A mechanical of any kind thrusts a professional cyclist into a kind of paradoxical isolation; swarmed by cars and motorcycles, yet they are often left alone to find their way back to the peloton by their own strength.
But this isn’t their first rodeo, and these aren’t cowboys. Put it in the Big Ring, set the lazy-lever to 12, put your head down, and get on with it. The downside is that when the legs are yelling “Allez le Douze”, the eyes have a tendency to check out the guns instead of paying attention to the direction of travel. A pity, that.
The irony that Davis Phinney’s isolation was ended by the rear glass of a car bearing the logo of a company called “Isoglass” is not lost on me.
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"Hmmm... Isoglass... I see glass... ouch"
The wheel is stronger than the frame.
In contemporary cycling a rider like 'Thor' would never take part in a race like LBL,
but those were different times with different riders.
I'm happy to see his son in the peloton.
@michael
You can actually see that the wheel has a big flat spot.
I'm not sure that this was through a lapse in concentration. Riders were harder then and if they didn't like the way someone was driving they didn't just dive into the nearest barbed wire fence, they let the driver know about it in no uncertain terms.
Ouch...look at all that claret. I once had a very similar accident after a well executed but inappropriately timed wheelie on my motorbike. The principle difference was that while I cleared the car completely my bike didn't and the seat hump left a sizable dent in the roof. Once I'd stopped being concussed, and could breathe again, I was quite inordinantly proud of that.
The Cannibal would have eaten more than just the glass.
Been there. Chasing back on after a mechanical, seen the catch, head down for a bit more suffering to close on to the back wheel looking for the glorious shelter of the bunch, drift right as road bends left, in the gutter amongst the dirt and shit, fuck, jump back on bike, wait, is it raining? what's that liquid on my thigh, oh oh, maybe it rains red around here, jesus that's actually quite a lot of blood. Can you patch me up so I can cont .... you want me to get in the ambulance, really, are you sure, ok, ok, will someone look after my bike? yes honey, 14 stitches, no, I'm OK, really it was nothing, the elbow, yes, right elbow, yes, its a bit sore, see you in a few hours.
Happens to the pros to: Tinkoff rider in this clip at c.23s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwqLQ6Ewjdc
Too bad it wasn't one of today's huffy frames. One of those 35lb bad boys wouldn't torn that little Renault in half.
I notice he already had some road rash wounds. I am guessing his easiest time was on the bike chasing back. It gets harder later when he showers, tries to sleep, getting up the next day and the road rash oozes and cracks and the muscles that were bruised are now cold tight and sore. Definitely a cruel hard sport that pays out rewards in a haphazard manner, but ultimately to those that can take the mental and physical pain while dishing out copious amounts of the V.