OK. Now I’ve seen it numerous times on replay and I have changed my mind. The head butting is not as bad as pressing Tyler against the wall IMO. Moving across the field like that could have caused a huge pile up not to mention the fact that he clearly kept Tyler from contesting the race. Bob Roll said tonight that if the judges don’t react, the offenses get more brazen and it becomes very dangerous. I can see that and understand better now what happened.
Stage 12 - Bourg-de-Péage > > > Mende - 210.5 km
Friday, July 16, 2010
Km 31.0 - Côte de Saint-Barthélémy-le-Plain - 10.7 km climb to 3.1 % - Category 3
Km 59.0 - Col des Nonières (NONIERES) - 5.7 km climb to 3.8 % - Category 3
Km 96.0 - Suc de Montivernoux - 13.7 km climb to 4.4 % - Category 2
Km 133.0 - Côte de la Mouline - 3.9 km climb to 5 % - Category 3
Km 208.5 - Côte de la Croix-Neuve (Montée Laurent Jalabert) - 3.1 km climb to 10.1 % - Category 2
Whoa. I didn't see all that - just saw the headbutting of Julian Dean at the final yards when it happened and didn't see the Bobke Show or any slow-mos or reruns later in the day.
It's one thing to pull these kinds of moves on a cycling track. It's quite another when you're riding perched precariously on cliffs & such. They have to nip this stuff in the bud because road race officials KNOW that if you give riders an inch they'll take a mile. And in this sport (as opposed to track racing) even minor transgressions can get somebody seriously maimed or worse.
I agree. The “head butt” looked just like a little move to keep space — I’ve seen riders to that with their elbows, shoulders, and hands as well, and if both hands are tied up, using your head is a reasonable way of signalling that the rider is drifting.
I don’t think Dean was purposely drifting, I noticed they were at a point where the road lines werent’ straight.
But after the head butt, Renshaw moved to his left, so much that he cut off Tyler, and Tyler then moved inside to follow Cavendish instead of being able to follow his own leadout rider.
Which is OK, but then Renshaw whipped back to the inside to cut Tyler off from Cavendish’s rear wheel, pushing so far over that Tyler had to use his hand to push Renshaw.
And Renshaw clearly looked back before moving over, so he can’t say he assumed Tyler was coming around the other side.
Given that they already have a couple of severe crashes caused by riders wandering around the track cutting people off, and given that this was the sprint to the finish and his move not only prevented a rider from catching his team’s rider, but also nearly put the rider into the barrier, I think the penalty is justifiable.
Now, I would have been fine with some lesser penalty — I’m just saying that I don’t think the penalty was irrational.