Paris-Roubaix - (possible spoiling!)

[Platinum Pete]

I have no idea if I'm watching live, but Hincapie's stem bolts just snapped! Holy shit, that sucks for George.

[CantDog]

Definately not watching it live...unless they now start the race at midnight.

Cobbles, and no headlamps, now thats hardcore.

Oh, and yeah, Hincapie doesnt win.

[Platinum Pete]

Yeah, I realize the time difference. I didn't know id I was watching the replay or the first US broadcast.

[truth]

Disco coould not ahve raced a better race up until the 30k to go point, then it all unraveled. George's steerer tube snaps, then Gustav and Leif cross the tracks with the gates down leading to a DQ from the 2nd and 4th place finishes...fvck. Great race.

[cinnepa]

george is destined NOT to EVER win this.....a steerer tube snaps???!!! yeah that happens everyday.....most likely a trek fork too..unfuckin real.

[truth]

george is destined NOT to EVER win this.....a steerer tube snaps???!!! yeah that happens everyday.....most likely a trek fork too..unfuckin real.

That'd be bontrager...heh. But yeah, looks like a mechanic and trek are on the hooks for this one. It would seem they went too light with the design for this race or there was a hairline fracture in the tube to begin with. I wonder if it might have been damaged in his first crash early in the race? I wonder if it was a carbon steerer tube? Too many ???'s



Velo news is reporting that George might need suregery to repair injuries to his shoulder suffered during one of his two Roubaix crashes. Heal fast GH.

[Platinum Pete]

I think the riders made the right call on the railroad tracks at the time. Better to roll the dice with the officials then to get stuck back.

Did Liggett say that Hincapie had crashed earlier than the race ender? I thought I heard that. That could explain the fracture in the steer tube.

Good News: Trek/Bontrager have lifetime warranties on their frames and forks, so no problemo George.

[cinnepa]

+++++++++vibes to george - heal quick for the tour...... and in the mean time get enough strength to go fuckin ballastic on someone - this never should of happened.

[ShawnB]

+++++++++vibes to george - heal quick for the tour...... and in the mean time get enough strength to go fuckin ballastic on someone - this never should of happened.

I thought I heard that (Hincapie crashed earlier). That could explain the fracture in the steer tube.

Nobody should get canned if the man crashed the bike out earlier in the day at like 30mph. Somethings gonna give on the front end if you ram sh*t with that lightweight stuff at those kinda speeds. Not George's fault/not the wrench's fault/not Johann's fault.

Poor George. F%^king heartbreaking.

[cinnepa]

probably a carbon steerer but at roubaix most teams beef the bikes up and replace some carbon parts normally found in other races.....seatposts, handlebars, stems, etc. most times the d.c. boys value strength over a few ounces on these brutal races anyway. all i know is that if i was the manufacturer of the product i'd expect a lot of flack; crash or no crash beforehand - this wasn't some chump at the back, it was a major contender. there's bad luck and there's stupid bad luck......i just think it falls with the latter.

[CantDog]

Hincapie ran an aluminum steerer that was anodized black. Boonen ran a steel steerer tube.

And trek vs bontrager, isnt it fair to say its the same thing? Bontrager is in house now...(I wish I would have bought a bontrager mountain bike back in 97 instead of a Trek Y bike. Poor call on my part.)

[cinnepa]

yikes, and it still snapped? shit.

[cinnepa]

and what's up with a train crossing the course? the train companies cannot reschedule their work during that 6 hour span of racing? seems like there could be some better coordinating.

[CantDog]

and what's up with a train crossing the course? the train companies cannot reschedule their work during that 6 hour span of racing? seems like there could be some better coordinating.

The race was running faster than scheduled, hence the train issues. And shutting down the trains for 6 hours isnt really a possibility, when you consider the importance of trains as a means of transportation across europe.

[Viva]

and what's up with a train crossing the course? the train companies cannot reschedule their work during that 6 hour span of racing? seems like there could be some better coordinating.

Heh...just a another challenge in this race.

[truth]

The steerer tube will always remain a mystery...too many variables to be able to pin down what went wrong. That said, I sure hope a bike can take more than one tussle before it fails catastrophically.

The trains...well that was just stupidity on the riders not following the rules. If the gates are down and the lights flashing you must stop. It's pretty simple, but also easy to see how in the heat of the moment you cold literally blow on through.

Here's the post race story from Velo news:

"With about 10km to go, Cancellara reached a railroad crossing, whose barriers began dropping as he passed through. The first chase group - Hoste, Van Petegem and Gusev - reached the same spot with the barriers clearly down. They went through, anyway. When Boonen, Ballan and Flecha arrived, race officials stopped them and were forced to wait about 15 seconds as a train came barreling past.
"I am glad they stopped us because had they not, I would have kept going and it was too dangerous," Flecha said. "I am sure we would have caught the lead group and that could have changed the race."
Unaware of the brewing controversy, Hoste out-sprinted Van Petegem for second and Gusev came through fourth for Discovery Channel. Officials, however, agreed that the riders had violated a race regulation.
"At first I stopped, but then I saw Hoste and followed him. It's a decision that was very impulsive because we were chasing the victory," Van Petegem said. "It was all very strange that in one of the top races in the season and a train is passing that could make the difference between winning and losing. In Belgium for sure they would try to stop the train."

[freshies]

fack! i tivo'd and stayed away from my normal cycling news sites so i could ski this weekend and watch this morning over coffee....am enjoying the tactics between George and Boonen (Disco had him isolated and was setting George up for a good finish) when BOOM - man, that crash looked nasty. poor George, what bad luck. i hope he heals up fast!

[CantDog]

From cyclingnews:
"
As it turned out, the train in question was a goods transport, of which the schedules cannot be as controlled by the French trains corporation SNCF as passenger's trains can be. Moreover, the race was 15 minutes ahead of the fastest schedule, so the organisers could not prevent the incident from happening."


Also, Boonen crossed the tracks before the signals came up, albeit after the train had crossed.

[Viva]

Next year they should build a kicker in front of the track crossing. That ought to add some excitement, eh?

[CantDog]

Next year they should build a kicker in front of the track crossing. That ought to add some excitement, eh?

I'd be stoked to see Boonen do a big tail whip, wouldnt you?

[ulty_guy]

footie of the hincapie crash up on http://www.eurosport.com/cycling/ ouch.

[Hugh Jass]

footie of the hincapie crash up on http://www.eurosport.com/cycling/ ouch.

Wow. Thanks for the link.

[ulty_guy]

definitely looks like there's a second there where his steering goes before he eats it.