Pro-cycling thread

Broken spoke?

Was there any beer?

The way I see it, it looks like there is a small contact between Cav and Viviani a half second before the moment that I think others are describing as the 'flick'? Maybe that small touch caused a subsequent wobble that brought Viviani down, or maybe Viviani even touched Cav's deraileur causing him to skip a gear?

Also, Viviani is only there because he's fighting to regain Cav's wheel after the IAM rider pushed him off it a few seconds previously.

hashtagarmchair

I don't think you can fault Cav there, it is a small movement , Viviani was simply too close, over-lapping wheels as Dan said.

Usually if your front wheel touches a rear deraileur it's you that does the skipping!

https://twitter.com/MarkCavendish/status/576057355214983168

Using up last year's SRAM chains?

ouch, https://twitter.com/TirrenAdriatico/status/576069612850323457

Looks to me like he flicks over because he's overlapped on the wheel of his teammate in front, who had moved over.

Or he slipped a chain. Bro, do you even Shimano?

@hippy nice edit there

I thought so.

From the video it still looks like he was heading backwards, expecting his leadout to go the other way or summat. Although leadout guy doesn't slow so

looked to me, pre chain knowledge, that he was following his leadout without checking he had space to do so. Viviani doesn't deviate from his line, Cav's the one who changes course, and they're not sprinting yet so you couldn't argue a block

Dropped chain:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/etixx-quickstep-to-investigate-cavendishs-dropped-chain-in-tirreno-adriatico

Jeebus, spectator appears to pull a rider down in the middle of a sprint. He's banging on the boards then suddenly sticks his arm out into her bars.

http://www.rtvdrenthe.nl/nieuws/video-toeschouwer-veroorzaakt-val-bij-eindsprint-drentse-8-van-westerveld

Chain slipped, then Viviani's front wheel unclipped Cav's right foot. What a disaster, I hope Viviani and Modolo came out not so bad as it seems!

The season's started properly, we're having our first did Cav cause a crash discussion.

@dubtap Fuck!

When you consider the sacrifices and hardships of being a pro cyclist, being given FSA kit must be a real kick in the balls.

Popped in to post this. Horrible. It looks deliberate.

{ the Loren Rowney incident, not FSA supplied kit, ha! }

The season's started properly, we're having our first did Cav cause a crash discussion.

VAC. :)

Just watching replay of Paris - Nice and I thought race radios and Astana were banned, no?

Jesus - on the other hand I'm determined that if I follow enough of the Flemish/Dutch cycling press this season I can learn it. Half way between German and English.

She's got a broken sleutelbeen and is off to Hamburg for an operation :( GWS.

World tour so radios allowed. Astana - not yet.

Good stage. Looked hard. Great roads in the last 50km especially. Liked the scenery too, but I should probably take that to the middle aged thread. Good to see Roche making mega efforts, and getting a result at the end of it!

The scenery is a big part of the appeal of bike racing. Strade Bianchi is worth watching for the scenery on its own.