Did he really think that was a good idea? In the Vuelta?
Crazy

Pretty daft!

[video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hSQW8OX8VqA[/video]

Could have done with one of those today tbh! It’d be nice to see some proper action against the team, too, it was hardly a one-man move and having the team manager act like it’s nothing to write home about is pretty crap…

I don’t now how people can say road racing has changed when Astana are still a thing. Embarassing.

That is pretty shocking, I’m not sure how they thought they’d get away with it.

What a surprise…..

Astana…..

Caught cheating…..

Should be thrown out of the sport!

It’s pretty funny the video. Bit more than a sticky bottle that one!

Sad to see Nibali go though. And given that he was chasing due to a crash and not leading the race to the win, I think I’d rather see a decent fine or time deducted, rather than riders being disqualified.

pretty blatant in a comical way. I wonder if they calculated on just getting a fine. It’s so over the top it looks as though everyone else just sat up and stopped racing

And given that he was chasing due to a crash and not leading the race to the win, I think I’d rather see a decent fine or time deducted, rather than riders being disqualified.

Really? The way the car accelerated was ridiculous, it was the most blatant thing I’ve seen in a long time.

Yes just far too blatant. If he was on his own then it would be less obvious but off the front of a group like that – ridiculous.

Sad but he deserves to go. Of course probably would have been fined if he was Spanish.

Really? The way the car accelerated was ridiculous, it was the most blatant thing I’ve seen in a long time.

I agree. It was pretty stupid. But did Nibali even know they were going to accelerate off like that? Maybe it took him as much by surprise as it did you? Riders take sticky bottles all the time (yes, usually in less blatant circumstances…) It does make Astana look like a bunch of clowns. I just think disqualification is a bit extreme.

Unbelievable.
Cheating doesn’t get any more obvious than that.

Warp speed engaged! 🙂

Maybe it took him as much by surprise as it did you

He could have let go? The team cheated he’s out. Considering the punishment Porte got for accepting sportsmanship it’s about right.

It’s a bit like being surprised the daily injections in the broom cupboard were not legit.

Tour- Nibali throws bottle at Froome, attacks froome when he has a mechanical on Croix de Fer.

Vuelta- Nibali crashes, so Sky push on. Nibali cheats in bid to get back on and is DQ’ed.

Aint karma a bitch.

Thanks for the spoiler, by the way. Just finished the highlights…..

Eh? Did he just grab onto the car which then tows him off up the road? Really?! And they thought that was ok? Good grief.

Astana should be thrown out of the race for that.

Brilliant! The Snake of Messina gets his comeuppance.

DS in the car was sent home too. Sauce

at least i stuck it in the right post 😉

Phah!

Silly boy. But he did ride well to get back on despite that tow.

However, will Aru be up for the challenge.. ❓ I do hope so.

But he did ride well to get back on despite that tow.

However, will Aru be up for the challenge.. I do hope so.

I hear the Astana chef is serving up some beef for their dinner tonight.

I thought it a pretty good stage all in. A few bounces, a flat bit then a short sharp lump at the end. Pretty good that.
They all look knackered to me the boys. There is probably only 30 riders fresh enough to ride the whole thing. As is it’ll be another preparation for the worlds, which is an absolute shame and shambles every year.

True enough the decision, had the rider been Landa or Valverde or well, any Spanish rider then they’d not said a word unless totally pushed into a corner then a fine only.

The Spanish are like that.
So too the French
So too the Italians
😆

Astana need their team license revoked.

That is amazing for pure comedy value. Mental.

Nibbles, seen earlier;

VRS kicked in yo

As long as it’s been flagged on strava, I’m happy.

Aint karma a bitch.

This. I’m sure Sky had a very good evening. Desperate measures, but now Aru knows where he stands.

maybe the car had the engine off and he was pushing it?

Drafting the wing mirror I’m hearing…

Ahahahaha!

Just seen the video.

Imagine him saying “Seeya later suckers!” as the team car burned off up the road.

Imagine him saying “Seeya later suckers!” as the team car burned off up the road.

Does look like he should have spun round on his saddle and flipped them the bird as he zoomed off.

Video needs Benny Hill music.

Saw his facebook/twitter reply earlier. Although something significant is certainly lost in the auto google translate, he didn’t seem that apologetic

I’m wondering if the group “sat up” to emphasise the acceleration?

Deserved the DSQ. Yes, lots of riders do it but rarely if they’re a potential GC candidate delayed a couple of minutes. It’s usually someone struggling to stay inside the cut who has had, say, a mechanical and been off the back of the autobus. I believe Cav has been caught doing it but I think it’s different if you’re not there to race for the overall. Added to this the fact he wasn’t even alone, he was with a load of other riders, means he couldn’t have believed this was reasonable.

Also, the last 12 months have shown Nibali as spectacularly lacking in class as well as being part of the single most dodgy team since Discovery/Postal or Rock Racing (or maybe Garmin-Cannondale) so it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

You have to wonder whats going on inside Astana at the moment. 6 months ago there was loads of talk of Nibbles leaving, so maybe they have decided to either let him go or not give him much reason to stay. With hindsight it looks like they sent a stronger team to the Giro than the Tour. Apparently his team mates at the tour were a bit embarrassed by his tantrums towards Froome, and Vino was very unimpressed with his performance, albeit redeemed slightly towards the end.

Now he’s blaming the team for a lack of support in the immediate aftermath of the crash, claiming their only concern was for Aru.

Can’t see him staying, but then again he has a year to run on his contract and doubt if he’ll get the same money elsewhere