The inference is that he was taking a line through the rough stuff in order to overtake. That’s how i read it anyway.

A lot seem to be missing the point – he had a silly little off in the peleton – which is what has prompted the accusations of recklessness from other riders – but it was a different crash on a high speed descent that did the damage.

Every cyclist knows that horrible feeling when you’re descending on the drops and you lose your grip on a pothole or bump.

Looking at the pic of his shoe, I’d surmise that he bounced off the bars, kept the bike upright (there were reports of 60-70yd skid marks) and straightlined until he hit something or went off the road.

kudos – Member

A lot seem to be missing the point – he had a silly little off in the peleton – which is what has prompted the accusations of recklessness from other riders – but it was a different crash on a high speed descent that did the damage.

Where you getting that from Kudos? These read like the high speed one, the one that did the damage, is the one they’re complaining about:

“I was very lucky. Contador crashed but it was his own mistake. Everybody was at ease. I was riding behind my teammates who were leading the peloton. I left a bit of a gap to keep things safe. Apparently he felt the need to overtake me. It was in his typical style, standing on the pedals. He hits a pothole and goes over the handlebars. His head was next to my front wheel. He could’ve taken me with him. I can’t understand why you take that many risks to move up one spot,” Van Den Broeck said after crossing the finish line.

“It doesn’t surprise me that he’s out of the race by the way I saw him crashing. It happened just next to me. It was a terrifying crash. I was surprised he managed to continue. He took risks, especially at that moment in the race. He was completely isolated. If you’re then going to sprint by everyone on a descent full of potholes and you hit one, then you go over the handlebars.”

“According to me, he was moving up during the descent. That didn’t seem necessary to me because we were already quite near the front. I didn’t see exactly what caused the crash but I saw him crashing. He touched the ground a couple of times really hard. Eventually, he ended up at the side of the road. At first I thought he would not get back up. It was a big hit. We were going really fast,” Keukeleire told Cyclingnews.

Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) saw Contador crashing too but he saw the whole team moving up. “It wasn’t necessary. They moved up beside me with the whole team. They were already in about 25th place but apparently those Saxo-guys wanted to move up even more. I always want to maintain my position during a descent but they wanted to move up. It’s a stupid crash on a straightforward road. Very stupid,”

Contador crashed twice

Well it sounds increasingly like he was being stupid then. I’ll have even less sympathy for Beefy in that case.

He probably just wanted to push his team on the descent to get them all to the front for the next climb, which I think came pretty much straight after the descent, and make the race as hard as possible for everyone else. Astana and Lotto Belisol had been at the front most of the day so he probably decided it was time to take over. Sounded like he was really targeting this day to get back some time before the rest day.

Where you getting that from Kudos? These read like the high speed one, the one that did the damage, is the one they’re complaining about:

I read umpteen reports this morning. From what I gathered, the high speed crash (whilst passing Van Den Broeck) was whilst eating. So he would have had one hand on the bars and been seated.

The reports of him crashing whilst moving up through the group suggest the road was flat or ascending (he was standing up on the pedals – you don’t have to do that whilst descending, even when you’re trying to move up).

I suspect the second incident I refer to (although I’m not sure which order they occurred) was what pissed off the peleton.

The first one sounds like one of those unusual riding incidents. The fact that he was passing Van Den Broeck certainly doesn’t suggest recklessness – the order changes constantly on descents as people ride out of others’ draft etc…

I’m sure there will be more reports to help clarify/confuse in due course!

[Edit] Just read VDB’s comments which confuse me even more!!!

From the same link:

“Daniele Bennati rode behind him [Alberto Contador] and he said his hands came off his handlebars, hitting a hole or something. It’s pure bad luck. He crashed and received a spare bike from Nicholas Roche. Possibly one kilometre later, he crashed once again. The reason? The rain made the roads more slippery, possibly his hands were full of dirt after the first crash and that’s why he lost hold of his handlebars but that’s all speculation,” De Jongh said.

The eating thing came much later.

So the eating was the second crash??

No.

From those accounts he crashed twice on the descent, the eating ‘excuse’ came later is what I meant.

It’s all very confusing… Either way, it doesn’t sound like he’s very popular amongst the peloton…

There is an account from Nick Roche in the Irish Independent (I think) that makes sense.

He crashed on the descent. This is the big crash and the one the other riders are talking about. Roche gave him his bike and waited with contador’s first bike to get a spare from the car. I do remember seeing a reference on the text feed to Roche waiting for a bike.

Contador rode a short way then stopped for medical attention. I don’t think (but could be wrong) that he crashed again at this point, just stopped for bandages to stop the bleeding and to get a new bike and shoes from the car which had caught him up. This is why Roche’s bike is at the side of the road.

While the car was getting from Roche to contador the bikes got caught on the belkin car and the spare bike got broken.

He then swopped Roche’s bike for another spare, carried on for a while then withdrew.

I think.

So was there a second crash? Did he get run over by Jurgen Van Den Broeck driving a Belkin Team Bianchi Octavia? Was there a second gunman on the grassy knoll? Will we ever really know???

Can’t we just blame Lance and get over it?

kudos – Member
Will we ever really know???

Probably not! Anyone know where the Vuelta organisers have been during all these crashes?

Anyone know where the Vuelta organisers have been during all these crashes?

Haha, the Vuelta’s gonna have a better line-up than the Wandsworth Prison Christmas Pantomime…

😆

Version 5 from the horses mouth:

Alberto ‘Beefy Bertie’ Contador: “All thees talk about bikes crashing on the top of cars ees nonsense, just like the talks about me doping. Another loads of nonsense ees that eet was my fault, that I am crazy reckless rider. No, what really ‘appened was that eet was ze Aliens that destroyed moi bike with a ‘laser’ (fired from a Sky satelite like)”

At this point Mr Contador ran out of comedy accents and retired to the hotel for some more ‘special’ steak. 8)

Shame…. Really like berties riding style.

That shoe!!

That shoe!!

I know…. I reckon his little toots got a little toasty in there! Reports that they were “medium to well done” are of course, completely unfounded. 😉

Right, so it was the energy gel. Or was it?

http://pelotonmagazine.com/feedzone/energy-bar-proved-contadors-undoing/

“I grabbed a (nutritional) bar, I had only one hand on the handlebars and I hit a pothole,” he said.

“I’m sad and disappointed, a lot of effort and sacrifice has been ruined.

“I had prepared better for the Tour than ever before, I wanted to win the stage.”

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2014/07/tinkoff-saxo-tangle-with-belkin-bikes-identified-as-cause-of-snapped-contador-frame/

@ first part of that article ^ eh?

“the frame was snapped like that whilst it was still on the roof rack??”

what sort of ‘tangle’ could do that? shurley the rack would have popped open before the carbon cracking like that?

I can believe it was run over when on the ground or trodden on but you’d have felt the whole roof being pulled of inside the team car, no?

That shoe!!

It’s the broken cleat that is most crazy. How much force do you need to snap a cleat clean in two? Know wonder he broke his leg.

I think it’s just ground through on the tarmac. If he was doing 40+mph, and as reports suggest, he left 60yd skidmarks, that would explain the shoe damage.

Makes you realise what the outcome might have been had it been his knee or elbow touching the tarmac! 😯

another big name out;

http://www.trekfactoryracing.com/news/cancellara-withdraws-tour-de-france

Shame but he hasn’t seemed to be on quite such good form as some previous years and I’m not sure he’d have won the TT so probably no sense in hanging around for the sake of it.

It’s the broken cleat that is most crazy. How much force do you need to snap a cleat clean in two

I broke one when i went into the back of a car a couple of months ago. not that hard to do TBH

I read somewhere last night that they had been warned that it was a bumpy potholed road and to take it easy. This may explain why he was out of the saddle. Also riders do tend to get pissed off by people moving up the outside and trying to get into the line.

Either way he’s out and we’ve most probably missed out on a good battle between him and Nibali. Nibali has definately been the strongest so far. But it’s barely started. It’s been bonkers. It always is. Eleven stages to go. Vive le Tour.

Also can I be the first to blame Thatcher.

Bottom line is he ran out of talent on a decent. Twice. The strongest guy, the guy who dropped the best classics riders in the world on stage 5, is leading the race.

That’s about it.

Bike is one hell of a mess on the ITV “highlights”.

I don’t like Spartacus leaving the tour. WTF.

Not seen too much of Cancellara over the last week. Can’t remember the last time he finished tdf. Think it gets too “hilly” for him.

Suppose this needs posting at some point.
http://www.steephill.tv/players/720/gazzetta/?title=Peter+Sagan%27s+no+handed+uphill+wheelie+at+the+end+of+Stage+10&dashboard=tour-de-france&id=348d821c-0c30-11e4-b318-4337ccdac59b&yr=2014

Cancellara does the same thing every year doesn’t he?
wins the prologue, gets yellow, or tries to win a stage then hangs about before the hills then goes home to train for the Worlds.
he’s been replaced by Tony Martin in my affections.

Cancellara may be going to make an attempt on the Hour, allegedly the bike is ready.

Eh? He was winning the hardest one day races in cycling months ago. I can understand him not wanting to flog himself through the Alps.

JCL – Member
Eh? He was winning the hardest one day races in cycling months ago. I can understand him not wanting to flog himself through the Alps.

Cancellara? Keep up that’s old news

General Manager Luca Guercilena: “We brought Fabian to the Tour to be a factor where his skills allowed it and he didn’t disappoint. He’s a rider that always comes to a race to give everything – if you just look at how he was working for Fränk (Schleck) yesterday at 20 km from the finish in a mountain stage. Now he gets a short break and then we will build up his condition again to be at his best in Ponferrada.

http://www.trekfactoryracing.com/news/cancellara-withdraws-tour-de-france
In there to try and grab some wins/glory then piss off to prepare for the worlds.

brakes – Member
he’s been replaced by Tony Martin in my affections.

Amen to that, been loving Das Tony since that ridiculous break in the Vuelta. He likes to get stuck in.

How much more aero would Tony Martin be if he tucked his bottom lip in?

How much more aero would Tony Martin be if he tucked his bottom lip in?

I am awarding this comment of the first week of the tour. Top work.