Tour de France 2011 talk

[denda]

Man, Radio Shack is having nothing but BAD luck! I hate that some of the big name guys of the Tour are in so many of the crashes. Although I wouldn't be too upset if Contador was in a few more

[ny biker]

Horner's on the way to the hospital to have his head checked out.

Update from Bruyneel: Chris fractured his nose and has a concussion and calf hematoma.

Dislike!!!

[Mako]

Cavtastic!!!!!!

But poor Wiggins - gutted

[pll]

Could we abstain from wishing crashes on any cyclist? I know Contador is the evil guy of the day, but from disliking him to wishing he would crash, there is a huge distance... I find such wishes appalling.

Horner hit his head hard. If he has a concussion (which it looks like the case, judging by his confusion at the finish line about actually having crashed and finished -- see the video from bicycling.com clip here), I hope he does not start tomorrow. It would be too dangerous if he were to fall again.

[bmccasland]

I thought if you didn't finish a race you were out. Granted it's been a while since I've read the race rules on the official tour website. How does one go get checked out at a hospital and get back to complete a race with sufficent time to not be disqualified?

[pll]

Horner was taken to the hospital *after* finishing the stage.

[ny biker]

I'm really surprised they let him finish the stage. Usually if a rider is confused like that after a crash, they put him in the ambulance right away.

[blue_angel]

Horner hit his head hard. If he has a concussion (which it looks like the case, judging by his confusion at the finish line about actually having crashed and finished -- see the video from bicycling.com clip here), I hope he does not start tomorrow. It would be too dangerous if he were to fall again.

That is so insane! I can't even believe that he managed to finish the stage in that condition. It just goes to show how incredibly *trained* these guys are--they can do it on reflex.

Man, Team Radio Shack is really trapped under a cloud. Here's hoping that nothing else bad befalls any of them!

[ny biker]

I haven't watched the video yet.

But the thing is, Bruyneel has said that he stopped and found Horner lying in a ditch, and could see he had crashed hard. So Horner did not get back on his bike without help from the team. That's why I'm surprised he continued the race. Bruyneel may be an aggressive manager but I do believe he puts the health of his riders ahead of everything. I remember a TdF a few years back where one of his key climbers crashed and then started to race again, but after a bit they spoke to him and determined he had signs of a concussion, at which point they took him from the race right away.

And even if the race doctor was busy with other riders, you would think that at some point he would have caught up with Horner to check him out.

So maybe Chris was coherent enough that the extent of his injuries was not so clear.

Regardless, I hope he recovers quickly, along with all the other injured riders.

update: nice blog post from Jani Brajkovic:

http://www.livestrong.com/teamradios...ith-left-hand/

[Mako]

http://www.livestrong.com/teamradios...ith-left-hand/

Gosh, he seem like a nice chap, and has some thoughtful points!

I hope that he heals well and that team Radioshack's luck improves - they seem to have had a rough ride so far

[loopybunny]

So maybe Chris was coherent enough that the extent of his injuries was not so clear.

Saul Raisin was coherent once in the hospital and it took a while for the bleeding to become serious enough that he slipped into a coma.

Natasha Richardson was coherent after her skiing accident as well.

It seems to me that because of the mystery surrounding brain injuries that if someone shows even the slightest possibility they may have a concussion, the injury needs to be taken very seriously.

I'm letting Chris's accident get to me a little too much. That video was just heartbreaking.

[denda]

Pll - Sorry, it was just a bad joke. I don't wish anyone to get hurt. I would really like Contador to have a strong finish and someone beat him in a very close finish.

[Dr.Doo]

Cavtastic!!!!!!

But poor Wiggins - gutted

The Missile is awesome isn't he. Reminds me in some respects of Super Mario (Cipollini).

Poor Bradley...he was my pick for the maillot jaune on the Champs Elysee

I wonder what's going to happen with Contador. To be honest I don't think he should be riding with an unresolved doping case hanging over his head. What if he wins this Tour and the appeal to the Court of Arbitration for sport upholds the doping allegations in August? I don't think Millar and a number of others who've be caught doping should be allowed to ride in the sports most prestigious race either - or the Vuelta/Giro/Paris-Roubaix et al.

[Mako]

The Missile is awesome isn't he. Reminds me in some respects of Super Mario (Cipollini).

I understand that people can see him as being arrogant, but I can't help but like the fella! Possibly Sonic the Hedgehog too?

I certainly have reservations about Contador, really not my favourite rider!
I don't wish him any harm and actually felt bad to see him all scuffed up the other day. However, all this 'unresolved business' seems to cast a bit of a shadow over the tour, especially if he won.

[ivorygorgon]

ohhhh Chris!!!!! My heart is broken. It made me tear up to see how confused he was. I was sooooo rooting for him.