Aviva Women's Tour **Spoiler alert**

[PeteXXX]

I haven't seen it.. Was it a case of Look mum, no hands!! Look mum, no teeth!?

 

[mcshroom]

I haven't seen it.. Was it a case of Look mum, no hands!! Look mum, no teeth!?

Sort of. I think it was a gust of wind. Not good news

Britain's Lizzie Armitstead is out of the Women's Tour following a crash seconds after she won the first stage in Suffolk.
Armitstead celebrated by raising her arms as she crossed the line, before putting her hands back on her bike.
The 26-year-old then collided with a group of photographers and race director Mick Bennett.
"I remember winning with the help of my team-mates and then not much else", she said. "Nothing broken just very sore."
Her Boels Dolmans team said Armitstead had wanted to race on but, after a conversation with team management, will now rest ahead of the National Road Championships in Lincolnshire on 28 June.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/33170616



Btw, Just noticed this thread is in Road Cycling not racing, should it be moved?

 

[Broadside]

I haven't seen it.. Was it a case of Look mum, no hands!! Look mum, no teeth!?

Just watched the highlights on ITV4, it looked a lot like a photographer standing pretty much in the middle of the course just after the finish where the cyclists would obviously be going very fast. It seems obvious that these areas should be kept clear and it is ridiculous to put the riders at such risk allowing these people to be wandering about getting in the way.

 

[mjr]

On the itv4 coverage (recorded and slow-mo'd), it looked like Mick Bennett started to shove the photographers back the instant Armitstead started to wobble, but she still clipped the photographer in front of him. The finish road narrowed from the left (in the direction of race) after the line, placing the photographer huddle in what would otherwise have been the middle of the road, as you may be able to see at https://goo.gl/maps/pXD2t

Now it's official. Armitstead: "I remember winning with help of my team mates then not much else, but I am ok, nothing broken just v sore...thank you for kind messages and to the NHS staff. I won't start tomorrow in the hope of recovering properly for the Nationals." ( https://twitter.com/tomcary_tel/status/611255860887597056 and https://twitter.com/tomcary_tel/status/611256045076389888 )

 

[redflightuk]

I shall ride over to Hertford for the first Qom and then to Stevenage for the finish. On Sunday I may go to Hemel Hempstead.

 

[cardiac case]

Thanks to the mods for the added warning to the thread tittle. Cheers, and sorry for not thinking of that.
As for the photographers, lets hope their next project is Eddie Stobart lorries, middle lane of the M1.

I will set a good example to all by taking my photo's from the top of the telephone box.
Should be safe up there.

Paul G

p.s.
I know they can't show the whole course but as our village is the most attractive in the area I'm hoping
they will show it on the telly tonight. Let's face it, ten million flies can't all be wrong.

 

[martint235]

Having watched it this morning, I'm not sure you can totally blame the photographers. She took her hands off the bars and visibly veered to the left. It's a strange place to put photographers but if she kept her racing line she would have missed them.

I hope she recovers quickly and it's a shame she's out.

 

[martinclive]

Went to see the start in Bury St Edmunds with @MisterStan yesterday - shame not more people there but that meant we got very close to the riders - great day out

 

[Danny]

Having watched it this morning, I'm not sure you can totally blame the photographers. She took her hands off the bars and visibly veered to the left. It's a strange place to put photographers but if she kept her racing line she would have missed them.

I hope she recovers quickly and it's a shame she's out.

It was hard to tell from the TV pictures but it look to me as if the finish line was a lot narrower than usual. Lizzie did veer into the photographers but she had precious little room in which to recover.

 

[cardiac case]

From my vantage point on top of the phone box……..

 

[zizou]

Really like the look of that Cervelo, is that the Bigla team?

I dont think you can blame the photographers for the accident, they were where roughly where they are for every pro race - Armitstead lost control with her hands off the bars, perhaps something on the road or a gust of wind - an accident rather than something to apportion blame for.

 

[zacklaws]

In my opinion, there should be no one on the circuit after the finishing line, What if it was a bigger sprint for the line covering most of the road, or even Lizzie or other sprinters hard on the left hand side of the barriers with more riders to her right, where would she go then, plough into the photographers or veer to the right into the other riders. What if someone had been on Lizzies back wheel, head down drafting and at the last moment pulled out to go round her left inside, all of a sudden they would have had a group of people in front of them.Having photographers there in the past may not have been a safety issue, but one day a situation may arise when it does become a safety issue, like yesterday.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

From my vantage point on top of the phone box……..

View attachment 92346

View attachment 92348 View attachment 92350

Were you using a telephono lens?

Nice pics, by the way.

 

[cardiac case]

Were you using a telephono lens?

Nice pics, by the way.

Photography is just a matter of dialling in the right numbers.

I'll get my coat.

 

[MikeonaBike]

I watched it on TV and I could not believe that the photographers were allowed to be half way across the road so close to the finish line, especially with a bunch sprint approaching. Blame for that crash lies fully with the race officials; amateurish and unacceptable.

On Friday, I will be out in Northamptonshire to see a couple of sections of the race; so much better to see it live, if for no other reason than not having to listen to Hugh Porter's commentary, he is truly dreadful. It just proves that having been good at a particular sport does not make someone a good commentator. Hugh Porter must be the worst commentator on cycling. Other sports' dreadfuls include Brendan (state the blindingly obvious) Foster in athletics and Nasser Boring Hussain in cricket.