Stage 4: Bettini Gets In Trouble
Well, we have the first real controversy of this race. Bettini had another brilliant final kilometer, setting himself up for a final sprint, minus all of the big sprinters. Jason predicted the first few stages would be a battle between the sprinters, and that wasn't exactly an off-the-wall prediction. But it hasn't played out that way. Every stage has finished on a minor incline, and Bettini has taken that advantage to blow the sprinters off the front of the peleton.
Today was just like every other stage in that respect. A seemingly minor crash split the field, and there was Bettini, driving the lead group. A series of hill solidified that lead group, and there was another sprint finish without the big guns, save Baden Cooke. Cooke had to be a favorite in that sprint, but Bettini drifted a bit and forced Cooke into the wall. Bettini crossed the line first, but the judges penalized him and dropped him to fourth.
Now, the problem for us is that we have to rely on race radio and velonews coverage, as OLN did not broadcast the race today. Which is a gigantic pain in the ass, and neither of us can say conclusively if Bettini's sprinting tactics were illegal. Cooke certainly seemed to think so, refusing even to speak to Bettini at the end of the stage. Bettini thought it was a fair move obviously, even threatening to withdraw from the Giro over this.
Personally, I have to go by track record in the absence of film. Bettini has a well-deserved reputation as a classy rider. Heck, he demonstrated that early in the day when he held up the peleton to reform itself after an early crash with about 120k to go. He's not a gigantic assmunch who tries to take every advantage. so I just don't believe he willingly cheated in the final sprint. Cooke won't want to hear it, but it was an accident.
From VeloNews
The judges were right to err on the side of caution and vacate his stage win. Hey, he keeps the pink jersey, so Bettini should chill out just a bit. Besides, the guy who is truly screwed is Cooke. He's there to win the points title, and he lost a chance to pick up 30 points or so on his main rivals. Instead, he got nothing and he stays 26 points back of McEwen, the top real threat to the sprint title assuming Bettini can't hold his current edge. So Bettini losing a stage win is small potatoes compared to cooke's very real loss. Lighten up, big guy. Everyone knows you actually won this stage.
Today was just like every other stage in that respect. A seemingly minor crash split the field, and there was Bettini, driving the lead group. A series of hill solidified that lead group, and there was another sprint finish without the big guns, save Baden Cooke. Cooke had to be a favorite in that sprint, but Bettini drifted a bit and forced Cooke into the wall. Bettini crossed the line first, but the judges penalized him and dropped him to fourth.
Now, the problem for us is that we have to rely on race radio and velonews coverage, as OLN did not broadcast the race today. Which is a gigantic pain in the ass, and neither of us can say conclusively if Bettini's sprinting tactics were illegal. Cooke certainly seemed to think so, refusing even to speak to Bettini at the end of the stage. Bettini thought it was a fair move obviously, even threatening to withdraw from the Giro over this.
Personally, I have to go by track record in the absence of film. Bettini has a well-deserved reputation as a classy rider. Heck, he demonstrated that early in the day when he held up the peleton to reform itself after an early crash with about 120k to go. He's not a gigantic assmunch who tries to take every advantage. so I just don't believe he willingly cheated in the final sprint. Cooke won't want to hear it, but it was an accident.
From VeloNews
The judges were right to err on the side of caution and vacate his stage win. Hey, he keeps the pink jersey, so Bettini should chill out just a bit. Besides, the guy who is truly screwed is Cooke. He's there to win the points title, and he lost a chance to pick up 30 points or so on his main rivals. Instead, he got nothing and he stays 26 points back of McEwen, the top real threat to the sprint title assuming Bettini can't hold his current edge. So Bettini losing a stage win is small potatoes compared to cooke's very real loss. Lighten up, big guy. Everyone knows you actually won this stage.
posted by Poseur at 8:11 PM
1 Comments:
Well, Bettini would probably like to have the money that goes with the stage win, plus it's a nice advantage in the UCI rankings. And besides, if you were an Italian, you'd be damned if someone took away your Giro stage win.
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