UCI WorldTour and other pro cycling nonsense 2011

Can't say anything more RIP Wouter

terrible news.

Not sure how accurate but a journalist friend said WW was OTB and looking back to see who else was there with him to rally back in contact with the peloton, while looking back he clipped his pedal on a low stone guard wall and fell 60 feet over a switchback onto the road below, probably broken neck. His wife is pregnant with their first child. 26 years old. Awful news.

oh god

just watched the footage on Eurosport, really disturbing. RIP Wouter :((((

jesus

xps

Not good at all - just saw it on Eurosport (which I'd recorded) and his neck might well have been broken (I fast forwarded away from it, tbh)

Can't saw I'll be watching the highlights of this.

Millar:
“I will wear the pink jersey tomorrow, but it will be in memory of Wouter, there is no celebration or glory, only sadness. I will discuss with Tyler [Farrar], Leopard and the family of Wouter what we as a peloton will do tomorrow.”

I can imagine it will be along the lines of:
http://bit.ly/iwVzvQ

given that ppl say upcoming descents are super scary, will they re-route any?

I was wondering that, especially for that one before the Zoncolan that somebody (maybe you?) linked to (in a youtube Gazzetto dello Sport clip)

velonews reporting confirmation of shastas take
http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/05/news/crash-witness-‘weylandt-was-catapulted-across-the-road’_172140

Clarification: there was not a 60 ft. over the railing fall, he clipped the short wall on the outside and then sharply careened across the narrow road headfirst into the rocky cliff face "very hard" according to all witnesses. Also, GF not wife.

What a loss. Tomorrow will be very heavy.

Official team statement:
http://www.leopardtrek.lu/

Garmin-Cervelo’s Tyler Farrar released a statement Monday afternoon about the death of his friend Wouter Weylandt:

I am unbearably saddened by the loss of Wouter today. As many know, he was my friend, training partner, and in many ways, another brother to me.

His death marks an irreparable change in my life but more importantly, in the lives of his family and most loved. Wouter was one of the kindest, funniest, and most admirable people I have ever had the opportunity to know and his death is a tragedy to his family, his friends, and to the sport as a whole.

I can only convey my deepest of sympathies to everyone who cared about him as deeply as I did, especially his family, his friends, his team and his fans – we celebrate his life and morn his death in equal measure.

Wouter was and is the soul of this sport we all love – an athlete who sacrificed himself for the better of many and a champion who celebrated each glory as a victory for his family, his team, and his friends and fans.

I will remember him always, and will always strive to do him proud, as he has always done for the sport and people he loves.

just terrible, i don't really know what else to say that hasn't been said already.

i can imagine there might be pressure to re-route that zoncolan stage so they don't go up and down the crotsis - apparently they were looking at ski nets for the descent anyway? but then, if it was caused by him looking backwards then it could happen anywhere.

http://twitpic.com/4vtf0p/full

Stage will be neutral.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeYMzIk-aHM

That was heartbreaking. Tyler Farrar's face at the end says it all.

http://twitpic.com/4vzxa1

heard of ppl riding 108miles/km in tribute

way to go world championship sports network

The original clip was Italian, try this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=VkJw1s0vvek

http://www.facebook.com/notes/leopard-trek/leopard-trek-will-leave-giro-ditalia/161538327244198

that's leopard-trek withdrawn then

stage 5... this is where the giro heats up this year right?

I lived in Pisa for a couple of years, so a lot of yesterday's stage/procession was on roads I knew. (I appreciate this is not the most important thing about recent events, but just thought I'd mention it)

livetext made the stage sound tremendous; looking forward a bunch to the highlights

A moving article:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/jonathan-vaughters/to-live-and-be-alive

Paypal Donations to support Wouter's family

what's the board's take on the crostis descent then? I see they're going to look into it

I wouldn't be surprised is the peleton either rides together that day or stops at the top to descend slowly together.

^ I can't see that happening, to be honest. The climb of the crostis will have split things up too much. The descent does look terrifying, though. But having said that, there were some terrifyingly steep, twisty and wet descents last year - I remember Nibali charging off alone on one of them. The thing is, the descent on Monday wasn't especially steep or tricky - it was relatively straight and fast. The tragic thing is he was looking over his shoulder.

Today's stage was good, the Strade Bianche made for some great racing again. Millar did very well to chase back on to the leading group, especially considering how cut up he was from his crash, but then blew up on the climb to the finish line.

One thing that I think will come in to play...

WW's death came very early in the race before massive time gaps had virtually eliminated the pretenders from the contenders.

By the time Crostis figures large, it will be pretty evident who is in GC contention and thus, who is willing to risk their lives to maintain balls-out speed on the descents versus those who will ride more within their limits.

This potentially gets tied up in the radio issue. The piece in today's guardian about the crotsis has a quote from Sean Yates(I think) about being led down he son plan by a teammate telling him what to expect. Not that the radio issue had anything to do with wouter's death but I think that it's added to an already charged issue relating to rider safety.

Even in the absence of this tragedy I would have been surprised not to see some kind of protest at the giro and the tour over he radio issue.

It's a tough call though. Nibali is an exceptionally talented descender and if coming down off the crotsis could win the giro for him; would you ask him to hold back to make a point?

They don't have a radio ban in the Giro, do they? I thought it had only been phased in to lower category races so far.

No radio ban at world tour, grandtour or HC level yet but it's slated for next year IIRC.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v219/Kermithimself/226725_10100207719400577_12605091_49433476_1118426_n.jpg

ewwwwww

Hmmmm.... so why the fuck did Petacchi gift the stage win to Ventoso? He was coming round him, looked across and then just stopped pedalling when it was obviously there for the taking.

Mount Etna erupts three days prior to Giro d'Italia stage

No credit to Movistar? Movistar's pacing esp. towards end of race sapped the legs out of the entire peloton (eg, HTC was nowhere to be seen). I knew Petacchi was in trouble earlier with about 500m to go, he slipped from 3rd wheel to 5th without a fight. Deceivingly uphill finish as well.

psyched for tomorrow

^^^

Any guesses who can hold Contador's wheel? Nibali? Anton? Scarponi?

I don't buy it. Petacchi threw that. He only had to turn the pedals twice more and he would have won. He didn't even look fucked, just casually glanced across - realised he was going to win - and then stopped.

... and then collapsed and fell to the ground after the finish and blearily didn't talk to reporters for several minutes despite their microphones jammed into his face.

Dude was zombified.

I still think it was weird. I can totally understand why he would be zombified, but he seemed to give up precisely at the moment that victory was assured.

maybe he was on a heavy bike

That would explain a lot

:\