agreed 531, I like you watched it over and over. I think the hand was going on to the side or back of Bettini, not to wave for protest at that stage, Baden was looking to win, then looking to avoid the inevitable when the hand came off the bike. I am confident he was going to give Bettini a nudge with the hand instead of alert the commissaires at that stage.

So, no contact. But no contact does not necessarily mean no catalyst. The last mini hook, the only mini hook, previously he just veered out on a vector, from the start to close the door, but that was not enough.

My point is like stage 13 last year when mcewen was ready to put his hands up and sat back down to either let Rodriguez win or put his hands up, and found O'grady catching the slipstream he threw a mini hook, and O'Grady veered a few feet to his right even though there was no contact. Action, reaction, yet no contact. I think it was this, plus Cookes dogmatic will to get that win posted. Both contributed.

O'Grady closed the door similarly on Piil in 2004 in stage 5 in 2004, the only difference was their back wheels had not crossed and the Piil had to change line and accelerate again on the outside. I don't know if it cost him the win but if O'Grady let him come up the inside and sprinted head on Piil might have won on the day. But it was not obvious he was coming around like Cooke was. Check the finish, Ogrady has then moved out and made Piil go the long way after already shutting the door. I think Piil thought twice about protesting.



Bettini's was worse, he never gave Cooke room to beat him. Both contributed to the crash, but Cooke would not have gone down without the mini hook that came last.