Professional Cycling - Vande Velde's crash

So I've read reports and Christian Vande Velde's account of what happened to him at the Giro. He says that he looked down and suddenly the spokes were gone. Now I've only been involved in one crash, and it was simply me taking a turn too fast, so I'm wondering what could have happened to cause him to lose all of his spokes? I thought maybe some of the racers could answer this for me. Just curious.
Thanks.

see this thread

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=550019

not saying that's what happened but there's one reason you might lose all your spokes.

Anyone heard an update on his condition?

He's supposed to start the Tour de Suisse this weekend, which I think is amazing considering how bad his injuries were.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/interviews.php?id=riders/2009/interviews/christian_vande_velde_jun09

Wow, that's crazy. I don't know that the team, or Vande Velde were riding Mavics as ZIPP is one of their major sponsors.
There are times when I'm glad I'm just a poor teacher and won't be able to afford all carbon stuff. :)

I'm not saying that he was riding Mavics, you asked what might cause spoke failure
so I pointed to that thread.

I haven't looked, but I don't recall ever seeing any wheels just completely disintegrate like that.

From Vande Velde's fan club site: The crash occurred, Vande Velde said, when another rider got so close his derailleur ``instantaneously’’ tore out all the spokes on Vande Velde’s front wheel as they were going downhill at about 35 miles per hour.
``That has never happened to me before,’’ he said.
The wheel collapsed, then the front fork gave way, and Vande Velde flew over his handlebars and landed on the road at the 87th mile of the 123-mile third stage of the three-week race.

Any news on the new crash?
http://www.slipstreamsports.com/2009/06/15/frischkorn-in-the-break-tour-de-suisse-stage-3

I remember a crash back in the late 80's where a friend (who was a Cat 2) had the spokes on one of his wheels cut like someone literally took a pair of side cutters and made a straight line across his wheel.

This was probably due to another rider, or a failure, but given how fast this can happen...it certainly could be the result of something pretty quicky that's not just a wheel failure.

-spence

Vande Velde down again!

And Cancellara still in yellow!

Vande Velde down again!

And Cancellara still in yellow!

Yesterday's news.

Well yeah, but I posted it yesterday! :D

I think he's fine. He has been in the results.

I got an accident back in the day (85 maybe) when i was like 16 y/o... in a curve the guy that was to my right cut me and my front wheel got caught in his RD. The sucker literally took my front wheel off the fork and cut 20 spokes out of 36 in the middle... I found the darn wheel in a ditch like 50 meters from the accident...

I have seen spokes broken like nothing too, people riding and suddlenly 4 spokes simply failed, I have seen Rims go bad also but the weirdest thing i have seen is a cinelli handlebar that broke in a half while in training. The guy had to come back home no hands basically. Nasty fall anyways.

THanks.

http://www.velonews.tv/

Here's a good video interview with VDV along with a few others. He talks about his most recent crash and his chances in the tour... He sounds positive at least.