Women's ToB 2015

[mcshroom]

First stage today.

Big crash for Lizzie Armitstead after the line. Looks like the bike veered left while she was riding no-handed. Quite a big fall, and she didn't move much after hitting the deck, though she is now out of hospital

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/video-news/video-lizzie-armitstead-in-hospital-after-crash-during-race-31310326.html

[Link contains spoilers]

[Basil]

Oh bollocks!   

How's her bike?

[mcshroom]

Looks like nothing's broken at least: -

Armitstead is said to be bruised and battered and a decision on whether she will race in the rest of the tour will be taken on Thursday.
She was conscious while being treated by paramedics and there is no suggestion the photographers were situated in the wrong position.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/33170616

How's her bike?

No idea

[mcshroom]

Britain's Lizzie Armitstead is out of the Women's Tour following a crash seconds after she won the first stage in Suffolk.
Armitstead celebrated by raising her arms as she crossed the line, before putting her hands back on her bike.
The 26-year-old then collided with a group of photographers and race director Mick Bennett.
"I remember winning with the help of my team-mates and then not much else", she said.  "Nothing broken just very sore."
Her Boels Dolmans team said Armitstead had wanted to race on but, after a conversation with team management,  will now rest ahead of the National Road Championships in Lincolnshire on 28 June.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/33170616

[David Martin]

Very windy apparently - looks like a gust caught her and took her into the media scrum. Very sad.

[Rainmaker]

"There is no suggestion that the photographers were situated in the wrong position"

Looking at the first picture on the BBC website IMO this is open to question.   The photographers appear to be taking up half the width of the road.

[David Martin]

"There is no suggestion that the photographers were situated in the wrong position"

Looking at the first picture on the BBC website IMO this is open to question.   The photographers appear to be taking up half the width of the road.

That is normal. They are assigned a specific position and that will be detailed in the route book. An unfortunate accident but entirely down to Lizzie and the weather.

[DaveJ]

It looked like the road narrowed immediately before the finish, then the photographers were taking up half of what was left.  At today's finish the photographers looked like they were much closer to the side of the road.  Its a bit frustrating that we didn't see an overhead shot of of the finish.  The helicopter was obviously with them 100m earlier.

[Veloman]

Poop happens.

Sagan had a pretty testing sprint in the ToS the day before and chose simply to lift an arm to celebrate rather than do the whole hands up in the air thing.  If it had have been a gust of wind I'm surprised we did not see more of the effects of that with hats etc showing that a gust was present, but, no such thing and evidence definitely lacking from the clips available.

I think she might be a little more restrained in future.

[mcshroom]

I haven't looked at that moment, but there was a lot of wind on the approach to the finish along the coast.

[Veloman]

I haven't looked at that moment, but there was a lot of wind on the approach to the finish along the coast.

Indeed there was.  But in the finish funnel she would have been very sheltered by the crowd etc etc.

[yoav]

The person she actually ran into was Mick Bennett, the race organiser, and he was trying to keep the photographers back. No one wants to stop riders celebrating but they do have to take some responsibility for themselves.

[rafletcher]

Noticeable, however, that the subsequent stage finishes were devoid of any obstructions for a good distance after the actual line. A miscalculation on stage 1, or just a piss poor finish area not to be repeated in future?

FWIW I think she'd have fallen anyway, but would likely have slid more and not been so badly bruised as to have to pull out.