"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Cadel's crash

Apparently some woman drops her handbag on the course and Cadel hit it @ 35-40mph and went down (they said 60 km/h on TV). He had no memory of the crash, and I was rather astonished he was able to get back on terms and finish the stage without losing time. Talk about HTFU. That's amazing. The guy looked like he had been through a wood chipper. That was an amazing display of toughness.

J. Vaughters had the quote of the day yesterday, about how if you want to know what it's like to crash in a pro bike race you should strip down to your skivvies, get in your car, take it up to 35-45 mph and then roll out the friggin door. I can testify from crashes @ 25 mph to the accuracy of that statement. I don't want to go down at 30+ mph.

Ouch.

Three crashes above 30mph. Two required trips to the doctor, one I got back on and did about 5 more laps in the crit before the blood loss started to make me feel dizzy. I can't imagine finishing a tour stage in the kind of pain I was in.

Yep. Kudos to Evans on a very tough ride. You won't get many agreeing to that on this forum though. Evans isn't too well thought of around here.

Suffice it to say that after today's stage he's sucking at the right end of the standings. Chapeau!

On the Verse news flash, he thinks that it wasn't the hand bag, and says he remember another rider infront of him taking a corner way too fast then he was done.

As for the comercial, thats about what it feels like. 31mph for my crash.

13:00:15 - Cadel Evans – “I thought: ‘Oh no! I’ve lost the Tour…!’”
LeTour.fr had an exclusive interview with the rider currently ranked second in the general classification late last night. Cadel Evans explained what he remembers of the crash that caused him to lose skin “from toe to neck” on the left side of his body. “One moment I was following an Euskaltel rider and I remember thinking, ‘He’s going too fast for that corner.’ The next thing I was doing was picking myself up off the road.
“Really, I don’t know what happened. But when I stood, I was frightened. I thought, ‘Oh no! I’ve lost the Tour! For a brief moment, I thought I’d broken a bone. I was sore all over but then I did a quick body check. Collarbone, okay. Arms, bleeding but all good. Legs: I’m standing… must be okay. Right, where’s my bike? I better get going again…!”
After the crash at the 106km mark of the 224km stage, a hand bag from a spectator was caught up in his chain but the Australian believes that it was not what caused the fall, rather a result of the bike flying to the side of the road and into the crowd.

And how about that C. Vandevelde? Hangin very, very tough.

Great Tour so far.

"Yeah, whatever, I just can't get into the Tour/Pro Cycling"

How can people say this??!! Evans has a tumbler which leads to a cracked helmet and ends up in yellow the following day which has 2 HC climbs. That is great stuff.
And Vande Velde...I don't know what to think...I want him to do well but it is hard to believe he doing so well especially after a vicious stage like today. Hopefully he rests well and can keep putting out for the next couple weeks.

we all look weeni-licous in our helmets, but those Specialized look ridiculous from behind. Remind me of a nurse's paper hair bonnet.

we all look weeni-licous in our helmets, but those Specialized look ridiculous from behind. Remind me of a nurse's paper hair bonnet.

I thought the exact same thing. Its a shame because I really like the look of the front end, weight, colors, ect, but the back end looked stupid so for the replacement lid for my last crash (atmos) was replaced by an Ionos instead of the s-works/decibel

I went over the bars once at 35mph. I still have the backless jersey. (and remember sleeping on my stomach for two weeks) :rolleyes:

I crashed on a concrete velodrome doing about 30mph. I lost some skin but the bike got the worst of it.

we all look weeni-licous in our helmets, but those Specialized look ridiculous from behind. Remind me of a nurse's paper hair bonnet.

decibel
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http://www.liverpoolcampervans.com/images/extra/Classic%20VW%20Camper%20Van.jpg

LOL the van looks better

And how about that C. Vandevelde? Hangin very, very tough.

Great Tour so far.

Yeah. Really great.

I just hope that I can believe what I am seeing. This is astoundingly better than he's ever done before.

Maybe it's just that he's had it in him and been on the wrong team. He was a domestique with Postal, crashed out of both his Tours, been in the top 30 or so recently. But he's playing in the deep end of the pool now.

More power to him.

I guess this will shut up the Vaughters and Slipstream doubters for a while.

i cant get enough of this tour.

Yeah. Really great.

I just hope that I can believe what I am seeing. This is astoundingly better than he's ever done before.

Maybe it's just that he's had it in him and been on the wrong team. He was a domestique with Postal, crashed out of both his Tours, been in the top 30 or so recently. But he's playing in the deep end of the pool now.

More power to him.

I guess this will shut up the Vaughters and Slipstream doubters for a while.

That was my immediate thought. Who knows, maybe he has always been clean, and recent crackdowns have made the playing field more level for riders of his ability. I can't imagine the sh*tstorm if it turns out he is on something & were to get caught. Slipstream wouldn't exactly be the poster child anymore.

Anyhow, I'll enjoy it for the time being. I'll see if I can find those blinders -- they must be around here somewhere. Here's hoping he keeps hanging tough. And kudos to Cadel for riding on the front today.

That was my immediate thought. Who knows, maybe he has always been clean, and recent crackdowns have made the playing field more level for riders of his ability.

Excellent point.

I was thinking more along the lines of his rol eon the team prevented him from playing at the top level. I mean he's always been a real good rider that had some bad luck.

Who knows?

That's why it's called "racing".

Yeah. Really great.

I just hope that I can believe what I am seeing. This is astoundingly better than he's ever done before.

Maybe it's just that he's had it in him and been on the wrong team.

That was what I was about to type, before I read that you typed it (did I get that right?). I don't recall him ever being in a position to try, kind of like Landis.

OK, OK, maybe Landis wasn't the best example.

One crash at 55 km/h and four days in hospital. I had no chance to put my hands down and hit the ground head first.

decibel
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http://www.liverpoolcampervans.com/images/extra/Classic%20VW%20Camper%20Van.jpg

Its a thing of beauty..... swoon

i cant get enough of this tour.

Agreed. I read the text ticker at work but STILL can't wait to get home and watch the DVR. Now if it was just Andrew and Brian instead of Phil and Paul.... stage 10 done and I'm metaphor'd out.

Who's that new dude who replaced A. Trautwig? I liked Al. This new guy blows. Where did they get him? What they couldn't afford Trautwig's excessive contract demands? What did Al want, a biz class plane ticket and another 3 grand for the month?

Who's that new dude who replaced A. Trautwig? I liked Al. This new guy blows. Where did they get him? What they couldn't afford Trautwig's excessive contract demands? What did Al want, a biz class plane ticket and another 3 grand for the month?


I bet Al is in Beijing!

Craig Hummer was born in Akron, Ohio and began his swimming career at the age of 5. Hummer was a three time High School All-American and a 17 time All-American while attending Kenyon College on an academic scholarship. Upon graduation, Hummer moved to Southern California, where he has made his presence known by capturing 6 straight National Lifeguard Championships. Craig is the only American to ever receive an invitation to compete in "The Uncle Toby Series", a prestigious Australian lifesaving competition with a purse exceeding one million dollars. Additional victories achieved by Hummer include seven U.S. Ocean Ironman Champion titles and 100 surf race wins. Hummer dominated the ocean swim world for 8 years and decided in 1996 to turn his attention towards a career in sports broadcasting. Craig also enjoys spending time with his wife, Jennifer, and two daughters, Madison and Daisy.

This story came from the Southern California Aquatics website SCAQ website.


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Its a thing of beauty..... swoon

Agreed NomadVW! Very nice Mid 70's T2 Bay Window :love:

*Owner of a 77 Bay Window - Sunliner Camper conversion :)

I've crashed at 30mph before. It's so fun! I was lucky enough to go to the ER w/ a = scapula (shoulder blade) in broken in two places and a concussion. Not to mention some great road rash.

Don't worry. Bike was mostly fine. My head and shoulder cushioned the fall. But I most certainly wasn't riding the next day, or week, after, unlike Cadel and those tour beasts.