lead.
_*
nOOB questions:*_

1) Being out front, was he hoping to finish alone? 

2) Was that the original plan or did something fall apart earlier and he's what left (Out in front) of a different strategy?

3) Can a rider last 80+km out front alone and win a race on the flats?


It seemed like the Peloton reeled him in only when it mattered.


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## OnTheRivet (Sep 3, 2004)

Couple of things. First, Italian race, UCI commisaires which mean multi-national so no favoritism here. Two, impeding is when a rider comes over on someone who is BESIDE them, Pettachi came over but he was a bike length ahead, that's Cav's fault for letting Ale Jet get the jump.


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## 32and3cross (Feb 28, 2005)

55x11 said:


> A) Blocking or not holding your line only works when you are ahead. You can't block someone if you are behind them.
> 
> B) Cav had to slow down when getting pinched (twice) to switch from left side to right side to left side.
> 
> ...



I never said it was completely clean try, reading what I wrote. 

Cav never got pinched because he never got even with Ale-Jet.

And yeah if if Cav had ridden like that I would have said the same thing not clean not worth a relegation. 

BTW Cav is famous for not riding in a straight line its part sprinting, I don't dislike him for that I just find his mouth annoying, but he is entertaining, he certianly was today with the fit he pitched made the stage worth watching.


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## tinkerbeast (Jul 24, 2009)

jhamlin38 said:


> My take. Cav is in top form. he had a serious edge in speed, although it came a fraction late.
> Pettacchi is a timeless wonder. i'm a big fan of his, and have been back to his fassa bortollo days.
> Cav's right to *****. He didn't hold his line even after they touched. No way the italians were gonna yank it from allejet.
> Cav should win several this Giro and he'll undoubtedly be the man at the Tour.
> Farrar will have to wait to get his gt wins in espana. although i hate to say it.


wow! people are quite bigoted over here.
a. they didn't touch... when petacchi swung across he was well ahead of cav
b. cav is not pissed... he later conceded it was a fair sprint on twitter
c. despite what xenophobes like david harmon (the eurosport guy) say, it has nothing to do with being italian! the giro has DQ'd plenty of italians before

please get your facts straight. putting 'my take' before something doesn't make it excusable.


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

tinkerbeast said:


> wow! people are quite bigoted over here.
> a. they didn't touch... when petacchi swung across he was well ahead of cav
> b. cav is not pissed... he later conceded it was a fair sprint on twitter
> c. despite what xenophobes like david harmon (the eurosport guy) say, it has nothing to do with being italian! the giro has DQ'd plenty of italians before
> ...


there is nothing bigotistic or xenophobic to imply that there is a homefield advantage in cycling, as in any sport. The decision to take the win away from Petacchi would have been hugely unpopular - if you seriously think race commissairs don't take this kind of things into account at all, you are a bit naive.

Is it also wrong to suggest that Pinotti was "allowed" to cross the TTT finish line first because the team wanted to see an italian in pink?


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## moabbiker (Sep 11, 2002)

cda 455 said:


> I turned on the race with approximately 90km left. S. Lang was out in front alone with a 6:20min lead.
> _*
> nOOB questions:*_
> 
> ...


A solo breakaway has a slim chance of winning, but it does depend on weather and tactics. Point you'll hear a lot is that these nonsprinters have 0% chance of winning a flat stage bunch sprint so they go solo to get some tv time, else they are anonymous in a large group. Hence even a 1% chance of winning is better than 0%


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## asgelle (Apr 21, 2003)

moabbiker said:


> A solo breakaway has a slim chance of winning, but it does depend on weather and tactics. Point you'll hear a lot is that these nonsprinters have 0% chance of winning a flat stage bunch sprint so they go solo to get some tv time, else they are anonymous in a large group. Hence even a 1% chance of winning is better than 0%


jerseys, podium


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## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

moabbiker said:


> A solo breakaway has a slim chance of winning, but it does depend on weather and tactics. Point you'll hear a lot is that these nonsprinters have 0% chance of winning a flat stage bunch sprint so they go solo to get some tv time, else they are anonymous in a large group. Hence even a 1% chance of winning is better than 0%


Oh; O.K..


Even the breakaway that started right when S. Lang was reeled in didn't last long and it had several riders in it.


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## rufus (Feb 3, 2004)

cda 455 said:


> I turned on the race with approximately 90km left. S. Lang was out in front alone with a 6:20min lead.
> _*
> nOOB questions:*_
> 
> ...


1. He went 3k into the stage, and probably expected others to try to break with him. Usually there's tons of early attacks, many neutralized until one finally succeeds in getting away. Seems no one wanted to go with this one, so he kept on all by himself. 

2. Pretty much answered.

3. it happens, but less frequently in this day of race radios.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*I think Cav is*



tinkerbeast said:


> Ah, it's nice to know the disembodied voice of cav's rage is still alive and kicking and contradictory as ever on these forums. Even cav seems to think its a fair sprint... geez! commence fanboy backtracking in 5.. 4.. 3.. 2..


okay with what happened today but commenting that had he done it he'd have been relegated

I tend to agree
he had his green jersey chances destroyed for equal to less of that


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

rufus said:


> 1. He went 3k into the stage, and probably expected others to try to break with him. Usually there's tons of early attacks, many neutralized until one finally succeeds in getting away. Seems no one wanted to go with this one, so he kept on all by himself.
> 
> 2. Pretty much answered.
> 
> 3. it happens, but less frequently in this day of race radios.


I have to comment on #3. If the race radios are abandoned, the time checks can still be obtained on regular basis - from spectators, from team cars and from race officials. If anything, it just means the breakaways will be caught earlier or not let go at all, due to greater margin of error.


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

OnTheRivet said:


> Couple of things. First, Italian race, UCI commisaires which mean multi-national so no favoritism here. Two, impeding is when a rider comes over on someone who is BESIDE them, Pettachi came over but he was a bike length ahead, that's Cav's fault for letting Ale Jet get the jump.


Cav was right behind Ale Jet, forcing him to visibly change directions (left of Petacchi, then right of Petacchi, then left again). If this was not impeding, I am not really sure what is. Please go to http://www.universalsports.com and watch the finish of the race from the overhead shot.

For the record: I think some degree of rocking left and right and some body contact is justifiable in these superfast sprints. The question is degree - Ale Jet moved about 12 feet left and then another 10 feet to the right. Is it too much? I don't know, you tell me.

But what bothers me more is hypocrisy. 

So many people cried foul when Cav crashed with Haussler in Tour de Suisse last year (Wettingen stage) - where Haussler moved a foot to the left and Cav moved a foot, maybe two feet to the right. Both were not holding their lines, but just barely - compared to Petacchi. So many people cried foul when Renshaw deviates ever so little from the line. But when you have Farrar causing a crash by moving 6 feet over in a matter of a second because he wants Hutarovich's wheel earlier this year in Belgium, or when Petacchi crosses more than the entire traffic lane width - twice! - in a matter of a few seconds - people say that Cav is just whining and everything is Ok.

You just can't have it both ways. If you think Petacchi did nothing wrong today, then you must also think that almost nobody should ever been relegated for not holding their line while sprinting. And tomorrow when someone else sprints bobbing left and right all over the road, you have lost your right to complain, stay consistent and stick to your previous opinions.

If, on the other hand, you were one of those people who though Suisse crash from last year was grounds for relegation, then you can't seriously argue that Petacchi's sprint was OK.


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

okay. here i go.
i dont think cav is in top form yet, as he shouldnt be. his form seems to be much improved from that last race i saw him in. that said, i think he could have beat petacchi. but petacchi went much earlier that HTC had predicted. look at renshaw; he looks back and is all, "whaaaaaa?" cavendish goes left a little later than if he had been looking for a jump, and gets squeezed to the left. and then all ziggy zag happens. 

cav still doesnt think it was a fair sprint. he says he is sorry he took his anger toward the judges out on petacchi. doesnt that mean he thinks the italian should have been relegated for an improper sprint?


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## Chainstay (Mar 13, 2004)

I think the Renshaw lead-out was lacking in pop. It gave Ali Jet the opportunity to get a decent jump on Cav with 150m to go. 

Once in the lead Petacchi's line changes caused Cav to break rhythm and they cost him the win. I don't blame him for being pissed - second sucks after all. 

In most sprints the leader always fades to one side to close off the pass. The race judges are OK as long as he doesn't take someone out on the barriers. Cav was pissed because Petacchi came across from a long way to close off his clear path on the left. When Cav went back right Petacchi went right forcing Cav back left. Most of this was still a long way from the line and eventually Cav got clear road so it would have been a gutsy call to toss out Petacchi at the Giro.


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## AJL (Jul 9, 2009)

Eh, it's over. The race officials have made their call. The rest is spilt milk. Nice of Cav to take a sportsman like view of it.


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## DZfan14 (Jul 6, 2009)

spookyload said:


> They have Jonathan Vaughters managing the team. If Cav had done that to AleJet, he would have been relegated and tarred and feathered.


Cav just reestablished himself as the biggest douche in the peloton. He was utterly ridiculous yesterday.


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

*Cav's the guy you like to see get beat.*



AJL said:


> Eh, it's over. The race officials have made their call. The rest is spilt milk. Nice of Cav to take a sportsman like view of it.


His coach probably told him to be "sportsmanlike" in his twitter. He sure wasn't "sportsmanlike" at the finish! I mean, he was chattering at Petacchi like an old woman, gimmie a break! And then on the podium being anointed with the pink jersey, he's looking like a little kid who's just had his candy taken away.

I'm glad to see a veteran like Petacchi putting this snot nosed kid in his place. Petacchi jumped first, for one thing, and Cav tried to hang onto his wheel and then come around, but Petacchi blocked him masterfully, IMO, probably intentionally. Also, Cav really wasn't able to increase speed across the line. Petacchi stayed in front. They hit it at about the same speed.

Cav's personality is a bit like Greg LeMond's. He thinks his superior talent entitles him to be first, and when he doesn't get the prize, pouts like a spoiled child. :frown2:


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## johnny dollar (Jul 21, 2010)

Cavendish is like a banana. 

Slippy, but you don't mind when someone steps on 'em.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

55x11 said:


> Cav was right behind Ale Jet, forcing him to visibly change directions (left of Petacchi, then right of Petacchi, then left again). If this was not impeding, I am not really sure what is. Please go to http://www.universalsports.com and watch the finish of the race from the overhead shot.
> 
> For the record: I think some degree of rocking left and right and some body contact is justifiable in these superfast sprints. The question is degree - Ale Jet moved about 12 feet left and then another 10 feet to the right. Is it too much? I don't know, you tell me.
> 
> ...


^^^^ - What he said is the right answer.


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## RkFast (Dec 11, 2004)

Breaking your line to block someone out is a hell of a lot different than doing so to put them into a barricade. Ale Jet did nothing wrong.

Its a race, not a club ride.


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## Kneedragon (Jul 27, 2010)

55x11 said:


> Cav was right behind Ale Jet, forcing him to visibly change directions (left of Petacchi, then right of Petacchi, then left again). If this was not impeding, I am not really sure what is. Please go to http://www.universalsports.com and watch the finish of the race from the overhead shot.
> 
> For the record: I think some degree of rocking left and right and some body contact is justifiable in these superfast sprints. The question is degree - Ale Jet moved about 12 feet left and then another 10 feet to the right. Is it too much? I don't know, you tell me.
> 
> ...


+1. Even after Petacchi came across twice, Cav almost won anyways. I think Cav looks pretty strong.

I think HTC should have let Garmin work more throughout the stage, as they only had Renshaw left for the lead out. A better lead out (and better positioned lead out) would have eliminated this whole issue.

Also, this has masked the fact that Farrar was basically nowhere to be seen.


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## DZfan14 (Jul 6, 2009)

RkFast said:


> Breaking your line to block someone out is a hell of a lot different than doing so to put them into a barricade. Ale Jet did nothing wrong.
> 
> Its a race, not a club ride.


Yeah really. Maybe they should paint lines to keep the riders in their lanes to keep Cav and his fanboys happy.


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## Gnarly 928 (Nov 19, 2005)

I was amazed there was even a controversy. Other than the rude gestures and complaining later from Cavendish, it looked like a pretty normal sprint to me. P. didn't 'close the door' . I think Cavendish was just surprised that he couldn't beat Petachi so he did his 'WTF gesture' without thinking, out of frustration, in the heat of the loss...and then he had to 'back it up' after the race by complaining. There was a good clear 5' on his side of the street.

Saying "Oh, He's a Sprinter...sprinters are like that" that is bs. He seems a pretty spoiled fellow.. He outta be ashamed of himself for being such a baby when he loses.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

Gnarly 928 said:


> There was a good clear 5' on his side of the street.


petacchi starts on the right, cavendish goes left. Petacchi moves left and cavendish is between him and the barrier. If you consider that gap 5', I'd like to pass you in a ford 350 at 3' spacing and see which gestures I'll get.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*agreed*



Kneedragon said:


> +1. Even after Petacchi came across twice, Cav almost won anyways. I think Cav looks pretty strong.
> 
> I think HTC should have let Garmin work more throughout the stage, as they only had Renshaw left for the lead out. A better lead out (and better positioned lead out) would have eliminated this whole issue.
> 
> Also, this has masked the fact that Farrar was basically nowhere to be seen.


which was Cavs point, had he been the guy in front he'd have gotten relegated


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*and had Cav been doing that to say*



den bakker said:


> petacchi starts on the right, cavendish goes left. Petacchi moves left and cavendish is between him and the barrier. If you consider that gap 5', I'd like to pass you in a ford 350 at 3' spacing and see which gestures I'll get.



Petacchi or Thor or whomever he'd have gotten the relegation


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

atpjunkie said:


> Petacchi or Thor or whomever he'd have gotten the relegation


Agreed. Had Cav done this and not been relegated, many here would be pissed. Had Cav done this and been relegated and many here would celebrate the loss by "Cavendouche". 

I think Petacchi had an irregular sprint and looked to be swerving almost along the lines of Abdoujaparov. He should consider himself lucky not to be relegated, perhaps because he's on Italian soil. 

I think most would agree that Cav would have been relegated for a lot less.


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