Road Bike Racing - Tyler is out of TDF

Tyler Hamilton was in the crash and broke his collar bone. This time it looks like he will not be able to continue. Bad luck. Lance Armstrong was also in the crash, but reportedly has minor injuries.

:eek: What in hell happened? I was out riding.

Levi Lepheimer is out too. Sustained injuries to his back and hip.
It was a horrific crash.
That makes 2 of my 4 favorites out.

A kelme rider was trying to do something Kelme riders should never try to do...Sprint!, and took down half the field. J. Casper was driven away in an ambulance.

Originally posted by don d.
A kelme rider was trying to do something Kelme riders should never try to do...Sprint!, and took down half the field. J. Casper was driven away in an ambulance.

I dont think was trying to sprint. The pile up happen in the middle of the pack behind most of the sprinters and lead outs. His rear wheel broke loose in the turn.
You can clearly see it sliding as he is coming around the corner.

:eek:

How much time did Lance end up losing from the crash?

Originally posted by Koffee Brown
:eek:

How much time did Lance end up losing from the crash?

None when there is a crash within the final kilometer everyone gets the same time.

Not like I like gore, but I hope they replay it on ESPN so I can get an idea of what you guys are talking about!

Sheesh, I am crappin' my pants with this no-OLN cable! :rolleyes: :eek:

Have you thought about going to an establishment that has TdF video coverage? For instance...


**TOUR DE FRANCE AT BRASSERIE JO**

Brasserie Jo
59 W. Hubbard, Chicago, IL (312) 595-0800

Watch the Tour de France at Brasserie Jo, 59 West Hubbard, every evening of the race on a flat screen television in the bar area at 6:00 p.m. While viewing this spectacular event enjoy a “Tour de France” cocktail and French regional specialties from the route that “Le Tour” travels. Brasserie Jo will also offer a chance to win a dinner for two if you correctly guess the race leader at the end of the following day’s race.

sounds like a cool place to go even if you have OLN

Damn, I wish this town had something like that .... but anything other then the Diamondbacks, Cardinals, or Rodeo get's no attention.

I'm surprised there isn't better cycling coverage in Flagstaff. I was just out there on vacation and there were cyclists everywhere. The newspapers in Colorado even had coverage of the Ride the Rockies - amazing. Maybe someone from a LBS is Flagstaff could help find someplace with coverage - like a bar with a satelite dish or something. Good Luck.

I'd like to find a place in Ann Arbor, MI with cycling coverage as I'll be there the entire week for business and I doubt my hotel will have OLN.

Hmmm... think I will take FOG there while he's in Chicago this week. It could be the perfect place for us to meet for coctails!

Thanks for the info!

Koffee

Originally posted by KevinG
I dont think was trying to sprint. The pile up happen in the middle of the pack behind most of the sprinters and lead outs. His rear wheel broke loose in the turn.
You can clearly see it sliding as he is coming around the corner.

Cyclingnews.com is reporting that Jose Enrique Gutirrez(Kelme) lost control after being pushed by a Cofidis rider while they were winding up for the sprint. But whatever....you're probably right, not them!:confused:

Originally posted by don d.
Cyclingnews.com is reporting that Jose Enrique Gutirrez(Kelme) lost control after being pushed by a Cofidis rider while they were winding up for the sprint. But whatever....you're probably right, not them!:confused:

When I saw the original video, and the replays, it didn't look like he was pushed. It seemed like a mechanical problem. If he was pushed I don't think he would have taken his foot off like that.

I suspected a front tire blowout. The way he went down and over like that... It did not look like he was about to sprint.

That's what I originally heard...that his foot came out of his pedal, then the story changed to "he was pushed".

I saw his foot come out for some reason and his rear end broke loose. Could it have been a clipless pedal failure/inadvertant disengagement?

Have you ever seen one of these fail? It seems more likely that the adjustable setting was to low, but that's just speculation. A good sprint is really an explosion of power so it could have been a system breakdown.

Originally posted by Koffee Brown
Not like I like gore, but I hope they replay it on ESPN so I can get an idea of what you guys are talking about!


You can see the carnage at letour.com (http://www.letour.com/2003/us/index.html). Click on "Video> Daily Clips> 7/6/03: Alessandro Petacchi Wins Stage 2 / Massive Crash in the Peloton" and select your connection speed.

When I saw it on OLN it looked like his rear end broke loose, then he took his foot out to regain balance or catch him self.

Originally posted by don d.
But whatever....you're probably right, not them!:confused:

I probably was watching the same footage/angle that they were. SO whatever right back at ya buddy.:rolleyes:

Originally posted by don d.
Have you ever seen one of these fail? It seems more likely that the adjustable setting was to low, but that's just speculation. A good sprint is really an explosion of power so it could have been a system breakdown.

I guess I misused the term "failure". I just meant to say that it looked like he accidently unclipped. "You may be subject to penalties for early withdrawal."

Damn - both Tyler and Levi. I guess we'll never know their potential this year. Both were very strong. Both were certainly a threat for the podium, and Tyler was perhaps bidding for the top spot.

Damn. :(

Horrendous crash, and I was REALLY pulling for Tyler.

not to sound too crass, but I think its a French plot. Get
rid of all the favourites and maybe a french rider
can win. . . :D

Marty

Just to show what a class act Tyler is, here is his take
on todays crash.

Hamilton blamed Tour organizers for the crash, saying there should not have been a final turn so close to the end.

``I think Lance is OK, but what if this happened to Lance? If this ruined his chances for No. 5, that would have been awful,'' Hamilton said.

It really sucks to see this happen. Even if Tyler was my least favorite cyclist (this is just an example... I wanted to see him do well in reality), and his injuries were just barely bad enough to keep him out, I still really would not want to see it happen. I would always rather see as much competition as possible getting a fair chance at the race. It would have been very interesting to see how he would fair.


Originally posted by KevinG
When I saw it on OLN it looked like his rear end broke loose, then he took his foot out to regain balance or catch him self.

thats what I saw as well

this really sucks. hamilton is a great rider and good guy. so is leipheimer. i was really pulling for them this year to get podium spots and to give lance hell in the mountains/TT's. i have no clue what happened to cause the kelme rider to lose control; at first glance it looked like his pedal came out, but after repeated viewings it seems like his rear end did indeed break loose. i don't think he was shoved, either; he was at the far side of the peleton near the barriers and seemed to be a good distance away from other riders to his right. there's no way he was going for the sprint, though, he was really far back in the pack. this was a huge crash, when i was watching the live coverage it seemed like it just kept going and going and going...

Here is a story on it. Sucks about Tyler. He was in awesome shape this year.

Americans Out Of Tour
Hopefuls badly injured in massive crash.

By Joe Lindsey, Contributing Writer


Tyler Hamilton's hopes for a strong Tour de France came to a crashing halt today when he was involved in the large crash that marred today's first road stage.

Hamilton was caught in a pileup with just 400 meters to go, along with several other favorites, and broke his right collarbone. Early reports also name podium hopeful and BICYCLING diarist Levi Leipheimer among the injured, as well as four-time defending champion Lance Armstrong. As of 7:20 p.m. Dutch TV reported Leipheimer out of the Tour with a possible fractured bone near his hip or butt. (Read "Off The Bike" for personal report by Levi.)

Armstrong finished the stage and currently the extent of his injuries is not known.

The crash occurred when Enrique Gutierrez of Kelme went down, possibly after clipping the wheel of a rider in front of him. Speeds at that point reached 35 mph, and the tightly bunched pack had little chance to avoid him. The crash quickly spread across the road, and as many as a dozen riders hit the ground.

Hamilton fell heavily on his right side, the same area that caused his fractured shoulder blade in last year's Giro d'Italia. He crossed the line slowly, holding his shoulder and grimacing with his head down, accompanied by a concerned-looking Andrea Peron.

A soigneur for CSC told BICYCLING's European Correspondent, James Startt, that initial medical controls were inconclusive, but that hospital x-rays showed Hamilton with a fracture of the right collarbone.

Saeco rider Salvatore Commesso told Startt that he crossed the line on Armstrong's wheel and that the defending champion was holding his hip. Richard Virenque was also reportedly involved.

The last few kilometers of the stage were very active and no team controlled the pacemaking. Combined with what Startt termed an amateurish and dangerous last kilometer, and a large pack, it was the makings of a disaster. Startt said that the whole stage had been a bit unsteady, as during the 30km neutral rollout from Paris, traffic still hadn't been entirely closed off.

In happier news, French sprinter Jimmy Casper, who was initially feared to have serious injuries, suffered only contusions and is reported to be able to start tomorrow's second stage.

Hmmmm.

I went to the letour site and clicked on the correct connection with the video, and it's just a jumbled mess.

:(

I guess I'll be surfing the cable channels in the hopes that one of them will finally acknowledge the Tour is going on and will have highlights. :(

It used to be that they would at least have a 30 minute highlight show on ABC and ESPN at like 2am, but now that OLN has the monopoly on showing the Tour, they don't even whisper a word about it. :(

Guys I'm sorry, it was all my falt, I jinxed them.
Right before the crash I said to myself, "Wow, no crashes and only one flat tire in the whole stage, that's good." It was then that they all tumbled down.

:(

-Middi-zon

OK, let me clear all this up...

No "rear-end breaking loose" -- or whatever the heck that is.
No accidental pedal release.
No front tire blow out.

What happened is this: The Cofidis rider (who was on a more inside line than the Kelme rider) had his rear wheel overlapping with the Kelme riders front wheel. Through the turn the Cofidis rider swung a bit wider than I guess the Kelme guy anticipated, and--

THE COFIDIS RIDER'S REAR WHEEL HIT THE KELME RIDER'S FRONT WHEEL.

This caused a loss of controll and ensuing crash. For those who have had their front wheels clipped before, you ought to know that the manner in which the Kelme rider fell was typical.

I too am very saddened that Hamilton and Leipheimer are out. But come-on, I doubt either was going to seriously threaten for the podium. Hamilton maybe could have gotten a top 5 -- I still don't think he could have stayed close enough in the mountains to contest with the true favorites.

I think that Mayo will be the big Grand Tour Contender Revelation of the year, and I've got my fingers crossed that Bianchi can do a good TTT and that Ullrich can mount a serious challenge.

On a final note, I was impressed with the Euskatel Rider who ran over several riders in front of him during the crash, and managed to stay upright.

- Maurizio.

Originally posted by Middi-zon
Guys I'm sorry, it was all my falt, I jinxed them.
Right before the crash I said to myself, "Wow, no crashes and only one flat tire in the whole stage, that's good." It was then that they all tumbled down.

:(

-Middi-zon

Well... Liggett and Sherwin were certainly talking about crash-possibilities before it actually happened.

Some big muckety muck in the TDF organization responded to rider complaints about the course by saying that if they had a problem with the way the course ended they shouldn't be racing. There was an identical ending in a stage in the giro that ended the same way...with a 90deg corner in the last kilo...cipo was taken out and mcewen won that one.

Originally posted by Maurizio

What happened is this: The Cofidis rider (who was on a more inside line than the Kelme rider) had his rear wheel overlapping with the Kelme riders front wheel. Through the turn the Cofidis rider swung a bit wider than I guess the Kelme guy anticipated, and--


Yeah, there was a cleary visible contact. The "pulling out of the pedal" was the rider's attempt to put a foot down to avoid going down and/or crashing into the barriers. The pulling out was incidental to the fact that he was going down no matter what.

Originally posted by Maurizio

On a final note, I was impressed with the Euskatel Rider who ran over several riders in front of him during the crash, and managed to stay upright.


Yes... I saw him bobing up and down in slow motion during the replays and was pretty surprised that he didn't go down too. It reminded me of a mountain bike race I was in a long time ago where the rider in front of me on a descent went down when his front tyre washed out on a root and I was so close that I ended up using his bike as ramp to clear him with an impromptu hop. Luckily the course was relatively straight at that point otherwise I probably would have flown off course.

I've jst been on the tour website and it said Hamilton started, despite a hairline fracture to the collar bone.

By the way, It looked like the Euskatel rider tried to bunnyhop the bodies.!!

Tried to, he did. I saw that right away, it looked like he was going to do an endo, but I think he kept it alive. Those are bike handling skills.

-Matt-

P.S. I have to switch to rooting all the way for Tyler for this one.

Originally posted by chewa
By the way, It looked like the Euskatel rider tried to bunnyhop the bodies.!!

Yup - you can clearly see his front wheel - then his back wheel clear bodies/bikes. What a crazy crash.

Originally posted by chewa
I've jst been on the tour website and it said Hamilton started, despite a hairline fracture to the collar bone.

Holy cow - that is one tough guy!! Last year he finished 2nd in the Giro with a broken collar bone from a crash. I guess it can be done.

Wow! :beer:

Here's one victim of the crash - Rabobank's Marc Lotz. Ouch.

Will they allow Hamilton to dope up for pain if he needs it? I cant see riding another 20 stages with a broken collar bone. Kudos to him, for even attempting it today.

Originally posted by bac
Here's one victim of the crash - Rabobank's Marc Lotz. Ouch.

He crossed the finish line anyway. These pro racers are tough as nails.

I picked this up from cyclingnews

However according to Danish TV2, Hamilton has decided to continue (a la Fiorenzo Magni). "Hamilton slept badly last night because of the pain, but he will do whatever he can to stay in the race as long as possible," said CSC spokesman Brian Nygaard. Hamilton has been given painkillers, and his collarbone is broken in two spots.
They don't say what the painkillers are but I doubt its asprin
or tylenol.
Tylers bars are triple wrapped with GEL tape.

Talk about a tough rider. . .

Marty

From what OLN is saying, it sounds like he is really struggling today. Hopefully he can hang long enough for the pain to ease a little. I would think the mountain stages would be virtually impossible with that break. :eek:

Tyler is hanging at the back of the peloton. They did report
that he was able to stand and hold the bars which is more
than what he could do last year in the Giro.

Again, all I can say is Tyler is Da Man.

Marty

I heard that Tyler actually has a double fracture. Is this correct?
And he is still going? :confused:
Talk about tough!

double fracture??!! No way. Hairline fracture of the collarbone.
Double fracture and I don't care if you're Mr Fantastic, you'll pass out from the pain of that!!

Originally posted by Tilly1
I heard that Tyler actually has a double fracture. Is this correct?
And he is still going? :confused:
Talk about tough!

A V-shaped hairline fracture is what I heard. I suppose V-shaped could be construed as "double." And yes, Tyler is incredibly tough.

Thanks guys for clearing that up!
:D