# TDF Stage 1 Coverage



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

*TDF Stage 1 Coverage SPOIL ALERT!*

O.K., who's going to watch stage 1, start to finish?


Apparently they are going to stream the entire stage. For me, that means getting up at 0400HRS MST, but I will :Yawn:  .


----------



## tazzmacd (Feb 24, 2012)

I will miss an hour part way through but will be there start to finish


----------



## Rokh On (Oct 30, 2011)

Whatever they stream, I will be watching.


----------



## proclaimer888 (Jul 24, 2010)

OK, I'm up and ready, NBC Sports will apparently stream.


----------



## c_h_i_n_a_m_a_n (Mar 3, 2012)

at least with Wiggins winning it last year we have more coverage on terrestrial TV ...

View attachment 283201


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Alright.


Who's up and watching? Check in!


----------



## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

I'm watching the direct on France 2

Froomey crashes before the 1st Km, changed bikes twice.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Froome already has a puncture!


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Froome actually crashed!


Apparently he hit the curb. Detailed are to follow.


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Was going to get up early and watch the whole stage...didn't. Now on though.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Marc said:


> Was going to get up early and watch the whole stage...didn't. Now on though.


You've only missed 60km of the stage. 


There's still over 150+km to go.

A five man break away started as the flag was dropped. They've been averaging a 2:30min gap. Now down to 2:00min.


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

cda 455 said:


> You've only missed 60km of the stage.
> 
> 
> There's still over 150+km to go.
> ...


So I gathered.  I like the virtual touristing though.

Looks like NBC has finally staightened out their bandwidth so their video is finally above 480 YouTube quality.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Marc said:


> So I gathered.  I like the virtual touristing though.
> 
> Looks like NBC has finally staightened out their bandwidth so their video is finally above 480 YouTube quality.



The picture quality I'm watching looks exactly like the picture quality of watching an early '80's recording of the TDF  :lol: !

But hey; It's free and they're streaming the entire stage :thumbsup: !


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

cda 455 said:


> The picture quality I'm watching looks exactly like the picture quality of watching an early '80's recording of the TDF  :lol: !
> 
> But hey; It's free and they're streaming the entire stage :thumbsup: !


NBC online at least is commercial free....unlike Eurosport these days. NBC had better be and stay commercial free since I paid $30 for it. Debated paying or not for it, and just said hell with it.

///confession: I have Eurosport on in the background for audio...cannot stand anyone NBC hires to do race commentary.


----------



## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

I'm watching on my tv and on my computer. Eurosport has some good HD coverage. Can be found on Cyclingfans.com or Steephill.tv.
The NBC television coverage (live) is absolutely packed with commercials. It wouldn't be too much of an issue if it was not live coverage. I think I will end up recording the broadcast in order to fast forward through that crap. I also prefer to listen to the Eurosport commentary, it adds to the Euro experience (love hearing Kelly saying "tirty" kilometers to go, etc).


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

burgrat said:


> I'm watching on my tv and on my computer. Eurosport has some good HD coverage. Can be found on Cyclingfans.com or Steephill.tv.
> The NBC television coverage (live) is absolutely packed with commercials. It wouldn't be too much of an issue if it was not live coverage. I think I will end up recording the broadcast in order to fast forward through that crap. I also prefer to listen to the Eurosport commentary, it adds to the Euro experience (love hearing Kelly saying "tirty" kilometers to go, etc).


Yeah, I got my link from steephill.tv.


During the opening kms I was watching on an English speaking stream and then a ban symbol appeared so I went hunting for another link and ended up with a french stream.


Whenever I'm watching a race or a tour that involves France, Switzerland, or Belgium; my wife sits a points out all the places that she's been to as the peleton passes through the towns/villages, etc.

In about two hours she'll be up and doing that  :lol: !


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Andrei Greipel's legs "look like he's smuggling frozen chickens", according to Carlton Kirby.


----------



## saddle tramp (Feb 22, 2006)

Dang, I want to move to Corsica!


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Marc said:


> Andrei Greipel's legs "look like he's smuggling frozen chickens", according to Carlton Kirby.


:lol:


Interesting description for a visual!


----------



## gregario (Nov 19, 2001)

I'll probably get flamed for this, but I'm sick of Phil Liggett. Yes, I know he's an institution, but his claims about how he had no IDEA cyclists doped and his defense of Armstrong really soured my attitude. Plus his constant errors are grating.


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

gregario said:


> I'll probably get flamed for this, but I'm sick of Phil Liggett. Yes, I know he's an institution, but his claims about how he had no IDEA cyclists doped and his defense of Armstrong really soured my attitude. Plus his constant errors are grating.


Nah. All of those are reasons why I use other audio commentary when at all available.


----------



## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

gregario said:


> I'll probably get flamed for this, but I'm sick of Phil Liggett. Yes, I know he's an institution, but his claims about how he had no IDEA cyclists doped and his defense of Armstrong really soured my attitude. Plus his constant errors are grating.


I agree. Liggett, Sherwin, and Roll had their noses so far up LA's bum that they have lost any shred of journalist credibility that they _may_ have had. Maybe they should have been suspended too.


----------



## JackDaniels (Oct 4, 2011)

Hoogerland sniffs out another fence.


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Hey Orica...your bus was too tall for the finish line...in case you haven't noticed. And PS, good job breaking the finish line timing sensors.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Stay away from the killer banners!!1!


That's, what, two crashes that the banners have caused?!


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

New finish line...because they cannot get the bus free...3km cut from the finish.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Marc said:


> Hey Orica...your bus was too tall for the finish line...in case you haven't noticed. And PS, good job breaking the finish line timing sensors.



The bus is still in the way!!


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

cda 455 said:


> The bus is still in the way!!


Finish was moved up. 3km banner is where the race ends.


----------



## Roar (Sep 12, 2009)

I just came back after being out - wtf is this with this bus?

Can't they just drag it out or reverse? What's the problem?


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Roar said:


> I just came back after being out - wtf is this with this bus?
> 
> Can't they just drag it out or reverse? What's the problem?


It is jammed under the gantry. They can't raise the gantry anymore safely...and the bus broke the timing sensors while it was at it.


----------



## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

Huge crash and confusion!


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

burgrat said:


> Huge crash and confusion!


Bus is free...finish line is recalled to the original...Cav is out of the running today...same with Sagan


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Sagan is down!


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Griepal is stopped!


----------



## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

Sagan has a big rip on his jersey, team mate is pushing him.

Total screwup...Orica is going to be in trouble over this.

There's going to be a lot of really angry riders tomorrow!


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> Sagan has a big rip on his jersey, team mate is pushing him.
> 
> Total screwup...Orica is going to be in trouble over this.


Orica driver should get the combativity award today.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Contador is off the front!


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Probably the timings are going to be neutralized....


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Marc said:


> Probably the timings are going to be neutralized....



That was crazy!!


----------



## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

total carnage


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

cda 455 said:


> That was crazy!!


Absolute chaos. Haven't seen something that bizzare in a race in sometime.


----------



## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

Matt Goss looks like he's got a problem, his bike is leaning against the barrier a good 100m from the line and he disregards the peloton as it goes by. 
Sagan is "bruised and battered".

Orica team car should be in last position for the rest of the Tour. Absolute idiots.


----------



## sir duke (Mar 24, 2006)

It's Marcel Kittel for the win.


----------



## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

Contador must have fallen because he had a torn jersey. I hope everyone is ok.

They should just give everyone the same time and yellow jersey to Kittel.

I think the only one not with the group at the time of the crash was Hoogerland. Man that guy has bad luck.

Crazy day!


----------



## sir duke (Mar 24, 2006)

...and the Orica bus driver for an almighty bollocking...


----------



## texasnewb (May 22, 2011)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> Total screwup...Orica is going to be in trouble over this.
> 
> !


Is it Orica's fault or whoever hung the banner? Seems like it should have been hung high enough to get a team bus through....


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> Matt Goss looks like he's got a problem, his bike is leaning against the barrier a good 100m from the line and he disregards the peloton as it goes by.
> Sagan is "bruised and battered".
> 
> Orica team car should be in last position for the rest of the Tour. Absolute idiots.



Whoa; That was Goss?!


----------



## Skewer (Sep 13, 2011)

Terrible ending for stage 1. All top sprinters out. Blame the bus driver.


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

texasnewb said:


> Is it Orica's fault or whoever hung the banner? Seems like it should have been hung high enough to get a team bus through....


Except usually with all the tunnels and mountain passes, there has to be a maximum vehicle height to be cognizant of....which the driver forgot or didn't know there was a Sat TV dish on top of his vehicle.

And it wasn't a banner...it was a steel gantry, and it couldn't go any higher according to Carlton Kirby. And that gantry is LCL's property, not the city's.


----------



## DonMI6 (Apr 8, 2013)

Tv here is saying that everyone gets the same time. The riders had been told that the finish line was at 3km, the 6km point became the cutoff point. Hope everyone's ok though. Manic stage & Kittel in yellow tomorrow!


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

The chaos seems to have started with those side banners taking out riders.


And then one rider fell over causing the first big spill.

Crazy!


----------



## sir duke (Mar 24, 2006)

Contador crashed too. jersey is all ripped up at the back.


----------



## Skewer (Sep 13, 2011)

Griepel needs to upgrade his chain and gears to motorcycle gears/chain for those legs.


----------



## JackDaniels (Oct 4, 2011)

It looked like Greipel caused the crash trying to move up.


----------



## Yamilo (Sep 18, 2012)

Skewer said:


> Griepel needs to upgrade his chain and gears to motorcycle gears/chain for those legs.


Such bad luck... He avoided the big crash and still got screwed..


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

I missed where Contador crashed.


Which crash was he in?


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Tony Martin out with a broken collar bone?!!


----------



## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

Pretty sad day for Corsica's first ever Tour stage.


----------



## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

texasnewb said:


> Is it Orica's fault or whoever hung the banner? Seems like it should have been hung high enough to get a team bus through....


It's the same metal structure used in dozens of races...the driver should know darn well whether his bus will clear it.


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> Pretty sad day for Corsica's first ever Tour stage.


Meh.

None of what happened was the host's fault.b Was all brain farts by racers/drivers and the race organizers fault.


----------



## texasnewb (May 22, 2011)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> It's the same metal structure used in dozens of races...the driver should know darn well whether his bus will clear it.


That's what I don't get...unless its a brand new bus or newly modified, you would think they've driven it under many if those prior to today without issue, no?


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

texasnewb said:


> That's what I don't get...unless its a brand new bus or newly modified, you would think they've driven it under many if those prior to today without issue, no?


Looked brand new to me...and it missed under by inches:

Marcel Kittel wins a bizarre opening to the 100th Tour de France

And once the finish gantry caught on it-it was a massive safety hazard...as I don't think they strap that bridge/tower structure down or brace it. So freeing the bus could easily have toppled the finish bridge. It looked to me.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

texasnewb said:


> That's what I don't get...unless its a brand new bus or newly modified, you would think they've driven it under many if those prior to today without issue, no?


Agree.


Either the finish line bridge was too low or that was a new type of bus that was being used and they weren't familiar with.

Personally, I haven't seen that style/type of bus used before or I don't recognize it. :shrugs:


----------



## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

poor guy...
View attachment 283215


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)




----------



## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

This stage conformed in every way to the definition of "fuster cluck". The good thing is that the race can only get better.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Marc said:


> Looked brand new to me...and it missed under by inches:
> 
> Marcel Kittel wins a bizarre opening to the 100th Tour de France
> 
> And once the finish gantry caught on it-it was a massive safety hazard...as I don't think they strap that bridge/tower structure down or brace it. So freeing the bus could easily have toppled the finish bridge. It looked to me.


Interesting; Good point.


Looks like they'll be doing refresher courses on their equipment safety inspections. 

This reminds me of the incident at this years Giro when an inflatable km marker fell onto the course right at a hairpin turn during a descent :eek6: ! The breakaway group almost crashed right into it!


----------



## upstateSC-rider (Aug 21, 2004)

Utter chaos...They should just give a yellow jersey to everyone. :aureola:


----------



## cale262 (Apr 28, 2010)

That was the best sprinters stage ever...Kittel agrees


----------



## EuroSVT (Sep 15, 2011)

Cannondale Pro Cycling says Sagan is fine, but awaiting status on Ted King? Wth is up with this stage 1, kind of wishing now they would have just done the usual prologue.


----------



## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

Read Froome went down too?

A lot of bigger names went down today.


----------



## EuroSVT (Sep 15, 2011)

Ventruck said:


> Read Froome went down too?
> 
> A lot of bigger names went down today.


Yeah, Froome went down near the start of the stage, somehow. Contador hit the deck somewhere as well


----------



## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

*re: The Bus*

From Q&A with Matt White at the Orica Greenedge site:

*Q: Our fans have been asking a lot of questions about the bus incident at the finish line. Can you describe what happened and how things could have gone wrong in the way they did?
*
Obviously, this was a really unfortunate situation. The bus was led under the finish gantry, and it we took for granted that there was enough clearance. We’ve had this bus since we started the team, and it’s the same bus we took to the Tour last year. 

Our bus driver was told to move forward and became lodged under the finish gantry. He followed all instructions in the process that followed thanks to the hard work by ASO that allowed him to remove the bus before the finish. It was the best possible outcome given the situation.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Ventruck said:


> Read Froome went down too?
> 
> A lot of bigger names went down today.





EuroSVT said:


> Yeah, Froome went down near the start of the stage, somehow. Contador hit the deck somewhere as well


The riders were still in the neutral zone at the beginning of the race when Froome touched the curb and went down.


Talk about a hint of things to come!


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Marc said:


>


:lol:


Reminds me of a scene from one of my favorite Bugs Bunny cartoons:


----------



## Henry Porter (Jul 25, 2006)

JSR said:


> From Q&A with Matt White at the Orica Greenedge site:
> 
> *Q: Our fans have been asking a lot of questions about the bus incident at the finish line. Can you describe what happened and how things could have gone wrong in the way they did?
> *
> ...


In other words, we didn't do what we should have.


----------



## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

I can only imagine the radio communications at the last few km's. That looked like freon spraying out of the Green Edge bus... I hope they can get that patched up, else it's going to be hot as balls on that bus. Those guys need a climate controlled environment to rest in.

Go C. Froome.


----------



## gofast2wheeler (Oct 13, 2011)

What a mess!!!! Someone should by sued for this. IMO the last crash was caused by this incident. I know the riders are professionals but having the finish line changed broke every one's concentration which caused this mishap. I can not imagine the chatter on the radios when the riders were getting the message ******* finish line has been moved, then ******* back to normal! Come on, this maybe the last time some of these sprinters will ever get such a chance to wear yellow. Heads must be rolling, rightfully so!!! Overall, great race though. Will be watching all the races on DVR. Can't wait for Bob Roll commentary tonight on NBCSN.


----------



## AlanE (Jan 22, 2002)

It was obvious to me that they should have started to back up the bus immediately. They had plenty of time. Why did they take so long? 

Oh, I forgot, they're French.


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

AlanE said:


> It was obvious to me that they should have started to back up the bus immediately. They had plenty of time. Why did they take so long?
> 
> Oh, I forgot, they're French.


Umm.. That gantry isn't braced... So immediately backing up could well have brought the structure down on bystanders.


----------



## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

they should have gotten a midget with an axe on top of that bus and had him start swinging at the LED panel or whatever it was that dug in.


----------



## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

Marc said:


> Umm.. That gantry isn't braced... So immediately backing up could well have brought the structure down on bystanders.


Yeah. That's what I was thinking watching it in real time. As the bus backed up it could have fallen down, perhaps onto the front of the bus. They couldn't rush it and risk hurting or killing somewhere there. IMO, they should have waited until the 3km mark and if they hadn't cleared the bus, simply neutralize the race. Trying to change the finish line and have a legitimate finish seems impossible, as you'd have to get the word to all the riders soon enough to prepare, and even then there'd be no distance markers and they'd be going into it without having sufficiently familiarized themselves with the details of the course leading up to that point.


----------



## dcorn (Sep 1, 2011)

JSR said:


> From Q&A with Matt White at the Orica Greenedge site:
> 
> *Q: Our fans have been asking a lot of questions about the bus incident at the finish line. Can you describe what happened and how things could have gone wrong in the way they did?
> *
> ...





Henry Porter said:


> In other words, we didn't do what we should have.


What?? Even the commentators said the buses usually go under the banners and that the banner should have been set higher. If they had the bus last year, obviously they've driven under many of those banners. Not the teams fault, definitely whoever set up the gantry. 


And what is up with those banners on the side of the road? The roads are already narrow, lets put poles with ad banners on the edge of the curb to make the roads narrower and give the riders something to run into?? Who the hell thought of that? Sucks for Hoogerland though. 

Good for Kittel winning, but I was really hoping to see Cav in yellow.


----------



## sir duke (Mar 24, 2006)

9W9W said:


> they should have gotten a midget with an axe on top of that bus and had him start swinging at the LED panel or whatever it was that dug in.


You really think the Union de Mijets avec un Axe are gonna let their members work on a weekend?? During le Tour??


----------



## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

+1 - I've been to the Tour twice - it is chaos. The French seem to thrive on it. The workers and organizers are constantly yelling at each other, vehicles everywhere. 

The question is, what was a team bus doing on the finishing straight 10 km ahead of the riders in the first place?




AlanE said:


> It was obvious to me that they should have started to back up the bus immediately. They had plenty of time. Why did they take so long?
> 
> Oh, I forgot, they're French.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

sir duke said:


> You really think the Union de Mijets avec un Axe are gonna let their members work on a weekend?? During le Tour??



Oh; Good point!


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Just read Tony Martin abandoned the race  .


----------



## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

texasnewb said:


> Is it Orica's fault or whoever hung the banner? Seems like it should have been hung high enough to get a team bus through....


Both. It should have been hung higher but he shouod not have driven through it if he did not know he could make it.


----------



## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

cda 455 said:


> Just read Tony Martin abandoned the race  .


Supposedly carried out of tour bus on stretcher. yikes! he's going to be under close observation for a day or three...

Tony Martin being stretched out of his team bus unconscious. @skyorla will give update at quarter past the hour : SkySportsLia


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

9W9W said:


> Supposedly carried out of tour bus on stretcher. yikes! he's going to be under close observation for a day or three...
> 
> Tony Martin being stretched out of his team bus unconscious. @skyorla will give update at quarter past the hour : SkySportsLia


If true:


Unconscious=not good  . 

That must have been a hard hit!


----------



## bballr4567 (Jul 17, 2012)

Insane amount of chaos today. My wife hates bike racing but was glued to the screen today. She even got upset when I accidentally fast forwarded the race. 

Shame about Martin. Hopefully he is ok.


----------



## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

gofast2wheeler said:


> What a mess!!!! Someone should by sued for this.


I stubbed my toe while watching this on tv. Can I sue too?
I'm with you. We seriously need more lawsuits. They fix everything.:thumbsup:


----------



## gofast2wheeler (Oct 13, 2011)

I am not one for sueing for anything but at this stage people must be hold accountable, and at this level they only understand monetary pain. Look Martin is out, serious stuff. I feel this contributed to the mess (accident), i do know accidents happen but with all that was taken place and the finish line being shorted caused panic why before it should have happened.


----------



## Fireform (Dec 15, 2005)

Martin was on my fantasy team. Somebody needs to pay!


----------



## bballr4567 (Jul 17, 2012)

gofast2wheeler said:


> I am not one for sueing for anything but at this stage people must be hold accountable, and at this level they only understand monetary pain. Look Martin is out, serious stuff. I feel this contributed to the mess (accident), i do know accidents happen but with all that was taken place and the finish line being shorted caused panic why before it should have happened.


Can you name a stage in where there WASNT a wreck? TdF is known for its jitters in the first few stages especially if they involve a sprint finish.


----------



## RRRoubaix (Aug 27, 2008)

NJBiker72 said:


> Both. It should have been hung higher but he shouod not have driven through it if he did not know he could make it.


If it's true that they've used the same bus since the team was formed and never had a problem and the buses usually pass under the gantry and all the officials are telling you to pass on... why would the driver assume _this time_ it's different?

That said, I started yelling at the driver to back up, oh, 0.2 seconds after he hit it.
Took the French a little longer to come to the same conclusion.


----------



## RaptorTC (Jul 20, 2012)

Well, I'm just glad that I gave Kittel that last slot on my fantasy team.


----------



## albert owen (Jul 7, 2008)

Martin is one of my all time favourite riders - what a shame for him and, by extension, Cavendish. No one can pull a really train along quite like Martin IMO.


----------



## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

RRRoubaix said:


> If it's true that they've used the same bus since the team was formed and never had a problem and the buses usually pass under the gantry and all the officials are telling you to pass on... why would the driver assume _this time_ it's different?


The gantry has two heights - one for the race caravan & buses to pass under plus a lower height for the race finish. All caravan traffic is given a cut-off time for passing over the finish line. Greenedge decided at the last minute (after the cutoff) to drive the bus there from their hotel. They got fined for that mistake.

If you watch the two scenes of the finish line you can clearly see the gantry at two different heights. There looks to be a 3-4' difference. I wound back the PVR to see this.

Late bus, bad calls add to chaos of Tour?s first day


----------



## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

RRRoubaix said:


> If it's true that they've used the same bus since the team was formed and never had a problem and the buses usually pass under the gantry and all the officials are telling you to pass on... why would the driver assume _this time_ it's different?
> 
> That said, I started yelling at the driver to back up, oh, 0.2 seconds after he hit it.
> Took the French a little longer to come to the same conclusion.


If he had his eyes open? 

And then once it starts crunching. Just should have been more careful. Then to act all p':'"-" off.


----------



## mtnroadie (Jul 6, 2010)

The bus crash was staged, an inside job! The more drama the better the ratings. 

Agreed the bus needed to be moved back ASAP. I must say I was laughing my butt off, the cluster f$%# of incompetence was a hoot.


----------



## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

Why was Tony Martin unconscious? He looked stunned as he was sitting on the ground but his helmet didn't look damaged. 

The route wasn't up to normal Pro Tour standards. There were a lot of traffic islands and roundabouts that had NO marshals on them. The peloton had trouble going round many of them, you could see riders bunnyhopping over obstacles. Other places were very well protected, some of the bridges had padding over the ends. Weird.

I really hope everyone is okay after all this...


----------



## phoehn9111 (May 11, 2005)

JackDaniels said:


> It looked like Greipel caused the crash trying to move up.


This is the most important element of the stage, not the bus.
Greipel just bulled up and refused to brake, causing the crash
and disrupting the whole stage. Can't believe noone else picked
up on this.


----------



## EuroSVT (Sep 15, 2011)

Saw that too, but chalked it up to just racing. Was inadvertent imo. Don't forget how screwed up that stage was with those little mini-race barriers they had everywhere, making the route get very narrow at times.


----------

