# Contador crash discussion thread



## MMsRepBike

So Contador went down hard. He was off of his bike for a good 4 minutes getting a new shoe and getting his wounds cared for. He was pretty slow getting going again, looks like a pretty bad crash.

Reports from the road are he went down because of a frame failure. Yikes. That sort of thing doesn't happen very often, sounds horrible. I hope he can recover, good thing he has a rest day tomorrow.

Tour de Crash is going strong.

Edit: And he's abandoned the tour.

Now to find out exactly what happened to him.

Damn.


Frame failure brings [GC contender] down - Page 7
above is a link to my post where I sum up what I believe to be the truth.


----------



## Retro Grouch

This is a strange Tour indeed. 

I can't recall a time when two main contenders for the yellow jersey have abandon due to injuries so early in the race.

Tomorrow's rest day will be well deserved indeed.


----------



## nismosr

*[a GC contender] Abandoned !*

Nibali ?


----------



## Retro Grouch

So much for a *spoiler alert*


----------



## BikeLayne

nismosr said:


> Nibali ?


 Totally not cool. I was looking forward to watching the race today. I guess I will have to stay out of RBF until after the TDF.


----------



## SauronHimself

At least he wasn't booted for eating a tainted piece of Carne Astana...err...asada.


----------



## dnice

SauronHimself said:


> At least he wasn't booted for eating a tainted piece of Carne Astana...err...asada.


well done! *repped*


----------



## ghettocop

Thanks. I should just avoid this forum all together during the tour.


----------



## cleansweep13

MMsRepBike said:


> So Contador went down hard. He was off of his bike for a good 4 minutes getting a new shoe and getting his wounds cared for. He was pretty slow getting going again, looks like a pretty bad crash.
> 
> Reports from the road are he went down because of a frame failure. Yikes. That sort of thing doesn't happen very often, sounds horrible. I hope he can recover, good thing he has a rest day tomorrow.
> 
> Tour de Crash is going strong.
> 
> Edit: And he's abandoned the tour.
> 
> Now to find out exactly what happened to him.
> 
> Damn.



I'm really concerned if I own a specialized frame. These frames are suppose to be frames that are sold to regular riders. If this frame broke under a 140 lb rider, how about all the riders over 200 lbs. THAT IS REALLY SCARRY!


----------



## jlandry

cleansweep13 said:


> I'm really concerned if I own a specialized frame. These frames are suppose to be frames that are sold to regular riders. If this frame broke under a 140 lb rider, how about all the riders over 200 lbs. THAT IS REALLY SCARRY!


You're right, a fall like that will leave SCARS.


----------



## mikerp

Retro Grouch said:


> So much for a *spoiler alert*


No kidding, looks as if I'll have to avoid this forum now as well until I watch the stage.


----------



## Local Hero

By telling me what happened you ruined everything! 

EVERYTHING!


----------



## mikerp

Rules for spoilers
"Please do not put them in the title until the event is shown on TV. This includes the winner/losers name a something like "Cadel Evans OMG!! (spoilers)" that's still a spoiler.
Just use the event title and call it a discussion thread-- so "Giro stage 6 discussion thread"."

Frame failure brings Contador Down is as much of a spoiler as anything given he was looking to make his move at this point.


----------



## Local Hero

cleansweep13 said:


> I'm really concerned if I own a specialized frame. These frames are suppose to be frames that are sold to regular riders. If this frame broke under a 140 lb rider, how about all the riders over 200 lbs. THAT IS REALLY SCARRY!


Agreed, I am also a plump 200+lbs and I hate Specialized too so this is a perfect opportunity to pretend that all of their bikes are rubbish!


----------



## Coolhand

title despoiled. Alas, now I am spoilered from the reported post. OP please don't put spoilers in the title.


----------



## 9W9W

please send all your faulty s-works tarmacs to....

123 eat a frank road
turdistan, nj 71414


----------



## PJay

cleansweep13 said:


> I'm really concerned if I own a specialized frame. These frames are suppose to be frames that are sold to regular riders. If this frame broke under a 140 lb rider, how about all the riders over 200 lbs. THAT IS REALLY SCARRY!


We don't have the story yet. I thought abt frame quality. But the early word is that AC slid a long distance on a downhill. He certainly had to be moving at 30 mph and likely more.

When the camera caught up with him, they were swapping out his left shoe - so, apparently his slide-crash was so bad, it jacked up his shoe somehow.

Frames are not necessarily designed to sustain a 30mph-plus fall at whatever angle.

If Specialized frames snapped under the stress of competitive riding, or the typical fall, we would have seen it all over the place.

i am no ruby-throated spokesperson - just my thoughts upon hearing the frame broke.


----------



## MMsRepBike

Coolhand said:


> title despoiled. Alas, now I am spoilered from the reported post. OP please don't put spoilers in the title.


Thanks. Won't happen again.


----------



## bradkay

A report from Astana was that Contador said that he hit something in the road - a rock or pothole - and went down. Apparently the frame broke after they dropped it trying to put it on the roof rack. A combination of damages that contributed to the failure?


----------



## MMsRepBike

Latest I've heard on the stream:

Now they're saying he hit a pothole. Hitting the pothole caused a frame failure and a crash at high speed. Or maybe the crash itself caused the frame failure. There were skid marks for around 200 feet. He tried to remount his bike but it was broken. He waited for a new bike, got his knee attended to and while mounting the new bike noticed a missing or damaged cleat. He then got on a new shoe, mounted the new bike and road off. Soon after, about 10km down the road, he abandoned without further incident. Reports are that he probably has a broken knee cap. He is getting x-rays and scans and whatnot.



> Major news just in:
> Alberto Contador has been left with a fractured tibia after his fall in the Tour de France on stage 10. The Spanish climber crashed mid-way through the stage and despite continuing was forced to abandon.
> 
> 
> 
> He was taken to the finish where he was given x-rays by the Tour’s medical staff. Team boss Bjarne Riis confirmed to the press that Contador had suffered a fracture to his right tibia and that he would undergo an operation.


----------



## Ventruck

dang, not to sound like a huge fanboy but that takes a hit on my interest to follow the Tour. I didn't even like Froome but he surely would've tried to make things interesting as well. Was hoping for a 2009-esque performance by AC to recover time since his condition was so hyped going into this. 

But at the same time, whoever wins this year is a certified survivor of sorts. Hopefully Valverde puts in a fight.


----------



## 9W9W

Ventruck said:


> dang, not to sound like a huge fanboy but that takes a hit on my interest to follow the Tour. I didn't even like Froome but he surely would've tried to make things interesting as well. Was hoping for a 2009-esque performance by AC to recover time since his condition was so hyped going into this.
> 
> But at the same time, whoever wins this year is a certified survivor of sorts. Hopefully Valverde puts in a fight.


I don't understand this line of reasoning. I feel like a lot of riders are going to bed tonight after chatting with team personnel thinking about giving it that much more to try to give it a go.


----------



## aclinjury

bradkay said:


> A report from Astana was that Contador said that he hit something in the road - a rock or pothole - and went down. Apparently the frame broke after they dropped it trying to put it on the roof rack. A combination of damages that contributed to the failure?


Did the frame break or crack first, causing Contador to fall, and causing further damage on the frame? Or did Contador fall first, causing the frame to break? We will probably never know the truth.

under such gray area of the sequence of cause and effect, standard protocol is that that both team and equipment sponsor will deny all wrongdoings on the part of equipment. I suspect it was the crash that caused the frame to break, and dropping the bike only made the breakage bigger. A road carbon frame is stiff but IMO pretty brittle due to the need to keep it light.


----------



## burgrat

Local Hero said:


> By telling me what happened you ruined everything!
> 
> EVERYTHING!


LANCE ARMSTRONG!!! There you go


----------



## aclinjury

Ventruck said:


> dang, not to sound like a huge fanboy but that takes a hit on my interest to follow the Tour. I didn't even like Froome but he surely would've tried to make things interesting as well. Was hoping for a 2009-esque performance by AC to recover time since his condition was so hyped going into this.
> 
> But at the same time, whoever wins this year is a certified survivor of sorts. Hopefully Valverde puts in a fight.


The good thing is the upcoming Vuelta is scheduled to have Froome, Contador, and Quintana. If Froome and Contadore recover by then, then it will be a total deathmatch to watch. Having said that, depending on the extent of their injuries, asking these skinny fragile guys to recover in 4 weeks can be a tall order.


----------



## CliffordK

They do report it in the news that the frame cracked causing the crash.
Alberto Contador's bike frame splits, crashes hard | NBC Sports

However, they say that they have no video of the crash. Perhaps there will be post-race interviews to confirm what happened. 

Obviously the crash could have also caused the frame to break.

The crash was on the uphill, I think, so speeds would be a little slower, but frame stresses would also have been fairly great.

No need to get too excited until more details come out.


----------



## RkFast

cleansweep13 said:


> I'm really concerned if I own a specialized frame. These frames are suppose to be frames that are sold to regular riders. If this frame broke under a 140 lb rider, how about all the riders over 200 lbs. THAT IS REALLY SCARRY!


I went into my LBS an hour ago and told them Id like them to inspect my Tarmac because of what just happened in the Tour and I was nervous.

Ill be out of ICU after the wounds from the beating the LBS mechanics gave me in about a week. No spoilers until then!!


----------



## Local Hero

CliffordK said:


> They do report it in the news that the frame cracked causing the crash.
> Alberto Contador's bike frame splits, crashes hard | NBC Sports
> 
> However, they say that they have no video of the crash. Perhaps there will be post-race interviews to confirm what happened.
> 
> Obviously the crash could have also caused the frame to break.
> 
> The crash was on the uphill, I think, so speeds would be a little slower, but frame stresses would also have been fairly great.
> 
> No need to get too excited until more details come out.


I suspect there will either be a glossing over of the details or a detailed explanation of some other circumstance, eg he went off course and hit a rock or the bike was damaged on the roof of the vehicle. 

There's no way we'll hear, "He was just riding along and the tarmac just broke. Whoops."


----------



## upstateSC-rider

Local Hero said:


> I suspect there will either be a glossing over of the details or a detailed explanation of some other circumstance, eg he went off course and hit a rock or the bike was damaged on the roof of the vehicle.
> 
> There's no way we'll hear, "He was just riding along and the tarmac just broke. Whoops."


Agreed.


----------



## den bakker

CliffordK said:


> They do report it in the news that the frame cracked causing the crash.
> Alberto Contador's bike frame splits, crashes hard | NBC Sports
> 
> However, they say that they have no video of the crash. Perhaps there will be post-race interviews to confirm what happened.
> 
> Obviously the crash could have also caused the frame to break.
> 
> The crash was on the uphill, I think, so speeds would be a little slower, but frame stresses would also have been fairly great.
> 
> No need to get too excited until more details come out.


and at the same time you have riders saying Contador came flying past them on a wet, sh!tty descent just before the crash.


----------



## hatebreed

The PR guys at Specialized are probably frantic.....


----------



## Fredrico

Bummer. This would be more interesting if we knew* where* the frame broke.  Then we could put our heads together and figure out what happened. :yesnod:


----------



## looigi

Here's a pic of the frame: http://forums.roadbikereview.com/bikes-frames-forks/should-i-ride-327455.html

Current story is he hit some rough pavement, lost control, perhaps while eating and holding on with one hand, crashed, broke his bike frame and broke his tibia. Sux.


----------



## mpre53

aclinjury said:


> The good thing is the upcoming Vuelta is scheduled to have Froome, Contador, and Quintana. If Froome and Contadore recover by then, then it will be a total deathmatch to watch. Having said that, depending on the extent of their injuries, asking these skinny fragile guys to recover in 4 weeks can be a tall order.


Most recent reports are that Contador will have surgery. No Vuelta if that's the case.


----------



## Fredrico

looigi said:


> Here's a pic of the frame: http://forums.roadbikereview.com/bikes-frames-forks/should-i-ride-327455.html
> 
> Current story is he hit some rough pavement, lost control, perhaps while eating and holding on with one hand, crashed, broke his bike frame and broke his tibia. Sux.


Thanks!

Down tube split at the water bottle boss. The engineers should have known that would be a weak spot, IMHO. :frown2:


----------



## slypx

Wonder if Contador will have to argue with his Specialized rep to get it fix under warranty !


----------



## Ventruck

9W9W said:


> I don't understand this line of reasoning. I feel like a lot of riders are going to bed tonight after chatting with team personnel thinking about giving it that much more to try to give it a go.


I see what you're saying. I hope riders/teams do see this as an opportunity and get more aggressive.


----------



## Winn

Contador fractured tibia in Tour de France crash | Cyclingnews.com From the horse's mouth "He was going fast on the downhill at about 60 or 70km/h. It was a bumpy road and he lost control of he bike. Maybe he was eating."

It is a bummer. He must have hit something pretty hard to crack the frame and his leg.


----------



## Local Hero

I'd like to point out that this article is completely bogus: 

Alberto Contador Crashes Out Of Tour De France - Business Insider

It shows a picture of Contador near roach's mclaren (bike #37) and claims the picture of the snapped bike is Roach's bike which was run over, but the snapped bike has Contados' #31 on it.


----------



## den bakker

Local Hero said:


> I'd like to point out that this article is completely bogus:
> 
> Alberto Contador Crashes Out Of Tour De France - Business Insider
> 
> It shows a picture of Contador near roach's mclaren (bike #37) and claims the picture of the snapped bike is Roach's bike which was run over, but the snapped bike has Contados' #31 on it.


not very nice calling the irish rider vermin you know.


----------



## den bakker

Fredrico said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Down tube split at the water bottle boss. The engineers should have known that would be a weak spot, IMHO. :frown2:


and how did you reach conclusion they did not? what did the frame hit, how, and when. Do tell.


----------



## Cyclo-phile

It has been suggested elsewhere that an earlier crash prompted Roche and Contador to trade bikes.


----------



## duriel

That bike (Contrador's) did not break like that falling off the car! 
Then the drive over story, that bike did not break like that because a car drove over it!
What is next?
MAJOR FAIL!


----------



## den bakker

duriel said:


> That bike (Contrador's) did not break like that falling off the car. Then the drive over story, what is next?
> MAJOR FAIL!


probably the story from the team instead of Phil and Paul nonsense. Riding one handed in the rain downhill is a bad idea.....


----------



## SauronHimself

hatebreed said:


> The PR guys at Specialized are probably frantic.....


They'll just end up suing someone anyway.


----------



## Winn

SauronHimself said:


> They'll just end up suing someone anyway.


They started suing last week give those guys some credit.



CliffordK said:


> They do report it in the news that the frame cracked causing the crash.
> Alberto Contador's bike frame splits, crashes hard | NBC Sports


They probably started suing these guys since they pulled the report already


----------



## Cyclo-phile

Contador immediately post-crash standing beside Roche's McLaren Tarmac.










Alberto Contador Crashes Out Of Tour De France - Business Insider


----------



## adjtogo

Screw CF bikes. Buy Ti, steel, or aluminum. I've had two CF bikes, one a Bianchi Infinito, and the other a Giant Defy Advanced 1, that developed cracks. Enough is enough. I bought a 2014 Lynskey R255 and couldn't be happier!!

I know CF is the material of the day because they are lightweight and can be mass produced, increasing profit margin for every manufacturer, however, there's nothing like having a hand made, in the USA, bike.

As far as Contador goes, I was never a fan of his. I'm sorry to hear of his crash and broken kneecap or tibia, and upcoming surgery. It will be a long road to recovery for him. I broke my tibia and it took a long time to heal.


----------



## AtomicMoose

CliffordK said:


> They do report it in the news that the frame cracked causing the crash.
> Alberto Contador's bike frame splits, crashes hard | NBC Sports
> 
> However, they say that they have no video of the crash. Perhaps there will be post-race interviews to confirm what happened.
> 
> Obviously the crash could have also caused the frame to break.
> 
> The crash was on the uphill, I think, so speeds would be a little slower, but frame stresses would also have been fairly great.
> 
> No need to get too excited until more details come out.


oddly, the NBC article has been pulled.


----------



## r1lee

hatebreed said:


> The PR guys at Specialized are probably frantic.....


they will get their legal department involved, "defamation".


----------



## bradkay

CliffordK said:


> They do report it in the news that the frame cracked causing the crash.
> Alberto Contador's bike frame splits, crashes hard | NBC Sports
> 
> However, they say that they have no video of the crash. Perhaps there will be post-race interviews to confirm what happened.
> 
> Obviously the crash could have also caused the frame to break.
> 
> *The crash was on the uphill, I think, so speeds would be a little slower*, but frame stresses would also have been fairly great.
> 
> No need to get too excited until more details come out.


This is absolutely not the case. He was still on the descent of the Petit Ballon when it occurred. After he got back on a bike we watched him turn onto the beginning of the next climb.


----------



## r1lee

looking at that picture, it broke exactly on the spot where the water bottle cage bolt is.


----------



## MMsRepBike

Velonews said:


> Confusion surrounded the crash; reports of a smashed bike, visions of exploded carbon, swirled around the press room and out through hundreds of thousands of television sets.
> 
> Initial reports on the Tour’s race radio, in French, and by NBC Sports’ Steve Porino, that Contador’s bike was “in pieces,” appear to be correct. “His frame snapped in half. They threw it in a heap in the back of the car,” Porino said, noting that he had arrived shortly after the crash.
> 
> 
> Contador’s bike broke in the lower third of his down tube and on the top tube just in front of his seat tube. Both tubes were broken clean through, with just a few fibers holding the two pieces of the frame together.
> 
> 
> How those failures occurred, though, is not entirely clear.
> 
> 
> Specialized, Tinkoff-Saxo’s bike sponsor, initially denied reports that Contador’s bike had broken at all, either resulting in or as a result of the crash, or via some other externality. The company first stated that a bike had fallen off the roof of a car. That story was then amended — it still involved a car, but instead stated that Nicolas Roche’s bike had been run over earlier in the stage. This broken bike was the start of the rumors, it said.
> 
> 
> “We have spoken to Alberto’s brother as well as his personal mechanic (Faustino Muñoz) and the mechanic who was at the scene (Rune Kristensen), and contrary to some early, unconfirmed reports, frame failure was not involved in Alberto’s incident today. Nicolas Roche was involved in a separate incident today and while his bike was laying on the road it was run over by a car causing it to break, potentially giving rise to the initial inaccurate reporting,” the original statement read.
> 
> 
> But the photos do not lie. Contador is #31, and his race number is on the broken frame. The Roche incident relayed in this statement may be entirely factual, but it is clear that Contador’s bike broke as well.
> 
> 
> Specialized later corrected itself again, stating that Contador’s bike that had been run over. A source within the team who was present at the scene of the crash explained that Contador’s mechanic, Faustino Munoz, grabbed his backup bike off the roof, then, seeing the condition of Contador, rushed to his aid, leaving the bike against the team car. The team car drove off and crushed the bike. Photos were taken, and the broken bike story took off.
> 
> 
> The alternative potential explanation, of course, is that Contador’s bike broke on impact with a large pothole.
> 
> 
> Contador crashed when he hit a hole in the road, according to representatives from his Tinkoff-Saxo team and riders who were nearby.
> 
> 
> Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde said he saw Contador’s bars slip, which caused him to crash. “I saw him [Contador] crash right in front of me. His handlebars slipped when he hit a pothole,” Valverde told Spanish radio. “I realized at the feed zone that he abandoned.”
> 
> 
> A direct impact with a large pothole could cause a compression fracture in his frame at the aforementioned points, though it is unlikely. His fork or head tube would likely fail first. These frames are not designed to hit solid objects (and the back side of a pothole is a solid object) at 40 miles per hour; most top-level, lightweight frames would likely fracture under such stress.
> 
> 
> The likelihood of Contador’s frame breaking before the crash, causing his crash, is close to zero. Munoz is one of the best mechanics in the world; Contador’s bikes are pampered, and Specialized has, historically, designed reliable carbon fiber frames.
> 
> 
> The timeline from the crash onwards is now clear.
> 
> 
> Contador got onto his second bike after the crash, an S-Works Tarmac with a normal Tinkoff paint job, and without a race number. A brief shot on television showed his mechanic picking up his crashed bike, still apparently in one piece. This could support Specialized’s story, or a few strands of carbon could simply have held the bike together. Without being there, it’s impossible to say.
> 
> 
> Contador did not swap bikes onto Roche’s McClaren frame, as initially speculated. Roche finished the stage on his second bike, rather than his McClaren. That would support the notion that Roche’s first bike was also run over.


I'm confused. I think most are.

So there are pictures of the McClaren bike next to him when the film crews show up, but we're to believe that he never swapped to that bike. Well, where did it come from and why was it there again? 

So I guess the "official" story is now that he crashed on his own, he got attacked by a sandwich or whatever. He went down but his bike was fine, nothing wrong with the bike at all. His mechanic then picked up this bike, set it in front of the car and ran over it, breaking it in half. Still unclear where the McClaren bike came from. Contadors backup bike was given to him and he rode off on it while they threw the broken one in the hatch of the car.

Is it me or does something not line up here?


----------



## 55x11

or after you watch the stage tonight or whenever. Sorry but if this is so important to you, what were you doing here, in TdF cycling forum? (and you clicked on the title and read discussion too, obviously).


----------



## cleansweep13

I knew they would come up with a different story. They pay millions of dollars to have these guys advertise these bikes and then there number one rider brakes his bike in half. They probably ran over it three or four times on purpose.


----------



## 55x11

if it broke as a result of high-speed crash on descent, as it likely did, this is what is more or less expected for any carbon frame. Does anyone seriously think the frame just "fell apart" into two pieces by itself?


----------



## MerlinAma

There is a story on VeloNews regarding Contador's bike with promises to update as more info is discovered.

PS - to all of you whiners about "spoilers". This is 2014. If you don't want to find out results:

1. STAY OFF THE INTERNET
2. AVOID ALL YOUR CO-WORKERS
3. AVOID YOUR SPOUSE OR SIGNIFICANT OTHER

In other words, go into total isolation until you watch the broadcast. 
You really should know this!


----------



## Winn

I'm no forensic scientist but that doesn't look like a bike that was ridden for hours in the rain


----------



## wim

Specialized will spin this to their advantage: the frame was designed to break under those circumstances in order to minimize injuries to the rider.


----------



## ti-triodes

cleansweep13 said:


> I knew they would come up with a different story. They pay millions of dollars to have these guys advertise these bikes and then there number one rider brakes his bike in half. They probably ran over it three or four times on purpose.



I don't think they ran over it a few times but it does look like it did crack. Sounds like a bunch of BS as the story changes. They've got to protect their sponsors at all cost.


----------



## bluelena69

That last photo would be his primary ride, as it has its race number on. I don't think backups carry a race number


----------



## chandne

I'm interested in seeing how Specialized spins this after they get their engineers and lawyers together.


----------



## Winn

Look at the seat rails guys that bike was run over those don't get bent like that in any other scenario I can think of...


----------



## adjtogo

If that bike were run over, as it claims, there would be a lot more damage to the water bottle cages and top tube as well. Right now, they are in C.Y.A. mode. (Cover Your Arse). Contador knows what happened, but he will not be allowed to tell the absolute truth, otherwise, he will get fined and his sponsorship will be pulled. You can about bet that. In NASCAR, Tony Stewart complained publicly how Goodyear's tires were crap for wearing out, falling apart, and blowing out during a race. He was immediately fined and had points deducted from his standings. One can't speak against any primary sponsor. It happens in the NFL and any other sport talking against the referees as well. You can about bet a nice shiny penny that we'll never, ever know the truth about what happened.


----------



## CliffordK

Wow, that was quick to start pulling the speculation about causes of the broken frame. Perhaps we'll see "corrections", although by now it is probably already considered old news.

No doubt a crash hard enough to fracture the tibia could do quite a number on a frame. Good point about a lack of road spray in the broken bike photo. 

Now, after changing bikes, why was the mechanic hanging out the window fiddling with Alberto Contador's brakes? Did someone forget to flip that lever on the brakes up? Ok, so that is the difference between aero cables vs the classic routing. With the classic routing, one can have an adjuster on the handlebars. With aero routing, the adjuster is at the brakes.


----------



## wim

CliffordK said:


> Now, after changing bikes, why was the mechanic hanging out the window fiddling with Alberto Contador's brakes?


Don't discount the possibility that there was nothing wrong with that brake.


----------



## wipeout

Winn said:


> Look at the seat rails guys that bike was run over those don't get bent like that in any other scenario I can think of...


Yup, that bike was clearly run over by the team car.


----------



## Fredrico

den bakker said:


> and how did you reach conclusion they did not? what did the frame hit, how, and when. Do tell.


I knew somebody would call me on that. 

A friend broke his seat post right above a brazed on front derailleur hanger. He liked to race up hills standing, rocking the frame violently back and forth to meet his pedal strokes. He just flexed some basic 4130 CRMO one inch tubing too many times; it was brittle from a hot brazing, and that's where it broke.

I just find it curious Contador's bike broke at the usual place after front end collisions, the front of the top and down tubes, and also broke right below the water bottle cage.  Must have been a weak spot. (Or a car drove over it. )


----------



## den bakker

wim said:


> Don't discount the possibility that there was nothing wrong with that brake.


yeah, were some pretty blatant pushes. 
not that I think there's anything wrong with that


----------



## Cyclo-phile

Contador crashed twice on one descent | Cyclingnews.com

_Cyclingnews_ asked De Jongh about a broken bike, which appeared on the social media. French TV said Contador's bike snapped in two pieces in the crash but that proved to be half correct. “We knew that [the bike wasn’t part of the Contador crash] but the rumour was spreading. That broken bike never rode a kilometre and is lying somewhere in a car here. It was his spare bike, which was on top of the team car. When we overtook other cars in the ditch the car was leaning to the side and that’s when it hit another bike. We set up a new spare bike for him but that turned out to be no longer to be necessary.”


----------



## SauronHimself

wim said:


> Specialized will spin this to their advantage: the frame was designed to break under those circumstances in order to minimize injuries to the rider.


If a fractured tibia is minimizing injuries, I don't want to know what "regular" designs would cause.



chandne said:


> I'm interested in seeing how Specialized spins this after they get their engineers and lawyers together.


Swamp gas that escaped from a weather balloon got trapped in a thermal pocket and refracted the light from Venus.


----------



## 55x11

I don't get it. What's the conspiracy theory here?

Most likely scenario - Contador descending at 60mph, loses control (hits a pothole, whatever), crashes badly, breaks frame as a result of a high speed crash. What's so surprising about that?

Another, less likely scenario - Contador crashes, bike is Ok, and then the bike is run over by a car, or the new/replacement bike is run over a bike, or it falls from the roof. Whatever.

Another, even less likely scenario - Contador riding around, then all of a sudden, for no reason whatsoever, the Specialized frame explodes and breaks in two. Who here believes this?

Is it that surprising that either way this is not good news for Specialized, unfairly so? It's general public that buys bikes that they are trying to retain, not "experts" who follow cycling religiously. We all know if you drive with your bike on the roof of the car into garage, carbon frame is likely to break. If you get hit by a car full speed, it could break. If you crash at 60mph it is likely to break. Any carbon frame by any manufacturer is likely to do that. Aluminum frame will fold like an empty coke can. Titanium or steel will be bent severely, and could break as well.


----------



## Fredrico

r1lee said:


> looking at that picture, it broke exactly on the spot where the water bottle cage bolt is.


That must have been a weak spot on the down tube. :idea: Could it be further weakened by repeated jerking and jamming a water bottle on it? Should they have heavied up the tubing around the water bottle bosses?


----------



## DaveG

*Whining*



MerlinAma said:


> There is a story on VeloNews regarding Contador's bike with promises to update as more info is discovered.
> 
> PS - to all of you whiners about "spoilers". This is 2014. If you don't want to find out results:
> 
> 1. STAY OFF THE INTERNET
> 2. AVOID ALL YOUR CO-WORKERS
> 3. AVOID YOUR SPOUSE OR SIGNIFICANT OTHER
> 
> In other words, go into total isolation until you watch the broadcast.
> You really should know this!


I completely disagree. I don't think its too much too ask to avoid putting a spoiler in the title of a new thread. Its not like this is the Superbowl where it cant be avoided. I don't know where you work but my co-workers aren't all standing around the water cooler talking TdF. The average US person doesn't even know the Tdf is on


----------



## rufus

So let's see. The bike was run over. No wait, it was on top of the roof rack and tipped over into another bike. No wait.....................

This is absolutely the team trying to come up with some excuse for the broken frame other than "it broke in the crash" to save sponsor embarassment.


----------



## MMsRepBike

Cyclo-phile said:


> Contador crashed twice on one descent | Cyclingnews.com
> 
> _Cyclingnews_ asked De Jongh about a broken bike, which appeared on the social media. French TV said Contador's bike snapped in two pieces in the crash but that proved to be half correct. “We knew that [the bike wasn’t part of the Contador crash] but the rumour was spreading. That broken bike never rode a kilometre and is lying somewhere in a car here. It was his spare bike, which was on top of the team car. When we overtook other cars in the ditch the car was leaning to the side and that’s when it hit another bike. We set up a new spare bike for him but that turned out to be no longer to be necessary.”





bluelena69 said:


> That last photo would be his primary ride, as it has its race number on. I don't think backups carry a race number


I didn't think backups carried numbers on them either, just name stickers. So I guess they're saying that this backup bike was taken down, ran over and then put in the back of the car, never rode a single mile. And this is his backup bike with the number plate on it.

His original bike, also with a number plate on it of course is somewhere unknown, on a car somewhere, being cleaned now I guess? Nothing wrong with it? He crashed once with his main bike, but that bike was fine right? And it's just sitting somewhere right? He was given the McClaren bike at that point, which some deny, and he crashed again with it? Or was he given the McClaren bike after he crashed his first bike the second time?

So after crash two, he has the McClaren bike, he's riding that and his first bike is, well on a car we'll say. He rides a bit but can't ride any longer because of all of the blood and the destroyed shoe. He stops and waits for his car and the news crew catches up. The car at this point takes down his spare bike, that has a number tag, runs it over, throws it in the back. The car takes down yet another spare bike, bike number three for him not including the McClaren and he rides off on that.


Or... His first bike broke in half, and that's why he was on the McClaren. I don't know.


----------



## Tupelo

“I saw him [Contador] crash right in front of me,” Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) told Spanish radio. “His handlebars slipped when he hit a pothole. I realized at the feed zone that he abandoned.”
Read more at Nibali wins stage 10, reclaims yellow jersey - VeloNews.com

The bike laying in the grass ahead of Contador is definitely the Mclaren version. He didn't seem to be on the Tinkoff painted Tarmac shown in the photo.


----------



## aclinjury

55x11 said:


> I don't get it. What's the conspiracy theory here?
> 
> Most likely scenario - Contador descending at *60mph*, loses control (hits a pothole, whatever), crashes badly, breaks frame as a result of a high speed crash. What's so surprising about that?
> 
> Another, less likely scenario - Contador crashes, bike is Ok, and then the bike is run over by a car, or the new/replacement bike is run over a bike, or it falls from the roof. Whatever.
> 
> Another, even less likely scenario - Contador riding around, then all of a sudden, for no reason whatsoever, the Specialized frame explodes and breaks in two. Who here believes this?
> 
> Is it that surprising that either way this is not good news for Specialized, unfairly so? It's general public that buys bikes that they are trying to retain, not "experts" who follow cycling religiously. We all know if you drive with your bike on the roof of the car into garage, carbon frame is likely to break. If you get hit by a car full speed, it could break. If you crash at 60mph it is likely to break. Any carbon frame by any manufacturer is likely to do that. Aluminum frame will fold like an empty coke can. Titanium or steel will be bent severely, and could break as well.


no way he was close to doing 60 mph


----------



## Marc

rufus said:


> So let's see. The bike was run over. No wait, it was on top of the roof rack and tipped over into another bike. No wait.....................
> 
> This is absolutely the team trying to come up with some excuse for the broken frame other than "it broke in the crash" to save sponsor embarassment.


We may never know...

But one thing is for sure. The more wildly varying stories that come out from official team/sponsor sources...the less credibility they all have on the topic. Only thing I feel comfy staking anything on, the pics of cracked bike frames I've seen in no way look like a crush from a car accident.


----------



## den bakker

rufus said:


> So let's see. The bike was run over. No wait, it was on top of the roof rack and tipped over into another bike. No wait.....................
> 
> This is absolutely the team trying to come up with some excuse for the broken frame other than "it broke in the crash" to save sponsor embarassment.


The only thing I've heard from the team is that contador was riding one-handed and went down. What else have they said? 
other riders have said Contador was flying past them. 
How does any of this add up to a great conspiracy coverup? because Phil and Paul said the frame snapped? 2 minutes after declaring Tiago was out of the race?


----------



## Rich Gibson

Marc said:


> We may never know...
> 
> But one thing is for sure. The more wildly varying stories that come out from official team/sponsor sources...the less credibility they all have on the topic. ...


All the teams' management lie. Remember how Froome's first crash was no problem? He'd fractured his hand in reality. I am skeptical about any of their responses to controversy or perceived problems.

Rich


----------



## HaroldC

The correct story:



> UPDATE: However, a fourth version of events has since come to the fore, and it’s the most plausible yet. According to Specialized’s Giampaolo Mondini, one of Contador’s frames was broken while it was still on the roof. Following Contador’s crash, the team car had to rush to his aid and clipped the Belkin car as it passed, destroying the bike.
> 
> “What happened next is that the team car tried to get recover position and get up to him, passing all the other team cars in doing so. The road was really narrow and the second bike on the roof ended up touching those on the Belkin team car. It was going pretty fast and the frame broke on top of the roof due to the impact,” Mondini told CyclingTips.
> 
> “When the car arrived to Contador, Roche had left his bike to the side [for Contador to use if necessary]. The people inside didn’t initially realize that the bike on the roof had been broken as things were so stressful. Everybody was a little bit confused. Contador got a third bike and got going, but unfortunately couldn’t continue in the race.”
> 
> The broken bike had Contador’s number on it, suggesting it was his primary bike. But it was also quite clean, suggesting it had been on the roof, rather than ridden. Most teams don’t put numbers on riders’ second bikes, but Munoz has done so in the past. It is plausible that the broken bike had indeed been on the roof of the team car, rather than under Contador. CyclingTips was able to corroborate the crash story with the driver of the Belkin car. The fourth version of the story, it seems, is finally the correct one.


Read more at Details of Alberto Contador's Tour-ending crash - VeloNews.com


----------



## love4himies

aclinjury said:


> no way he was close to doing 60 mph


Nibali estimates it was 60*KM*/hr


----------



## MMsRepBike

Okay, we have a final answer from Specialized, a new, fourth story:



> UPDATE: However, a fourth version of events has since come to the fore, and it’s the most plausible yet. According to Specialized’s Giampaolo Mondini, one of Contador’s frames was broken while it was still on the roof. Following Contador’s crash, the team car had to rush to his aid and clipped the Belkin car as it passed, destroying the bike.
> 
> “What happened next is that the team car tried to get recover position and get up to him, passing all the other team cars in doing so. The road was really narrow and the second bike on the roof ended up touching those on the Belkin team car. It was going pretty fast and the frame broke on top of the roof due to the impact,” Mondini told CyclingTips.
> 
> 
> “When the car arrived to Contador, Roche had left his bike to the side [for Contador to use if necessary]. The people inside didn’t initially realize that the bike on the roof had been broken as things were so stressful. Everybody was a little bit confused. Contador got a third bike and got going, but unfortunately couldn’t continue in the race.”
> 
> 
> The broken bike had Contador’s number on it, suggesting it was his primary bike. But it was also quite clean, suggesting it had been on the roof, rather than ridden. Most teams don’t put numbers on riders’ second bikes, but Munoz has done so in the past. It is plausible that the broken bike had indeed been on the roof of the team car, rather than under Contador. CyclingTips was able to corroborate the crash story with the driver of the Belkin car. The fourth version of the story, it seems, is finally the correct one.




So his original bike that he crashed indeed just sort of vanished I guess. Apparently it's fine. He never rode the McClaren, it was just left there for him but he never used it. His backup bike did indeed have a number tag as well and was destroyed in a car accident that had nothing to do with Contador. They took the bike down after it had been broken in a car accident on the roof and it crumbled, they then tossed it in the back. So they admit to lying about running it over in their car I guess. He was indeed given a third bike, one without a number that he rode away on. Again his first bike is nowhere to be found at this point, just assuming taken care of. 

Plausible enough I guess. They should produce his first bike though, well it's too late now.


----------



## Marc

HaroldC said:


> The correct story:
> 
> 
> 
> Read more at Details of Alberto Contador's Tour-ending crash - VeloNews.com


"Correct story"??

LMAO.

Try the latest round of excuse making. Just like how long it took for Froome to come out with broken hands. Only thing for sure is that all the people with millions of $$$$$$$ involved have lied no less than 3 times.....and you grant them the benefit of "the correct story" after they all but admit into lying 3 times?


----------



## Cinelli 82220

Here's a pic of Contador on the replacement bike after his first crash.
You can see his bandaged knee.
No number and it is obviously not the McLaren bike.


----------



## den bakker

Cinelli 82220 said:


> Here's a pic of Contador on the replacement bike after his first crash.
> You can see his bandaged knee.
> There is NO number tag, contrary to the Spesh PR's claim about his spare bike having a number tag.
> And it is obviously not the McLaren bike.


no. it's the third bike. See the part of the story: "Contador got a third bike and got going, but unfortunately couldn’t continue in the race.”

anyway, who gives a sh!t. 
He was cocky on a descent and ate dirt. sucks. move on.


----------



## 95zpro

After looking at the damage to Contador's kit and body, I think that his frame cracked when he most likely slide off the road and into the ditch. That probably also accounts for Contador's broken tibia, he hit something solid when he slide off of the road. 
Too bad there is no footage of the actual crash, that would obviously clear up everything. Either way going downhill at close to 60kmh(40mph) and expecting a carbon frame to not have any damage is asking a lot!


----------



## Local Hero

LOL 

stories about the bike are bigger than the story about Contador abandoning the tour!


----------



## Dunbar

55x11 said:


> Another, even less likely scenario - Contador riding around, then all of a sudden, for no reason whatsoever, the Specialized frame explodes and breaks in two. Who here believes this?


Apparently a lot of people here believe that a carbon fiber frame can break in two if you hit a pot hole LOL. Gotta love the conspiracy theorists. Or maybe they just miss no opportunity to bash Specialized.

Has anyone ever hit a big bump with only one hand on the bars? I have and the bike veered left and I narrowly avoided going down. I was going <20mph at the time too not 60km/h.


----------



## wipeout

95zpro said:


> After looking at the damage to Contador's kit and body, I think that his frame cracked when he most likely slide off the road and into the ditch. That probably also accounts for Contador's broken tibia, he hit something solid when he slide off of the road.
> Too bad there is no footage of the actual crash, that would obviously clear up everything. Either way going downhill at close to 60kmh(40mph) and expecting a carbon frame to not have any damage is asking a lot!


The cracked frame was not his race bike, it was his spare, that got crunched by a team car.


----------



## Marc

Local Hero said:


> LOL
> 
> stories about the bike are bigger than the story about Contador abandoning the tour!


Yea well, the Team and Specialized can thank themselves for that. 

A rider abandoning due to injury happens. But what more is there to say about it? It is safe to say that just about all the prognostications by commentators and fans alike have gone off their rails between Froom, Contador, and Cav being out.

A Team and sponsor issue no less than 4 different accountings of events so far all being at odds with one another...and to all appearances look to be chasing their tails always claiming to have the final story. Scandal or the possibility of scandal is an easy topic to speculate on and talk wildly about.


----------



## JackDaniels

CliffordK said:


> Now, after changing bikes, why was the mechanic hanging out the window fiddling with Alberto Contador's brakes? Did someone forget to flip that lever on the brakes up?


It's a trick to give them a tow. I thought everyone knew this.


----------



## CliffordK

As far as the bike he was riding at the time of the crash. He has broken his shoes, cleats, tibia (or fibula? A broken tibia would be difficult to ride on), some nasty road rash. 

It would not be unexpected that his original bike suffered enough damage to need an extensive tuneup, perhaps some new wheels, forks, pedals, etc. 

Those support drivers look pretty wicked on the road, and all have very full roof racks. The bumping roof racks sounds plausible.


----------



## Marc

wipeout said:


> The cracked frame was not his race bike, it was his spare, that got crunched by a team car.


That must be the single most hell of a resilient crank/pedals and water-bottle cage on Earth on that bike then.

Unless Specialized was full of **** when they made that story up.


----------



## den bakker

Marc said:


> That must be the single most hell of a resilient crank/pedals and water-bottle cage on Earth on that bike then.
> 
> Unless Specialized was full of **** when they made that story up.


it gets crunched from the front. what else would you expect to happen to it. aspoding waterbottles igniting the carbon cranks Michael Bay style?


----------



## JackDaniels

That broken bike is too clean to be the one Contador was riding.


----------



## Dunbar

Marc said:


> That must be the single most hell of a resilient crank/pedals and water-bottle cage on Earth on that bike then.
> 
> Unless Specialized was full of **** when they made that story up.


The "story" is that the spare bike was on outside position of the roof rack and clipped the Belkin car on the narrow road. Here you can see them taking down the broken bike. Most of the "confusion" is just armchair quarter backing in the absence of information. Perfect conditions for the conspiracy theorists to thrive...


----------



## Marc

den bakker said:


> it gets crunched from the front. what else would you expect to happen to it. aspoding waterbottles igniting the carbon cranks Michael Bay style?


It gets crunched from the front???

Please explain how a bike "laying on the road" can get "crushed from the front" in such a way that there is no apparent damage to wheels or forks or headtube. See:



VeloNews said:


> Nicolas Roche was involved in a separate incident today and while his bike was laying on the road it was run over by a car causing it to break, potentially giving rise to the initial inaccurate reporting,” the original statement read.
> 
> 
> Read more at Details of Alberto Contador's Tour-ending crash - VeloNews.com


Or how about Revisionist History Take #2:

Please explain how "leaving the bike against the team car" can get "crushed from the front" in such a way that there is no apparent damage to wheels or front/rear forks or headtube. See:



VeloNews said:


> Specialized later corrected itself again, stating that Contador’s bike that had been run over. A source within the team who was present at the scene of the crash explained that Contador’s mechanic, Faustino Munoz, grabbed his backup bike off the roof, then, seeing the condition of Contador, rushed to his aid, leaving the bike against the team car. The team car drove off and crushed the bike. Photos were taken, and the broken bike story took off.
> Read more at Details of Alberto Contador's Tour-ending crash - VeloNews.com







Dunbar said:


> The "story" is that the spare bike was on outside position of the roof rack and clipped the Belkin car on the narrow road. Here you can see them taking down the broken bike. Most of the "confusion" is just armchair quarter backing in the absence of information. Perfect conditions for the conspiracy theorists to thrive...





Dunbar said:


>





Most of the confusion stems from the fact that Specialized has been caught lying red handed no less than 3 times in official team/sponsor statements.


----------



## Cinelli 82220

den bakker said:


> no. it's the third bike. See the part of the story: "Contador got a third bike and got going, but unfortunately couldn’t continue in the race.”
> 
> anyway, who gives a sh!t.
> He was cocky on a descent and ate dirt. sucks. move on.


My bad! Agree with the move on.

I am surprised how quickly this has turned into a major conspiracy on so little information.


----------



## rufus

den bakker said:


> The only thing I've heard from the team is that contador was riding one-handed and went down. What else have they said?
> other riders have said Contador was flying past them.
> How does any of this add up to a great conspiracy coverup? because Phil and Paul said the frame snapped? 2 minutes after declaring Tiago was out of the race?


No, because team management has come up with about three different stories as to how the frame was busted. I'd figure if a carbon ike was run over, the tubes would be crushed flat, not broken in half.


----------



## rufus

Dunbar said:


> Apparently a lot of people here believe that a carbon fiber frame can break in two if you hit a pot hole LOL. Gotta love the conspiracy theorists. Or maybe they just miss no opportunity to bash Specialized.


No, but it can in the resulting crash.


----------



## den bakker

rufus said:


> no, because team management has come up with about three different stories as to how the frame was busted. I'd figure if a carbon ike was run over, the tubes would be crushed flat, not broken in half.


benghazi!!!


----------



## Cinelli 82220

Marc said:


> Please explain how "leaving the bike against the team car" can get "crushed from the front"


Go to the story attached to the pic of the Belkin car.
It's the most reasonable and is backed up by people from a rival team.


----------



## DrSmile

In truth it was a rainy day and a glimmer of sunshine must have struck the frame at the wrong angle... Contador was lucky that the resulting explosion didn't sever his legs completely. Personally I have resorted to wearing kevlar leg warmers for safety as they also come in handy for random drive-bys here in the "hood"!


----------



## Local Hero

Dunbar said:


> The "story" is that the spare bike was on outside position of the roof rack and clipped the Belkin car on the narrow road. Here you can see them taking down the broken bike. Most of the "confusion" is just armchair quarter backing in the absence of information. Perfect conditions for the conspiracy theorists to thrive...


#believe


----------



## Dunbar

Local Hero said:


> #believe


In conspiracies.


----------



## JackDaniels

On the replay you can see Roche with Contador's crashed bike after he gave him his venge. The frame looks intact.










Edit. Although I'm sure some of you conspiracy theorists will try to explain how Roche got an extra Tarmac (with a non-broken frame) whilst riding -ahead- of the team car.


----------



## Marc

Cinelli 82220 said:


> Go to the story attached to the pic of the Belkin car.
> It's the most reasonable and is backed up by people from a rival team.


It is also for the 4th story we've been fed. But who's counting? 

My personal feeling is that in a desperate attempt at self preservation of sanity that poor frame killed itself rather than listen to anymore Eurosport TdF Poetry Corner.


----------



## Dunbar

Marc said:


> Most of the confusion stems from the fact that Specialized has been caught lying red handed no less than 3 times in official team/sponsor statements.


Most of the confusion seems to come from people like you eager to throw gasoline on the speculation fire. The stories really aren't that inconsistent. The bike was taken out by a team car. It just got clipped by a passing car instead of run over. The Specialized reps are probably just going off information passed along to them by Saxo whose priority is to get Contador back in the race. Not squash the myth of the exploding Tarmac frame.


----------



## Marc

Dunbar said:


> Most of the confusion seems to come from people like you eager to throw gasoline on the speculation fire. The stories really aren't that inconsistent. The bike was taken out by a team car. It just got clipped by a passing car instead of run over. The Specialized reps are probably just going off information passed along to them by Saxo. This wouldn't even be a story if the video bikes weren't AWOL during the crash.


And if the explanation were really that simple, why would Specialized and Team Saxo either talk out their ass or lie with a straight face 3 times before pointing at the idiot Belkin driver who was lead footed?

Your choices are as follows:

A) The 4th story was the real one...in which case the preceding three were lies....why lie about an idiot screwup involving another team's driver/car? Makes no real sense.

B) The 4th story was the real one...and Alberto's personal mechanic was either an idiot or lied to the reporters...and either Specialized's spokepeople were blowing smoke out their tail not being informed or were lying as well.

C) We have yet to hear the real story (possible)...not unlikely given the desparate grasping for straws by anyone from Specialized/Saxo who've talked to reporters




But yes. The story is most certainly put to bed


----------



## vic bastige

As Jimmy says: " the truth, wherever it is can't be found with Google earth". 

Here is what I do know...this is in no way good for Specialized and will live on in lore and the internet forever.


----------



## Adim_X

Did any of you actually watch the race?


----------



## myhui

JackDaniels said:


> On the replay you can see Roche with Contador's crashed bike after he gave him his venge. The frame looks intact.


This is a rare sight.

I once saw, in a violin concerto performance with perhaps a thousand people in attendance, the violin soloist break a string. He promptly exchanged his violin with the first seat's violin, and that broken string violin got passed down the front row all the way to the end, where a stage hand exchanged it with a good violin.

The violin concerto kept going. The conductor smiled.


----------



## Fredrico

Cinelli 82220 said:


> Go to the story attached to the pic of the Belkin car.
> It's the most reasonable and is backed up by people from a rival team.


To wit:

_The broken bike had Contador’s number on it, suggesting it was his primary bike. But it was also quite clean, suggesting it had been on the roof, rather than ridden. Most teams don’t put numbers on riders’ second bikes, but Munoz has done so in the past. It is plausible that the broken bike had indeed been on the roof of the team car, rather than under Contador. CyclingTips was able to corroborate the crash story with the driver of the Belkin car._--Velo news article


----------



## Winn

rufus said:


> No, because team management has come up with about three different stories as to how the frame was busted. I'd figure if a carbon ike was run over, the tubes would be crushed flat, not broken in half.


I am a construction safety manager and I have the unpleasant job of conducting accident investigations. The story I hear on the phone from the initial accident report is never what actually happened it normally takes a few hours or even days before we get to the bottom of it. Accidents cause stress and people make mistakes when they respond to them stories are stretched and shrunk and the person who actually knows what happened (the victim) is the last person who can coherently answer. You guys keep guessing that way you can get a good taste of your humble pie when the truth is out.

BTW the inaccuracies are almost always due to ignorance and not malicious lying...


----------



## Dunbar

Marc said:


> And if the explanation were really that simple, why would Specialized and Team Saxo either talk out their ass or lie with a straight face 3 times before pointing at the idiot Belkin driver who was lead footed?


There was nothing simple about it. Your number one rider, a favorite to win the tour goes down, and you think Saxo support staff care about what *exactly* happened to his bike? The crash happened out on course and wasn't captured on video. It's possible only one person actually knew what happened to the frame and others were passing off speculation as fact. Specialized reps didn't see the crash and were probably responding with the latest information they had. People like you would never be satisfied anyways. You'd always find some detail to pick apart or use it as an opportunity to put forth your conspiracy theory.

Anyways, I find it hilarious people think that in 2014 CF bikes are spontaneously breaking in half like that...


----------



## myhui

Fredrico said:


> Steel is real, baby. l'll stick with steel. :yesnod:


Italian steel.


----------



## Fredrico

Dunbar said:


> There was nothing simple about it. Your number one rider, a favorite to win the tour goes down, and you think Saxo support staff care about what *exactly* happened to his bike? The crash happened out on course and wasn't captured on video. It's possible only one person actually knew what happened to the frame and others were passing off speculation as fact. Specialized reps didn't see the crash and were probably responding with the latest information they had. People like you would never be satisfied anyways. You'd always find some detail to pick apart or use it as an opportunity to put forth your conspiracy theory.
> 
> Anyways, I find it hilarious people think that in 2014 CF bikes are spontaneously breaking in half like that...


Hey man, the bike is junk. Broke in three places in a side impact, if we accept the bike fell off the team car explanation. You wanna ride on an egg shell? :frown2: Not me, thanks. Steel is real, baby. l'll stick with steel. :yesnod:


----------



## 55x11

do you often ride at 60mph and then crash at full speed? Well, then your frame and any other carbon frame or in fact any other material frame may not survive the crash for all intents and purposes.

So the super-useful lesson here - if you crash at 60mph while breaking bones and shattering your kneecaps, also inspect the frame, as it is quite likely it may need replacing. Regardless of whether it's made by Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, Cervelo or any other company. 

I could have told you as much before Contador crash.


----------



## 55x11

what do you think is more likely? That crash caused the damage or that spontaneous and unexplained damage caused the crash?


----------



## vic bastige

...or the frame break **may** have led to the crash itself.

Supremely Useful lesson here is the only facts you can rely on are those you have personally verified.


----------



## PJay

55x11 said:


> do you often ride at 60mph and then crash at full speed? Well, then your frame and any other carbon frame or in fact any other material frame may not survive the crash for all intents and purposes.
> 
> So the super-useful lesson here - if you crash at 60mph while breaking bones and shattering your kneecaps, also inspect the frame, as it is quite likely it may need replacing. Regardless of whether it's made by Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, Cervelo or any other company.
> 
> I could have told you as much before Contador crash.


unless it is steel.


----------



## 55x11

was it carbon violin? cause carbon fibre is known to explode for no reason. Everyone knows it.
Did the violinist continue playing with broken tibia for awhile before abandoning, getting into a car and driving away?
Did amateurs everywhere swore to never buy that brand of violin ever again and sold all of their violins on ebay immediately? Was there conspiracy theories as to which violin it was and whether the string broke as a result of reckless violin playing or if it just happened on its own? Was violin run over by a car? Or was it someone else's violin?

Did conductor come back to play again in the Fall concert facing against another conductor whose violin broke too?


----------



## PaxRomana

myhui said:


> Italian steel.


Mais, non. 

British Steel


----------



## 55x11

MMsRepBike said:


> Okay, we have a final answer from Specialized, a new, fourth story:
> 
> [/SIZE]
> 
> So his original bike that he crashed indeed just sort of vanished I guess. Apparently it's fine. He never rode the McClaren, it was just left there for him but he never used it. His backup bike did indeed have a number tag as well and was destroyed in a car accident that had nothing to do with Contador. They took the bike down after it had been broken in a car accident on the roof and it crumbled, they then tossed it in the back. So they admit to lying about running it over in their car I guess. He was indeed given a third bike, one without a number that he rode away on. Again his first bike is nowhere to be found at this point, just assuming taken care of.
> 
> Plausible enough I guess. They should produce his first bike though, well it's too late now.


Lying? it's fog of war. Or fog of race. Literally, while racing in the fog. And I mean it literally, not figuratively. This time.

Since most riders (Teejay, Horner) didn't even know Contador abandoned, at the finish, several hours later, is it really so surprising that the bike damaged as result of being clipped by Belkin car (corroborated by Belkin driver, but I know, Belkin people are all in on it - the giant "conspiracy"), was confused with the first bike (or maybe Roche's bike) and was rumored to be broken as the result of falling off the roof or being run over by a car?
Not so surprising to me, both sound like plausible "broken telephone" outcome of communicating during the race with a car driver/bike mechanic who had more important things to worry about than conspiracy theories of cycling fans.

Do not attribute to conspiracy what can be easily attributed to incompetence. They can't be simultaneously devious and incompetent.

As to "hey should produce his first bike" - I hope you realize this is not JFK assassination or killing of Bin Laden. "They should produce his first bike" - or what - you will never buy Specialized frame again? You will switch to riding exclusively bamboo frames and never look at carbon the same way?

And if they "produce" a frame, will you believe them? Or will another conspiracy theory emerge, about how mud splatter doesn't match the photos from the race and it must be the fake, just like the moon landing and evolution?


----------



## SwiftSolo

Local Hero said:


> I suspect there will either be a glossing over of the details or a detailed explanation of some other circumstance, eg he went off course and hit a rock or the bike was damaged on the roof of the vehicle.
> 
> There's no way we'll hear, "He was just riding along and the tarmac just broke. Whoops."


What's a bike race without a good conspiracy theory about those bass turd capitalist bike manufacturers. Everyone knows that those Tarmac sl4's only last 200 miles before they explode!


----------



## spookyload

BikeLayne said:


> Totally not cool. I was looking forward to watching the race today. I guess I will have to stay out of RBF until after the TDF.


Or maybe don't open a thread that has obvious spoilers in it. Jesus this **** is getting old. Spoiler Alert...the Easter Bunny isn't real


----------



## 55x11

hmmm... the photo is obviously doctored. it's not even the same color scheme as the 'assploded frame we saw so many times!


----------



## 55x11

well, after reading the account of mechanics and seeing the photos post-crash and watching the stage on TV, the broken bike that people obsess so much about is not even the bike he was riding when he crashed!


----------



## Vee

Take a look here: <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/TeamBelkin">@TeamBelkin</a> helps out with Contador's bike. <a href="http://t.co/nslZaVfIvj">pic.twitter.com/nslZaVfIvj</a></p>— Richard Keeskamp (@RichardKeeskamp) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardKeeskamp/statuses/488760013767593984">July 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Maybe the fourth and final story really is true after all...


----------



## 55x11

well, steel can break too, believe it or not!
Especially the new-age light, thin-walled steel. It's more durable than carbon and doesn't fail as catastrophically, but if you drive your car over carbon bike, and then drive a car over steel frame, I would say both of them are unsafe to ride.


----------



## RRRoubaix

55x11 said:


> well, steel can break too, believe it or not!
> Especially the new-age light, thin-walled steel. It's more durable than carbon and doesn't fail as catastrophically, but if you drive your car over carbon bike, and then drive a car over steel frame, I would say both of them are unsafe to ride.


Except you'll never get to run over the steel frame because when the carbon bike assplodes, it will destroy your car and sever your legs.


----------



## Opus51569

*Frame failure brings [GC contender] down*

I understand confusion and mixed messages in the heat of the moment, but the absence of a clear explanation (or multiple contradictory explanations) leaves a void that conspiracy theories are happy to fill.

Obviously, it was aliens...


----------



## redondoaveb

This guy was spotted riding up behind Contador right before he went down.


----------



## Dunbar

Vee said:


> Take a look here: <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/TeamBelkin">@TeamBelkin</a> helps out with Contador's bike. <a href="http://t.co/nslZaVfIvj">pic.twitter.com/nslZaVfIvj</a></p>— Richard Keeskamp (@RichardKeeskamp) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardKeeskamp/statuses/488760013767593984">July 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


"Helps out" is a bit of a stretch isn't it? Their car is what smashed Contador's spare bike into two pieces.


----------



## jmorgan

Contador's bike after he crashed. Sure looks like its not broken.

Contador road 1.5km on Roches Mclaren venge then waited for medical and the team car. He got onto bike 3 like the story says or worst case he got on bike #2 and bike #1 was the one that got runover/hit by Belkin but it looked clean and so it probably was bike #2.


----------



## Winn

Don't bother these guys with reality, there having fun...


----------



## SwiftSolo

Fredrico said:


> That must have been a weak spot on the down tube. :idea: Could it be further weakened by repeated jerking and jamming a water bottle on it? Should they have heavied up the tubing around the water bottle bosses?


Actually, it was the drugs in the leaking water bottles that caused the epoxy matrix to get brittle and shatter. Specialized should have known that their frames would fail the drug test!


----------



## 55x11

race? yes.
The crash? No. It as not captured on video.

However, post-crash, the bike lying on the ground (the one mechanic jogs with to the car once Contador gets going) is a black color scheme, with a number. This is not the same bike that "broke in two" in the photos - that bike has yellow/blue color scheme, with yellow chain stays, top tube and down tube.















The bike that was broken is the yellow replacement bike. This one:


----------



## SwiftSolo

How high does a thread have to register on the moron-o-meter before it is pulled? We've not seen this level of wisdom since the "truthers" after 911.


----------



## 55x11

Opus51569 said:


> I understand confusion and mixed messages in the heat of the moment, but the absence of a clear explanation (or multiple contradictory explanations) leaves a void that conspiracy theories are happy to fill.
> 
> Obviously, it was aliens...


except a lot of "contradictory explanations" are by random people who have second-hand account, like Paul and Phil, who heard from someone that the crash was caused by the frame breaking in two. 
We didn't hear the mechanics side of the story until the stage was over. And by then there were multiple rumors of bikes being run over by car, or bikes falling off the roof. Which is, frankly not too far from what seem to have happened. 

I think it's quite self-consistent - Contador is riding black bike, crashes. The team car comes up, takes the yellow replacement bike off the roof (with a number). Puts it leaning agains the car, runs to Contador when he realizes he needs medical attention. The replacement bike left leaning gets "clipped" by the passing car (Belkin, story corroborated by driver), gets run over by the car, frame breaks in two. Some witnesses report the bike must have called off the roof. Someone mistakenly think it's Roche's bike that got run over. That confusion is understandable.

But photos show that the bike that broke in half is NOT the bike Contador crashed on.


----------



## JackDaniels

Ok, you guys are just trolling now. I get it.


----------



## duriel

So the bike on the front of the team car is the one that was.... 
not riden
hit by belkin car
on the roof and drove into belkin car
was run over by Tinker car
That image is so out of focus, how do you even know it was from today?
What the H is belkin putting a Tinker bike on their car for? 
Now that bike does not appear broken, so that isn't it.


----------



## Winn

SwiftSolo said:


> How high does a thread have to register on the moron-o-meter before it is pulled?


Pretty much needs to be off the scale.

It is interesting that the focus is on the bike being broken and not this

"The 31-year-old Spaniard injured his knee and although he continued after receiving lengthy treatment from the race doctor, he lasted only another 15km before climbing off his bike and into a Tinkoff-Saxo team car as the tears started to flow."

Let us not forget in those 15 km he brought the gap down from 4 minutes+ to 2:30. He is a true hard man and we only care about whether a bike was broken and when or how?? The dude had a broken tibia, rode his bike 15 miles, walked himself to the team car and into the hospital... Shame on all of you are you cyclists or not? He showed what he was made of today and so did Road Bike Review I doubt most of you would even get up after a similar crash let alone continue. Bikes break folks, all of them, did any one notice the yellow jersey is sitting on top of the same brand of bike? I bet there are a few more broken bikes out there that no one noticed this tour. I have seen a few bikes replaced because they aren't shifting, Should we all throw our Shimano, Campagnolo, or whatever away?? Seriously lets all just worry about the things that matter.


----------



## 55x11

the "stories" fed to you are provided by random people who don't know any better. These are rumors and guesses from reporters like Paul and Phil, not official statements or press releases by Specialized CEO or from Tinkoff team, who had more important things to worry about at the time.

The bike Contador crashed on was a different color scheme than the one that "broke in two". This is according to photos of the crash scene. It also looks intact. Of course, it's possible Specialized came and repainted the bike to "cover up" the crime, all in just a few seconds...


----------



## bradkay

Winn said:


> Pretty much needs to be off the scale.
> 
> It is interesting that the focus is on the bike being broken and not this
> 
> *"**The 31-year-old Spaniard injured his knee and although he continued after receiving lengthy treatment from the race doctor, he lasted only another 15km before climbing off his bike and into a Tinkoff-Saxo team car as the tears started to flow."
> 
> Let us not forget in those 15 km he brought the gap down from 4 minutes+ to 2:30. He is a true hard man and we only care about whether a bike was broken and when or how?? The dude had a broken tibia, rode his bike 15 miles, walked himself to the team car and into the hospital... Shame on all of you are you cyclists or not? He showed what he was made of today *and so did Road Bike Review I doubt most of you would even get up after a similar crash let alone continue. Bikes break folks, all of them, did any one notice the yellow jersey is sitting on top of the same brand of bike? I bet there are a few more broken bikes out there that no one noticed this tour. I have seen a few bikes replaced because they aren't shifting, Should we all throw our Shimano, Campagnolo, or whatever away?? Seriously lets all just worry about the things that matter.


Great post. I was going to comment on how he proved that internet meme about futbol players pretending to be injured while professional cyclists pretend that they are okay. 

Bravo Alberto! Best wishes for your recovery. 

BTW: the television coverage definitely shows a complete bike being carried away from the crash scene, not pieces. Even so, Phil and Paul shortly after made the claim that the frame broke, starting all this nonsense. Y'all were suckered by a man you call senile!


----------



## den bakker

PJay said:


> unless it is steel.


tell my front teeth that when a steel fork broke.


----------



## myhui

55x11 said:


> what do you think is more likely? That crash caused the damage or that spontaneous and unexplained damage caused the crash?


Did you forget to take your recovery drink after today's ride?


----------



## Tupelo

That doesn't seem to be true. Roche was riding the Mclaren laying on it's side. Roche was giving him that bike if AC could continue to ride....



55x11 said:


> except a lot of "contradictory explanations" are by random people who have second-hand account, like Paul and Phil, who heard from someone that the crash was caused by the frame breaking in two.
> We didn't hear the mechanics side of the story until the stage was over. And by then there were multiple rumors of bikes being run over by car, or bikes falling off the roof. Which is, frankly not too far from what seem to have happened.
> 
> I think it's quite self-consistent - Contador is riding black bike, crashes. The team car comes up, takes the yellow replacement bike off the roof (with a number). Puts it leaning agains the car, runs to Contador when he realizes he needs medical attention. The replacement bike left leaning gets "clipped" by the passing car (Belkin, story corroborated by driver), gets run over by the car, frame breaks in two. Some witnesses report the bike must have called off the roof. Someone mistakenly think it's Roche's bike that got run over. That confusion is understandable.
> 
> But photos show that the bike that broke in half is NOT the bike Contador crashed on.
> 
> View attachment 297996


----------



## headloss

Opus51569 said:


> Obviously, it was aliens...


Obviously!!!


----------



## Dajianshan

See Contador's head? Down… and to the right. Down and to the right. 

The broken bike obviously came from behind the grassy knoll.


----------



## jlandry

jmorgan said:


> QUOTE]
> 
> "Oh, hi girlfriend!"


----------



## duriel

Quit posting that stupid picture, that is not contrador, contrador has arm warmers on! And that guy weights 20 lbs more than Alberto.


----------



## love4himies

duriel said:


> Quit posting that stupid picture, that is not contrador, contrador has arm warmers on! And that guy weights 20 lbs more than Alberto.


And wrong colour shoes. Conti was wearing all white.


----------



## jlandry

duriel said:


> Quit posting that stupid picture, that is not contrador, contrador has arm warmers on! And that guy weights 20 lbs more than Alberto.


Did I claim it was Conti?

Piss off!


----------



## star69

duriel said:


> Quit posting that stupid picture, that is not contrador, contrador has arm warmers on! And that guy weights 20 lbs more than Alberto.


Maybe you should try reading and comprehending before you post. That is Nicholas Roche holding Contador's crashed bike, which is damaged but does not have a broken frame. Roche gave Contador his Venge which Contador rode for awhile and then switched back to a Tarmac (hence the picture of the Venge sitting next to Contador with no other team riders around) from the team car where he also got a new shoe.

Several other riders said Contador and Saxo was taking unnecessary risks trying to move up to the front when he crashed, which I don't doubt a bit.

The broken frame bike was Contador's offical spare that he never had a chance to ride because it got hit by the Belkin team car. Which they confirmed.

To summarize:

1. Contador sucks because he is/was a doper and for attacking Schleck after his technical.

2. Specialized sucks... well for a lot of reasons.

3. If you believe carbon fiber frame explode, you are stupid.

4. You can all stop posting about this now.


----------



## Gnarly 928

Local Hero said:


> I suspect there will either be a glossing over of the details or a detailed explanation of some other circumstance, eg he went off course and hit a rock or the bike was damaged on the roof of the vehicle.
> 
> 
> There's no way we'll hear, "He was just riding along and the tarmac just broke.
> 
> 
> The link to that NBC piece, it has been wiped! Specalized strikes again///


----------



## den bakker

Gnarly 928 said:


> Local Hero said:
> 
> 
> 
> I suspect there will either be a glossing over of the details or a detailed explanation of some other circumstance, eg he went off course and hit a rock or the bike was damaged on the roof of the vehicle.
> 
> 
> There's no way we'll hear, "He was just riding along and the tarmac just broke.
> 
> 
> The link to that NBC piece, it has been wiped! Specalized strikes again///
> 
> 
> 
> We are going to hear nonsense like this for the next decade aren't we.
Click to expand...


----------



## Pompey Monkey

Pah!

You are all wrong!

It was Nibali's S-Works "Shark" that bit Contador's bike in two.

It must be true - I just posted it on the internet!


----------



## Gnarly 928

Obama did it....or Benghazi..


----------



## 9W9W

that really is a cool paint job on Nibali's HT... now if he had only brought his soul with him on the tour it would be a winning combo. This guy is a stone faced aytalian with negative personality. Hell, Contador seems like an extrovert next to this guy.


----------



## atpjunkie

The Tour shouldn't have stages where there's descents. Riders crash and we lose top GC contenders. Oh and CF bikes should be banned cause they break and cause crashes and we lose GC contenders........


----------



## love4himies

Gnarly 928 said:


> Obama did it....or Benghazi..


Or, if you were Canadian, it would be Harper's fault.


----------



## DZfan14

55x11 said:


> Lying? it's fog of war. Or fog of race. Literally, while racing in the fog. And I mean it literally, not figuratively. This time.
> 
> Since most riders (Teejay, Horner) didn't even know Contador abandoned, at the finish, several hours later, is it really so surprising that the bike damaged as result of being clipped by Belkin car (corroborated by Belkin driver, but I know, Belkin people are all in on it - the giant "conspiracy"), was confused with the first bike (or maybe Roche's bike) and was rumored to be broken as the result of falling off the roof or being run over by a car?
> Not so surprising to me, both sound like plausible "broken telephone" outcome of communicating during the race with a car driver/bike mechanic who had more important things to worry about than conspiracy theories of cycling fans.
> 
> Do not attribute to conspiracy what can be easily attributed to incompetence. They can't be simultaneously devious and incompetent.
> 
> As to "hey should produce his first bike" - I hope you realize this is not JFK assassination or killing of Bin Laden. "They should produce his first bike" - or what - you will never buy Specialized frame again? You will switch to riding exclusively bamboo frames and never look at carbon the same way?
> 
> And if they "produce" a frame, will you believe them? Or will another conspiracy theory emerge, about how mud splatter doesn't match the photos from the race and it must be the fake, just like the moon landing and evolution?



Fog of war is exactly what it is. First reports almost always contain false/incomplete information.


----------



## ghettocop

spookyload said:


> Or maybe don't open a thread that has obvious spoilers in it. Jesus this **** is getting old. Spoiler Alert...the Easter Bunny isn't real


There was no "opening thread" involved. This thread was posted early yesterday morning while the race was being broadcasted live. The spoiler was in the damn title.


----------



## DrSmile

DZfan14 said:


> Fog of war is exactly what it is. First reports almost always contain false/incomplete information.


The McNamara defense! There's probably agent orange all over the bike...


----------



## slamy

Clearly the one bike was Roche's who is an ex irish national champ which will account for the orange on the bike. There was a picture of Contador's shoe and the cleat was ripped off. Whatever happened, it was clearly a very violent crash. If your Look cleat can be broken in two them clearly a frame can also. 

On another note, I read two articles about carbon fiber wheels in the rain. Greg Lemond was stating he thinks it's causing a lot of crashes because it doesn't grip well in the rain and also on descents it doesn't brake well and then when the pads get hot it grips hard and makes bikes unpredictable. I really thought it was strange that some of the teams didn't put alloy wheels on their bikes for the mountain stages in the rain and even on the cobbles. 

Also this was from Geraint Thomas from the BBC this morning:
The last one, on Monday's stage 10, was pretty scary though because I was riding downhill in the rain and I pulled my brakes but nothing happened for two or three seconds. All I could see was a 90 degree left turn, a hay bale and a couple of people - and I wasn't slowing down.
I managed to scrub off some speed and the guy in front of me crashed and I toppled over him and on to his bike.

I'm not a carbon hater. I have a carbon bike and some zipp 303's but in the rain they are not good wheels and going down steep hills they are not good either. I know teams have sponsors but in bad weather conditions they need to think a little bit about equipment choices.


----------



## dcorn

I did the NY Gran Fondo last year and it rained the whole time. Going down Bear Mt. was the scariest thing I've done on a bike. I have Mavic Exalith wheels which are supposed to have better braking than even aluminum wheels, and I was damn near shitting my pants trying to stop before each switchback. I can't imagine what it was like on carbon wheels.

But even with aluminum, you still get the brake lag while the pads shed the water from the wheel before gripping tightly.



Why does everyone keep saying Roche gave Contador his McLaren Venge? Clearly the pics show a black and orange McLaren Tarmac, plus the fact that you'd have to be crazy to ride a Venge on a mountain stage.


----------



## Cyclo-phile

It’s pretty outrageous how much speculation there has been in this thread, and how much it continues now that the details are available. I’ve been following threads on a number of different websites, so I’d like to try and compile a definitive account with photos to back it up.

First, an account of the details from teammate Nicolas Roche:


> We were riding close to the front of the peloton, doing about 70kph in the wet, on a really long straight bit of road, when Alberto reached into the pocket in the back of his jersey for some food and hit a hole in the road.
> Unable to control his bike with one hand, his front wheel went from under him and he went head first, bounced off the road and slid into the grass verge. Riding a few places behind him in the group, I locked up my wheels and threw myself to the side to try and stop. With the speed I was going though, I only came to a halt about 50 metres after him.
> I jumped off my bike and ran back up to where he was lying in shock on the grass at the side of the road.
> As I helped Alberto up, I noticed his bike was broken and there was a stream of blood coming from a gash just under his right knee. His wound looked pretty bad but as a rider, my natural instinct was to simply hand him my bike and encourage him to keep going.
> "Take my bike Alberto! Go, go, go!"
> "Nico, I don't know if I can," he said as he hobbled out onto the road.
> "Go and see. Try it, just jump on the bike!"
> As Alberto took off gingerly on my bike, I waited at the side of the road watching what seemed like everybody in the race pass me by. There were cars and groups of dropped riders everywhere, so I held Alberto's broken bike in one hand and waved the other one frantically in the air, afraid the team car would drive past in the chaos.
> Soon, a surprised Bjarne Riis pulled up in the car and the mechanic handed me my spare bike. They hadn't heard me on the radio and didn't know anything about Alberto's crash.
> As I chased back through the cars, I came across Alberto stopped again, this time with the medical car at the side of the road about 2km later. The car had blocked half the road, so with nowhere to stop safely, I rode a few hundred metres further before pulling in and waiting for my team leader to get patched up and rejoin the race.


'We were so confident in Alberto, we didn't have a Plan B. Then Plan A went out the window' - Independent.ie


> “What happened next is that the team car tried to get recover position and get up to him, passing all the other team cars in doing so. The road was really narrow and the second bike on the roof ended up touching those on the Belkin team car. It was going pretty fast and the frame broke on top of the roof due to the impact.


Tinkoff Saxo tangle with Belkin bikes identified as cause of snapped Contador frame | CyclingTips

And now some photos:








Contador’s crashed bike; note the small 2 on the number card, SRM, and the linked housing.









Contador’s spare bike on the rear right position of the team car; note the small 3 on the number card, and the standard crankset and housing. Also note the position of the clamp on the downtube.









Here we see a Saxo mechanic untangling the handlebars of a broken Tarmac from a Belkin Bianchi. Also note the slope of the hill beyond the car. If the Saxo car passed closely and tilted as a result of the embankment, it is entirely plausible that the handlebars would hook. The resulting twist would be resisted by the downtube clamp.









Here’s Roche standing roadside holding Contador’s bike.









And here is Contador stopped further down the road with Roche’s #37 bike in the McLaren paint scheme.









And a close-up of the broken #31/3


Let's hope that this can put an end to the speculation.


----------



## MMsRepBike

Well done Sir.


----------



## slamy

You have made a great point. It's clear from all your evidence that it did indeed explode when it got wet. 



Cyclo-phile said:


> It’s pretty outrageous how much speculation there has been in this thread, and how much it continues now that the details are available. I’ve been following threads on a number of different websites, so I’d like to try and compile a definitive account with photos to back it up.
> 
> First, an account of the details from teammate Nicolas Roche:
> 
> 'We were so confident in Alberto, we didn't have a Plan B. Then Plan A went out the window' - Independent.ie
> 
> Tinkoff Saxo tangle with Belkin bikes identified as cause of snapped Contador frame | CyclingTips
> 
> And now some photos:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Contador’s crashed bike; note the small 2 on the number card, SRM, and the linked housing.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Contador’s spare bike on the rear right position of the team car; note the small 3 on the number card, and the standard crankset and housing. Also note the position of the clamp on the downtube.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here we see a Saxo mechanic untangling the handlebars of a broken Tarmac from a Belkin Bianchi. Also note the slope of the hill beyond the car. If the Saxo car passed closely and tilted as a result of the embankment, it is entirely plausible that the handlebars would hook. The resulting twist would be resisted by the downtube clamp.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here’s Roche standing roadside holding Contador’s bike.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And here is Contador stopped further down the road with Roche’s #37 bike in the McLaren paint scheme.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And a close-up of the broken #31/3
> 
> 
> Let's hope that this can put an end to the speculation.


----------



## MMsRepBike

haha, again, well done to you as well Sir.


----------



## myhui

Those brakes are the same ones I ride on. I slowed down this morning from 31 mph to 25 mph on my descent since it was a damp morning and the roads were not dry. Yup, I got scared. The wind from nearby passing cars were wobbling my bike too.

Tour de France Tech: Froome's Pinarello F8 and Contador's Specialized Tarmac | Road Bike News, Reviews, and Photos | Page 2


----------



## MMsRepBike

*The Truth*

I just want to sum it up in my own way what really happened:

Bike #1, Contador's Race Bike:

Contador crashed this. He was eating, riding one handed, hit a pot hole and crashed. This bike was taken by Roche and given to the team car. It's "broken" according to Roche but it's not broken in half or anything, just not able to be ridden, could be anything.


Bike #2 Roche's McClaren Tarmac:

Contador took this bike while Roche held his bike #1. Contador only rode this bike for about 2km according to Roche before he set it down to get medical treatment.


Bike #3 Contador's Replacement Bike:

This bike broke on top of Tinkoff's car. There was a collision between cars where the bikes got entangled. Apparently the Bianchi from Belkin kicked the **** out of the Specialized and broke it in half. This bike was never ridden by anyone. It was tossed in the back of a team car.


Bike #4 Contador's Third Team Bike:

This bike Contador rode off on and stayed on for at least 10km until he abandoned. It was without a race number or anything special, it was a back up back up bike.



No bikes were ever run over by cars at any time. Those stories are all false. The frame failure had nothing to do with anyone riding any bike. The extent of how "broken" Contador's bike is after he crashed it is unknown and doesn't matter. He crashed it himself, the damage it sustained is irrelevant and caused by the rider.


----------



## repast

Dark bottle cages on car too #3, yellow on broken frame.


----------



## MMsRepBike

repast said:


> Dark bottle cages on car too #3, yellow on broken frame.


Good eye. My assumption is that the picture with the black bottle cages is from another day. Just to demonstrate what the backup bike looks like usually. Noting the small number on the number plate, the normal crank, etc. I'm guessing that picture does not belong in this conversation really because it's not from the right day even.


----------



## Cyclo-phile

repast said:


> Dark bottle cages on car too #3, yellow on broken frame.


Thanks so much for joining RBR to point out this inane detail with your first post. The photo is from a Hungarian cycling website and does not have a date stamp, though it is clearly from this year's Tour. As the team leader, it stands to reason that Contador's spare bike is on an outside position each day, in this case directly over where the mechanic sits in the back seat. There is no requirement for them to run the same color of bottle cage each day.


----------



## Cyclo-phile

Broken doesn't mean broken in half. You can clearly see in the photo of Roche that the bike frame is still in one piece.

Found a link to the bike on top of the car pic from 7/5. 
Za?etek najmo?nej?im: Veliki Marcel Kittel | Novice | Bicikel.com


----------



## repast

Roche's own account said he gave Contador his bike aftercontadors was broken in crash. Came upon him little later beside road waiting for team car which bandaged and gave him another tarmac.


----------



## Winn

Cyclo-phile said:


> Broken doesn't mean broken in half. You can clearly see in the photo of Roche that the bike frame is still in one piece.
> 
> Found a link to the bike on top of the car pic from 7/5.
> Za?etek najmo?nej?im: Veliki Marcel Kittel | Novice | Bicikel.com


Woah so there are degrees of broken??? You're blowing my mind dude!


----------



## den bakker

Cyclo-phile said:


> Broken doesn't mean broken in half. You can clearly see in the photo of Roche that the bike frame is still in one piece.
> 
> Found a link to the bike on top of the car pic from 7/5.
> Za?etek najmo?nej?im: Veliki Marcel Kittel | Novice | Bicikel.com


man you ate it hook and sinker. 
This was clearly set up by Spezialized in order to cover up their frame failure some days later. 
Cannot believe you fell for it


----------



## repast

Agreed, "broken" to Roche means simply not "rideable" . Someone more familiar with his tarmac might clarify whether the top tube looks damaged in that photo-yellow stripe looks off. I don't know why big deal over possible frame damage in high speed crash,seems likely with any frame.


----------



## pliebenberg

MMsRepBike said:


> Bike #3 Contador's Replacement Bike:
> 
> This bike broke on top of Tinkoff's car. There was a collision between cars where the bikes got entangled. Apparently the Bianchi from Belkin kicked the **** out of the Specialized and broke it in half. This bike was never ridden by anyone. It was tossed in the back of a team car.


I'd really like to know about the Belkin bikes; looks like one has also been pulled free from it's roof rack. 

Another totally irrelevant picture (from 2014 ToC); posting it because I think those Bianchis are pretty:


----------



## jlandry

love4himies said:


> Or, if you were Canadian, it would be Harper's fault.


Nobody other than Canadians know who Harper is.


----------



## DrSmile

jlandry said:


> Nobody other than Canadians know who Harper is.


Is he related to Justin Bieber? :7:


----------



## LostViking

PaxRomana said:


> Mais, non.
> 
> British Steel


A Classic! :thumbsup:


----------



## Retro Grouch

jlandry said:


> Nobody other than Canadians know who Harper is.


We Americans only know Canadian imports like _Rush_ and _The Trailer Park Boys_.


----------



## duriel

No!!!
Don't confuse this discussion with more photos' from other days/races/etc.
The bike is broken! in '2' pieces.


----------



## Doctor Falsetti

Picture of Contador's bike after it got entangled with Belkin's team car










Pic is from Lampre D.S. Matxin


----------



## MMsRepBike

Bianchi for the win! I love Bianchi, need to get me one.


----------



## DBT

Doctor Falsetti said:


> Picture of Contador's bike after it got entangled with Belkin's team car
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pic is from Lampre D.S. Matxin


Great! Now Lampre is in on the conspiracy?


----------



## slamy

Clearly Italian carbon is much stronger.


----------



## duriel

Who supplies the bikes for Lampre & Belkin? I think we are getting somewhere.


----------



## CliffordK

Great photo of the Belkin car, clearly showing the #31 plate on the rear of the mangled bike if you look closely enough. 

Stories seem to be changing a bit, but I think it is pretty obvious that the bike was involved in an auto mishap. 

Now, why aren't the CF frames able to withstand the direct impact of a car. If everyone on the TDF was riding 1970's Schwinn Varsity class bikes (with a lifetime warranty on their frames), then the story might be quite a bit different.


----------



## love4himies

Retro Grouch said:


> We Americans only know Canadian imports like _Rush_ and _The Trailer Park Boys_.


 Both of which are great specimens of our wonderful Canadian culture. 

Wasn't there a member on here that had Bubbles as his avatar pic.?


----------



## goodboyr

Don't forget Rob Ford!!


----------



## love4himies

goodboyr said:


> Don't forget Rob Ford!!


Oh yeah, can't forget good ol Robbie.


----------



## spdntrxi

I don't see why the moderation team can't just shutdown a thread that is so wrong... the truth is out already.


----------



## PBL450

Winn said:


> Pretty much needs to be off the scale.
> 
> It is interesting that the focus is on the bike being broken and not this
> 
> "The 31-year-old Spaniard injured his knee and although he continued after receiving lengthy treatment from the race doctor, he lasted only another 15km before climbing off his bike and into a Tinkoff-Saxo team car as the tears started to flow."
> 
> Let us not forget in those 15 km he brought the gap down from 4 minutes+ to 2:30. He is a true hard man and we only care about whether a bike was broken and when or how?? The dude had a broken tibia, rode his bike 15 miles, walked himself to the team car and into the hospital... Shame on all of you are you cyclists or not? He showed what he was made of today and so did Road Bike Review I doubt most of you would even get up after a similar crash let alone continue. Bikes break folks, all of them, did any one notice the yellow jersey is sitting on top of the same brand of bike? I bet there are a few more broken bikes out there that no one noticed this tour. I have seen a few bikes replaced because they aren't shifting, Should we all throw our Shimano, Campagnolo, or whatever away?? Seriously lets all just worry about the things that matter.


Yep. Well said... Great racer.


----------



## PBL450

The truth is out there... A smoking man took the shot from a grassy knoll. Hired by Specialized forgers in Indonesia. Shot was perfect. The rest is conspiracy theory...


----------



## ewarnerusa

*Another photo of the Bianchi pwning the Sworks*

https://twitter.com/pelotonmagazine/status/489213241462378496


----------



## rufus

55x11 said:


> do you often ride at 60mph and then crash at full speed? Well, then your frame and any other carbon frame or in fact any other material frame may not survive the crash for all intents and purposes.


Except the bike didn't break in a crash. it was clipped by the rack of another team car.


----------



## J24

rufus said:


> Except the bike didn't break in a crash. it was clipped by the rack of another team car.


When you look at the picture of the Belkin team car there's not a scratch on the Bianchi that whipped Specialized buttocks.


----------



## Winn

I'm sure the type of roof racks the teams were using had nothing to do with the winner... Bianchi certainly won this round hopefully they can convince one of there riders to pedal won of the bikes close to the podium spots so we can see if they compete in that way...


----------



## rufus

J24 said:


> When you look at the picture of the Belkin team car there's not a scratch on the Bianchi that whipped Specialized buttocks.


If I was to go carbon, that would be the bike I'd get, unfortunately, can't get one in Androni Giacottali colors from a couple years back. very sweet. Only like $5000-5500 just for the frame.


----------



## ziscwg

This is a staged photo that Specialized force the team to set up.

That carbon frame a$$ploded on the DH. Aluminum all the way



ewarnerusa said:


> https://twitter.com/pelotonmagazine/status/489213241462378496


----------



## ziscwg

rufus said:


> Except the bike didn't break in a crash. it was clipped by the rack of another team car.


Specialized is spinning this big time to save some face here..


Their frame broke in pieces on a normal race DH. That is not good for marketing.

They keep saying that it was a car collision, but my NSA photos clearly show that bike in pieces as AC slides in the grass/mud/road.


----------



## spdntrxi

you conspiracy ppl are the worst..


----------



## duriel

I think it is the cowering masses that are the problem in this world.


----------



## mpre53

ziscwg said:


> This is a staged photo that Specialized force the team to set up.
> 
> That carbon frame a$$ploded on the DH. Aluminum all the way


I'm shocked that no one has yelled "Photoshop" based on the lightened contrast on the right of the picture. :lol:


----------



## Rich Gibson

mpre53 said:


> I'm shocked that no one has yelled "Photoshop" based on the lightened contrast on the right of the picture. :lol:


It appears to have been taken through a car window. Nice try.
Rich


----------



## penn_rider

Maybe so, but it has also been altered to some degree. That color is not right, so it has had manipulation at some point.


----------



## mpre53

Rich Gibson said:


> It appears to have been taken through a car window. Nice try.
> Rich


Sarcasm challenged? :wink:


----------



## Dr_John

> I don't see why the moderation team can't just shutdown a thread that is so wrong... the truth is out already.


Are you kidding? This is the most entertaining thread on RBR in ages.


----------



## MMsRepBike

mpre53 said:


> Sarcasm challenged? :wink:


I'll do you a favor here... 

When you type in sarcasm on the internet, you're supposed to use red text.

If you don't use red text, you're not typing with sarcasm because nobody can hear your tone. So if someone doesn't catch your supposed sarcasm it's on you unless it's red text.


----------



## ziscwg

spdntrxi said:


> I don't see why the moderation team can't just shutdown a thread that is so wrong... the truth is out already.


Yes, the truth
A Specialized frame that is supposed to be a show piece for marketing a$$ploded in the middle of a DH section taking a top contender out of the Tour.

Specialized is spinning this and covering it up to make it look like some Belkin team car did it.

I heard George Bush has had some design input on this frame. So, we can blame it on Bush.


----------

