Falchoon

https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/...035045699.html

Aussie sprinter Baden Cooke has hit out at the absence of line cameras on the intermediate points on the Tour de France which could jeopardise his campaign to protect the green jersey.

The 24-year-old Australian, who rides for fdjeux.com, has been wearing the points competition's prize since Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi, the winner of four stages, bowed out of the race on the first hill a few days ago.

Since then Cooke's French team, which also includes Aussies Brad McGee and Matthew Wilson, have been focusing all their efforts on his cause after having enjoyed three days of McGee wearing yellow at the start of the race.

Cooke claimed that at the first intermediate point, at which the first three riders are awarded six, four and two points, he actually beat compatriot and rival Robbie McEwen to the line but was somehow relegated to second, losing two points in the process.

"I had a good day but it would have been even better if I didn't lose points," Cooke told AFP after the stage, won by Denmark's Jakob Piil and in which Lance Armstrong retained his 21-sec lead over Alexandre Vinokourov.


"I believe I won the first (intermediate) sprint ahead of Robbie. We both went for it and I believe I got my wheel over the line just ahead of him but they gave it to him instead.

"I'm pretty pissed off at that. I don't understand - it's the Tour de France so why don't they have line cameras?

"I remember even last year it was the same when there were a few close calls between Robbie and (Erik) Zabel."

Cooke was so angry about the decision that after the stage he went to see the line judge.

However after watching a video cassette of the sprint, just 10km into the stage at Tallard, the race officials upheld their initial decision.

Cooke, who managed to get his own back on McEwen by pipping him in the finish line sprint to grab 16 points, to the Queenslander's 15, now holds a nine-point lead over McEwen in the points standings.

However with the likes of Zabel, the former six-time consecutive winner of the green jersey, and Norwegian Thor Hushovd joining McEwen in trying to reduce his lead, Cooke's belief that he has been robbed is hard to forget.

"I'm pretty annoyed. I started the day with a 10-points over Robbie and now I have nine."

Over the next few days the sprinters are likely to get frisky again, with opportunities to bag points in Thursday's 11th stage from Narbonne to Toulouse which precedes Friday's time trial and four days of climbing in the mountains.

But as the race heads upwards and the climbers prepare to steal the limelight, Cooke isn't letting his guard down.

It seems like Cooke is a chip off the old McEwan block.

Dutchy

I am surprised that at an event like the Tour they don't have cameras at every intermediate sprint. They would only need 3 extra cameras that could be moved from one stage to the next. I can understand Badens frustration. Winning is hard enough without having to worry about inaccurate results.

CHEERS.

Mark

RacerX

Absolutely! With so much at stake, the TDF owes it to the riders to do everything in their power to make the race as accurate as possible!!

Aggressor

Personally, I think he is a sook. I know him as a friend and he doesnt usually carry on over a judging discrepancy.

NZLcyclist

you know a tour rider?.....wow hehe

Brendon

cwodave

What on earth is a "sook"?

Aggressor

A wimp, pansy, cry baby..

chewa

Having seen the footage last night I think he is right to protest.

TimB

you know him as a friend yet you call him a sook??!!
Strange friendships you lot have have down under.

PS; Baden is right though. He did win the prime!


PSS: So what he do heh, steal your Sheila?

Dutchy

A sook it someone who b!tches and moans a lot, unfortunately Robbie McEwen is fast becoming one also.

I don't doubt Aggressor knows Baden, Australia isn't that big and with only 8 states, everyone knows everyone (within the cycling community) and the Pro's are very friendly. A friend of mine had a weekday ride with Brett Aitken, who won and Olympic Gold medal in Sydney for track cycling (where was I that day, work). I got to meet Brett and Stuart on a photo shoot several years ago.


CHEERS.

Mark

Rossgo

Do you think it is practical to set up cameras through out the stage? They would have to have people there maning them and you could get vandals.

Aggressor

Its not just the Australian cycling community that is close though, I know Mike Tillman pretty well, he is a good friend of my uncle. I've had a couple of chats to Brett also, nice guy. One of my mates, Jamo, has been selected to ride in the 2004 Olympics, so you'll see him on TV. He lives in the same town as me.
If you have the confidence, just go and have a chat to some of the pro's at your next close national/international meet, I'm sure they'd be happy to have a chat. The only guys I've ever had trouble with are French cyclists. Think they know everything. No offence to our French members either.

PS. Baden didnt steal my sheila either

OsoGuevara

Well, they can set up the big inflateable arches announcing how far to to the finish, a maximum of three automatic cameras shouldn't be so difficult.

Then again, in college when we would go to the University of Chicago for track meets the common complaint was the U of C could build the world's first nuclear chain reaction in a squash court, but they couldn't run a F.A.T. machine to save their lives.

Adding cameras seems like a good idea to me.