Poll: Catching a race leader with his pants down--yea or nay?
by majope on Feb 17, 2010 11:00 AM EST
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Today's stage in the Tour of Oman is sparking controversy all over Twitterland, after race leader Edvald Boasson Hagen was attacked while on a "nature break." Strong winds then split the peloton, EBH was unable to make it to the lead group, and ended up losing 1:05 and the leader's jersey. Whaddya think of that?
Poll will be open for the next 24 hours.
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I've been on a media blackout trying to avoid Olympics spoilers so I didn't see this.
That is so wrong.
"Awesome! is more about what gets fans excited than what’s harder to do." - Chris...
Isn't NBC awful?
how can you not show live coverage of the winter games that are in the pacific time zone?
March 14, 2010: The great one returns!
I think it bothers me even more because I can't share the fun with my Twitter friends. :-(
"Awesome! is more about what gets fans excited than what’s harder to do." - Chris...
by ZoeRochelle on Feb 17, 2010 12:21 PM EST up reply actions
yeah
time delay really kills chatting. which is a total drag, because that’s part of the fun these days of watching events.
hmmmm
I prefer to watch on my big TV with my bottom on the couch. Bah! to internet viewing. Looks like comfort is pretty important to me. More important than tweeting about it.
"Awesome! is more about what gets fans excited than what’s harder to do." - Chris...
I am currently watching the big TV with my bum in bed.
But it’s curling YET AGAIN!!! Bah curling. I want skiiing. Or speed skating.
curling ROCKS!!!
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
Watched the luge on a stream from Australian TV
yeah that country which doesn’t realize snow even exists, it was befuddling at best.
March 14, 2010: The great one returns!
Imagine how we feel ;)
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
Shhh. There might be Canadians here, and I gather it's a very sore point.
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
Sure you Aussies never brag about claiming GHH....
bah he rode for Australia it’s your medal
March 14, 2010: The great one returns!
Confused? GHH can't ride for Australia... yet
More than anyone, he claims to be Australian, although I think turning his back on his German heritage is causing him many pangs. I don’t think I’ve ever bragged about him, but hey , every time he opens his mouth he sounds just like the ‘bushie’ he is.
There were all sorts of niggles regarding Dale Begg-Smith and his silver medal. good on him I say.
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
Well when he opens his mouth and speaks German he doesn't :)
I think he is still riding for Germany at the moment though, not sure what changed his mind(except for my charm of course).
March 14, 2010: The great one returns!
His girlfriend and not hurting his father's feelings
seems to be the line here, although there’s no suggestion that his father is any way holding him to ransom. i frankly think the system stinks.
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
Haussler has the option to ride for Aussieland this year...he is just having hang ups about it because
it would mean that he might not be able to live in Germany or only for a certain amount of time if he renounced his citizenship…I think thats what would happen any way.
by Vlaanderen90 on Feb 18, 2010 1:14 AM EST up reply actions
Rock and a hard place I suspect.
Whatever makes him happy I say..
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
Of course, it wouldn't have anything to do with
ease of travelling within Europe ;-)
Well not for Phil it wouldn't ;)
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
actually, we're still dining out on Steven Bradbury's unlikely success
and who can blame us?
Now that was/is a brilliant story :)
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
Ugh, you can have that guy.
Please, don’t give him back.
We’d be happy to take Torah Bright in exchange though. :)
I tried to watch olympics on Australian tv last night
and gave up in frustration. 40 minutes of watching gave me about 10 minutes of (very chopped up and out of context) sporting events, and the rest was ads interviews, special features and musical montages.
I’m not sure whether I’ll try again.
Even more bizarre... have you noticed Phil Liggett's presence?
I was non-plussed when I realised that we were watching downhill not cycling with Phil. Man what a good life…
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
I didn't watch enough to see him
But a friend that knows of my cycling obsession told me they heard him commentating.
Olympics coverage...
…is worse than Vs. coverage of cycling.
Of course, that’s ignoring all the other things about the Olympic movement that are beyond scummy and make your skin crawl.
f'ing NBC...
Was watching Universal Sports this afternoon and they said “mute the volume if you don’t want to see the results” so I did it…then they throw up a “Breaking news” banner with all the results of the Women’s Downhill!
Arghhh!!!!
I wish there was an Olympic’s CSPAN – just a bunch of cameras recording live streams and no dumb ass commentators talking about stupid crap (and repeating the same story 400 times).
by JustJoshinYa on Feb 17, 2010 11:54 PM EST up reply actions
It's payback time..
It EBH is smart he reacts in really important races tough
"Here the high school level of immaturity will be left to hottitude columns and people like myself." Der Phil. H
Are you saying
That this is payback for Sky acting like arrogant pricks? Or that Sky will use this as motivation for payback down the road? Or both? I’m inclined to go with the former, but it will be interesting to see how Sky /EBH can respond to this as we move towards the season highlights.
"Some people are like slinkies - not really good for anything but they bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs."
Trouble is, while Sky may/may not have acted "like arrogant pricks",
I don’t think you could really accuse EBH of that. Which is why you have a few riders being slightly mealy-mouthed & saying they’re sorry for him. Yeah, right… just not his team?
(Unless, I suppose, you subscribe to the view
that EBH was as nice as pie & left his manager to put the boot in. I remember Bob Stapleton said something along those lines.)
+1
Maybe both sides feel wronged, but EBH has a lot of payback in those legs. I wouldn’t go poking him this way.
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 17, 2010 2:11 PM EST up reply actions
Maybe
but he has those conniving Brits whispering in his ear.
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 17, 2010 2:32 PM EST up reply actions
Oh Jens. Excellent comeback.
"Awesome! is more about what gets fans excited than what’s harder to do." - Chris...
This kind of sportsmanship p*sses me off!
"He looked pretty good until he went over the side of that cliff." - thevaro
wuh wuh!
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 17, 2010 2:12 PM EST up reply actions
Not a big fan of the move
However, maybe this is some sort of proof about what David Millar said in an interview that Sky doesn’t have a lot of friends in the peloton.
yep
Sky have not exactly won any friends in the pro peloton.
Garmins Robert Hunter – ‘’So another good day in the office.group split in the cross wind & sky 2 races in a row messed up with the yellow jersey.I’m feeling good:’’
Manuel Quinziato hedges his bets a bit:
I was in the first group but I’m sorry they have attaked when Hagen stopped to pis. Not fair. Also cause he’s a good guy!
(via Twitter).
Is it possible he just chose a bad time to go peepee?
Like stopping for a pee at the base of a climb. That’s a no-no.
+1
I’d like to know more about the circumstances of the nature break, like distance from the finish, changing wind/course directions before I whole heartedly condemn attacking the race leader which I probably would do.
Bicycling is the nearest approximation I know to the flight of birds. Louis J. Helle, Jr.
with 50 km to go
according to Lionel Birnie. I would agree with him that this is the business-end of the race and perhaps not the time to go.
that plus
i was thinking if a team were waiting for a chance at taking an echelon (or however you say that), and that chance happened to occur at the same time ol ebh has his pants down, well, how much can you blame them? I mean they’ve got a race to race.
On the other hand if they saw him taking a break and decided to attack because he was “exposed”, so to speak, that would be another matter.
I can imagine if they did it deliberately
we would be hearing more judgmental quotes from riders from different teams. It sounds like it was more of an unfortunate coincidence.
As do I
I’d normally assume that’s way too close to the end to get away with it. Gotta expect guys to be getting ready to crank it up around then.
by Douglas Ansel on Feb 17, 2010 12:39 PM EST up reply actions
It's a pro sport
Be nice when you can be or when it’s advantageous in short or long run. Otherwise, screw ’m.
Team Sky comments
When asked if the team felt the attack came during the toilet break, Hayman added: "That’s the way we see it but it’s racing and there are no rules about that. It’s a bit of an unwritten rule as nature calls every now and then but we’re just disappointed.
Staring at the swim team gets you killed by a gang of dancing ninja men who know how to twirl.
Feed zone attacks
I’ve been seeing more feedzone attacks in the last few years,
but never any during the “group naturals.”
If this is either inadvertent or due to poor communications, then no biggie.
But if they deliberately attacked when the jersey was standing by the side of the road, then that is dirty pool.
That “Sky has few friends” thing didn’t take long to play out !
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the Flag and carrying the Cross."
--Sinclair Lewis
Ben King of TrekU23 has an interesting take of the day's events
Got a taste of pro tour today when the leaders caught our break. Cancellara and Boonen swapping off up front to steel Sky’s lead. Impressive
Also, CN seems to point the finger at CTT for splitting the race. However, it seems Sky’s style of racing contributed quite a bit to teams wanting to catch them off guard. This is their second race where they’ve had the leader’s jersey and lost it for not wanting to ride at the front.
now if that's the case I take back my vote.
I like EBH but if Sky is being pissy then tough.
"Awesome! is more about what gets fans excited than what’s harder to do." - Chris...
Hum that is interesting.....
Leaders do not want to work, so let´s give then a lesson. I like this theory. More fun. heheheh
Your bike doesn't want to crash so relax and let it roll!!!
Let me just say that if Benna was the raceleader in question
there would probably be very few nay-votes in this crowd.
if CN is right and
Several riders claimed that the Team Sky riders vented their anger on the peloton by blasting through the feed zone and then put the peloton in the gutter by riding a half-road echelon when the wind changed direction.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/1st-tour-of-oman-2-1/stage-4/results
then maybe Sky should not be surprised at what happened.
Don't anger
this guy:
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 17, 2010 2:13 PM EST reply actions
Apparently
it’s also revered as a god in Flanders.
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 17, 2010 2:32 PM EST up reply actions
it's revered at least as a national symbol/tourist attraction
I am way more disturbed by the female version (jenneken pis?) a few blocks north outside the entrance to delirium (the bar with like 2000 beers). Manneken Pis is awesome though in every way. Weird to see it made out of chocolate, seems like it would be like eating a slightly pornographic cherub.
Wait
did you say 2000 beers?
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 17, 2010 9:41 PM EST up reply actions
Very cool
though why is he pointed at the food?
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 18, 2010 1:47 AM EST up reply actions
by bike
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 18, 2010 11:47 AM EST up reply actions
I can't believe I am going to be in Amsterdam and I am coming back...
the day before the Ronde! Infinite sadness.
Will have to go back in 2012! Right before the End of the World!!!
Racing for Victory and Free Beer!
The Mattentaart!
Mixed review. Bit of a weird Northern European pastry!
Racing for Victory and Free Beer!
What about a poll
about leader jersey teammates refusing to chase breaks?
Gerrie Kneteman: If a football player falls he shouts for his mother, if a cyclist falls he yells for his bike.
So start one, if you want.
But the CN article just says Sky got angry because they couldn’t get any help with the chasing, not that they were refusing to do it themselves.
I have respect for guys like Carlos and Thor. It makes it even easier to work for them when they’re two superstars in the sport and they’re so down to earth. I know from experience that other superstars can be real assholes.--Heinrich Haussler
They were the ones that let it grow to 7 minutes though while they were at the front...
so they shouldn’t complain and “punish” everybody for not helping when they are leading the race
by Vlaanderen90 on Feb 17, 2010 2:37 PM EST up reply actions
Peloton politics
always murky stuff. But attacking the race leader during a nature break is as close to an iron-clad no-no as you get. That said, Sky attacked at a feed station, so they were inviting trouble.
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 17, 2010 2:35 PM EST up reply actions
According to Roger Hammond
in an updated CN article – SUCK IT UP, CUPCAKE!
"My facking goat didn’t wear Robes! Does he look Scottisch?!" Baron von Frinkenstein
I can reason with this
sounds like Sky wasnt playing by the sandbox rules and got it thrown back in the eyes. If I got blasted during the feed zone on an already hard stage I would probably say the hell with your ill timed piss, even if it is EBH.
by Davide Don of Rio on Feb 17, 2010 4:09 PM EST up reply actions
i agree*
*if what Roger says is actually what happened, who knows?
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
Here is Roger's
reaction to his CN article.
Via his twitter: http://twitter.com/rog10
mmm, just read my interview on cyclingnews, trying to make a story out of nothing. Not what I said but makes for a good story for them!
Amazing how journalists can get a simple story so wrong. Hopefully he will write the correct version tomorrow.
I just read another thing that said it was BMC who split the peloton...
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
I was taken out of context
when I called Sky a bunch of lying dirty cheating thieving assholes!
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 17, 2010 7:47 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah
I’m sure they all showered. The dirty part was uncalled for.
"Some people are like slinkies - not really good for anything but they bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs."
More from Boonen and Farrar
kind of sounds like no communication from Sky and EBH needs to learn to pee off the bike or hold it for a better time.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/debate-continues-about-stage-4-tactics-in-oman
meh
i can see both sides. this is just team psychology, quite possibly encouraged by directeur sportifs, who want their guys to lay down an early-season marker. i don’t know if it’s specifically anti sky, and i’m pretty sure it’s not anti EBH. plus, it’s only the tour of oman.
"well...you live in england so: you love the rain. loves the queen. hates cycling. based on mr bean had a tremendous amount of humour. all ride in a mini cooper. all getting drunk before the age of 12. getting drunk at least 3 times a day."- frinking, 7/9/09
Personally, I'm against this whole peeing-business
If they have to pee so badly it has to mean they aren’t sweating enough.
Depends...
"Some people are like slinkies - not really good for anything but they bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs."
I imagine the urge is worse in cold places.
I had a cup of tea just before singing in an Ash Wednesday mass tonight. Long service+caffeine+freezing church=desperation for the loo by the end of the sermon.
Thanks for sharing that ;)
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
So
this will be EBH’s undoing: the fact that 150km stages with 1000 meters of climbing don’t cause him to sweat?
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 17, 2010 7:47 PM EST up reply actions
Lieuwe Westra
Missed the front group too. There goes the opportunity for two Vacansoleil overall wins in 2 weeks. Total bummer!
Gerrie Kneteman: If a football player falls he shouts for his mother, if a cyclist falls he yells for his bike.
EBH comments
“It wasn’t a nice thing to do. It’s not something i would have done, let’s put it like that.”
I'm disappointed in you all
50-odd comments, and not one person has come out with the line “It’s just not cricket”…? Sheesh…
I will say something:
The fun has begun. UHU!!!!!!!
Unleash hell!!!!!!!!!!
Your bike doesn't want to crash so relax and let it roll!!!
Sky lost all the jerseys in one move.
Bonito! Hehehehe.
Your bike doesn't want to crash so relax and let it roll!!!
no
please don’t :)
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 17, 2010 7:48 PM EST up reply actions
Not for long... I'm thinking that Boonen or Cancellara are looking pretty good about now.
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
Hmm. Well I'm enjoying it while it lasts ;-)
There aren’t many photos around though, which is rather distressing.
This may just be folklore
But I am sure I read an account once of when a small group did something similar to the “real” Eddie and his response was to basically ride the peleton off his wheel, bridge to the offenders, look each of them in the eye and then proceed to drop them, soloing in for the (stage?) win.
I mean this sounds so fanciful that it could only be true of one man…..
"Age and treachery will overcome youth and skill" - Fausto Coppi
At the end of the day, everyone in the peloton has their own agenda, and black/white right/wrong is generally not as clear cut as it may seem. Generally speaking, its not cool, but its also not cool to drill it through the feedzone. I think once a team is so much as perceived as doing something dirty, guilty or not, justified or not, the gloves are off.
+1 on the gloves being off
The poll doesn’t have my answer: Sorry it happened to EBH, but it sounds like Sky asked for it.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Don't mind EBH but he is on sky
and sky I am not fond of, so suck on that noobs!
March 14, 2010: The great one returns!
Yea if today's story is true, then Sky needs to buy a clue on...
“how to ride when you have the race leader’s jersey”, wtf-yo.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Normally I would say don't attack on a nature break,
but considering that Sky rode at the side so that no one could hide from the wind, and considering that they tried to punish the peleton for not helping them by hammering through the feed zone, I think they got what they deserved. When you have the leaders jersey, no one is obligated to help you keep it.
While EBH may be a nice enough guy, the team seems to be taking on Wiggins personality.
Response:
“Also, CN seems to point the finger at CTT for splitting the race.”
Yeah, Sky was in the lead, hugging one side of the road. Hammonds said that he decided to move up, and then everyone just went with him. So while Hammonds can be considered the instigator, he didn’t have to do any convincing to get 40 other guys to help.
I have been giving this question some thought.
Hark now to the Wisdom of Lou…
Buggered if I know.
It’s not like I saw coverage of the stage. And all of the players in the drama can talk as much as they like – I can’t give any weight to what they say without at least having seen the race.
All Hail Lou!!!
The spiritual leader of the century.
Can we get on with the controversy now?
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Yes of course. Do carry on.
But do so mindfully. And try to follow the Eightfold Path…
Wouldn't you have to do more than just see the race.
This one I would think would require that you also hear what the riders are saying as well. As a fan I’m content to just sit back and pontificate, perhaps this whole episode is just drama to make sure we don’t lose interest or perhaps it’s even more devious in it’s origins. What if they are bored because they can’t have a drink in these middle eastern countries and are trying to whip up a controversy so they can laugh themselves silly over what it is we have to say about it on the interwebs.
Bicycling is the nearest approximation I know to the flight of birds. Louis J. Helle, Jr.
As good a reason as any:
“trying to whip up a controversy so they can laugh themselves silly over what it is we have to say about it on the interwebs.”
"Awesome! is more about what gets fans excited than what’s harder to do." - Chris...
by ZoeRochelle on Feb 18, 2010 11:41 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Ok , so that didn't happen in seconds
That video pretty much makes Sky’s claims that they tried to put an end to it look like bs. They had 4 guys at the front. Not one of them made a move to go with the stream of riders that went to the front to lay down the law and put a stop to the move.
Being upset about it afterwards would have looked better if they had actually tried doing something about it on the road.
Pretty echelons
I’m a little worn out from the peloton ethics debate. Just nice to see racing again. And real racing only 8 days off…
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 18, 2010 5:06 PM EST up reply actions
I miss the countdown clock.
Jens—total aside—congrats to your compatriot Anna Paerson for picking up bronze today. If only she’d learn to spell her last name correctly…
Shit happens--Edvald Boasson Hagen, on Tour of Oman Stage 4.
Tour du Haut Var is just two days off Chris
there will be live streaming and there will be Tommy Voeckler attacks.
March 14, 2010: The great one returns!
Benna
does not looked pleased to get dusted by a neo-pro. Love it
by Davide Don of Rio on Feb 18, 2010 9:21 PM EST up reply actions
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