53-11_alltheway

I like watching the sprint finishes (especially the tactics leading up to final "attack")

Can you guys name some really memorable sprint finishes? I think I could probably catch the recent ones on Cycling tv.com

Devil

I like Lance's win in the '93 Tour. Can't remember which stage it was.

Petacchi's sprint at this past MSR was excellent.

And even though it may not be as "pure" as those listed, I loved the finished to last year's L-B-L.

Gustaf

Even though it was Nazon who took the stage, the final sprint on stage 20 of the 2003 tour, with two aussies going at it for the green jersey. Watching video of them leaning into each other in that sprint is amazing

Flaneur

Kelly's first classic win- Tour of Lombardy, 1983. He beat Moser, Kuiper, Van Der Poel and Lemond in a blanket finish........

ed073

I think it was stage 9 to Verdun.

Beat Alcala, Pensec, Roche, Perini (or Ghirotto....they look the same) and some others. Came through on the fence for a great win.


My vote is Cipo at the 2002 Worlds....flat parcours meant the whole race was run at a mental average speed and the leadout starting laps from the finish.

ed073

There's an awesome phot of this finish out there somewhere.....

sat_cycle

at the risk of being fanboi I liked Lance's win at one of the Tour de Georgia stages last year where he threw the bike perfectly. Any pictures of that around?

ed073

You mean this one???

Ripper sprint....

DieselDan

Better pic then the one I took.

doctorSpoc

not sure of the year but in the Indurain era sometime... Djamoldine Abdujaparov (three time point jersey winner) hit a policeman on the Champs Elysées and it spun him around 3 times... amazing sprinter but so erratic, probably some of the reason for some of his success.. people were just too damn scared to go around him

ed073

1991. It was a Coke promotional bollard.

The policeman was 1994 at Armentieres, Abdu wasn't involved, he won the stage. Nelissen hit the cop, Jalabert, Fontanelli also came down.

geneman

However, Abdujaparov did an end over end on one of the TdF stages after getting to close to the leg of the barrier. Quite possibly the sickest thing I have ever seen ... I couldn't get back on my bike for a week afterward.

Mark

ed073

yep....that was 1991, final stage.

53-11_alltheway

Who is the cyclist to the left of Lance? (on the hoods). That would be the guy the farthest right in the picture.

ed073

The guy sprinting on the hoods (never a good move...his coach will be upset ) closest to camera is Ivan Dominguez.


The guy on the far side is Ben "Chocko" Brooks form Sydney.....best suntan ever!

53-11_alltheway

Yep.....Looks like LA is the lowest out of all three.

geneman

Ivan Dominguez

classic1

'81 Worlds where Maertens won and the Italians completely botched the finish

'82 Worlds. Saronni!!!!!!! Never seen someone dominate a sprint so much

'91 Tour. Van Poppel won a stage where about 4 PDM riders massed at the last corner, VP jumped and won by 5 lengths looking over the shoulder with both arms in the air - awesome. Van Poppel was super impressive when on form

ed073

Stage 7, Le Havre-Argentan. An awesome win.

Then the whole team withdrew 3 days later.....taking the headlines from Phil anderson's impressive win into Quimper.

classic1

Abdujaparov had some excellent nicknames. the Tashkent Terror, Tashkent Express. My personal favourite was 'THE BABYEATER'.

Laggard

The dude had a wicked sprint.

I was never a good sprinter but I loved to take part in them. The two miles leading up to the finish was always my favorite part. The constant jockying for position and the fluidity of the front of the pack never got old. I could never close the deal but was smart enough to be close to it.

doctorSpoc

not only that, as i can remember, unlike some of these pure sprinters he actually wasn't a half bad climber either... he wasn't up there rubbing shoulder with the leaders on the climbs but he was a riding just in front of the lantern rouge with the rest of the sprinters either

doctorSpoc

does anyone know where i can get my hands on a picture or video of the Abdujaparov crash in 1991 TdF? i've looked everywhere and have come up empty handed. on Graham Watson's site he said that only one photograher managed to get that shot, ironically because he didn't make the cut to be on the finish line, but was in perfect position to capture the crash

socalrider

I have the 91 tdf coverted to dvd.. One of the worst crashes I have ever seen.. when he hit the pavement head first, then gets mowed over by 2 Chateux-aux riders I thought he was dead...

gcasillo

Any sprint that looks like this. You can get a poster of it too.