Tokyo Olympic - cycling

[Beardy]

In the strictest sense of the rules, Denmark caught GB, but I do think that there should be some consequence to total disregard for your competitor. It is just not acceptable to ride them of the track like that.

[TimC]

No. The round is won when the opponent is caught. GB was definitely caught. Denmark go through to the gold/ silver final round.

The fastest two teams of everybody else, including caught teams, race for bronze/ fourth place. Do GB deserve to be in that final round?

Ah. So running your competitor off the track by riding without looking where you're going is just fine. Gotcha.

[Jaded]

It is a surprising concept that if you catch your opponents on the track, they might be in your way when you do...

[Croft]

It's the Danish rider's anger that I don't understand. Is it possible that immediately following the crash he thought he crashed into GB's fourth man, and was remonstrating because the fourth should have been high on the banking and not the racing line?

[Karla]

It's the Danish rider's anger that I don't understand. Is it possible that immediately following the crash he thought he crashed into GB's fourth man, and was remonstrating because the fourth should have been high on the banking and not the racing line?

That's what Cyclingnews are saying.

[DuncanM]

No. The round is won when the opponent is caught. GB was definitely caught. Denmark go through to the gold/ silver final round.

The fastest two teams of everybody else, including caught teams, race for bronze/ fourth place. Do GB deserve to be in that final round?

Well, the reason why GB were in the semi-final is that they were the 4th fastest in qualifying. So it seems reasonable that they go into the 3rd place ride-off.

[andyoxon]

Danes should be DQ'd.  Rider wasn't looking, and wiped out GBs 3rd rider.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Sure, the Dane crashed out Tanfield but that was after the race was over. Unlike many folk (who haven’t raced bikes), I am a bit less concerned about crashes.

[Peter]

There seem to have been clothing violations for which the UCI (a notoriously fickle body) could have disqualified the Danes in earlier rounds but to want to disqualify them for running into the back of a team that was actually a lap behind (and nowhere near being medal-contenders, I think) seems a bit peevish and un-British.  The Danish rider's rant at the innocent victim was of course un-British, what with him being Danish - and wrong.

[Karla]

It seems Tanfield was dragged in at the last moment after Clancy's DNS, and he was doing long rides on the road only a couple of days ago.  That explains his performance on the day but it does seem weird that, given Clancy's back problem was not a new issue, the reserve rider wasn't on a more specific track training regime.

[andyoxon]

Was the race over at the point the two collided, or before that?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

When the catching team gets within 1m of the team being caught. A little before impact.

[andyoxon]

When the catching team gets within 1m of the team being caught. A little before impact.

OK, didn't realise it was within 1m; thought they had to draw level / overtake (as opposed to slamming into the back). 

[Croft]

Presumably the "within 1m" is precisely to avoid the risk of collision or the confusion should it happen. Can't see a crash after that would be in itself a reason to DQ, but I do wonder about the conduct of the Danish rider. Shouting at the fallen rider and storming off seems "unbecoming".

[Peter]

Definitely not British!

[drossall]

Brilliant comment on Twitter about whether Tanfield should have been using lights and hi-vis

[woollypigs]

Definitely not British!

you mean cricket, not cricket that for sure

[Mr Larrington]

Definitely not British!

I expect they cheer when they win and practice beforehand too

[spesh]

We've got stores in Denmark, you know.

https://twitter.com/Specsavers/status/1422476721614434311

[Nick H.]

It would be daft to DQ the Danes. It would wreck the event - the final should be between the two fastest teams, and GB were very slow. Nobody was hurt, and the angry Dane has punished himself by looking like a twat in front of the whole world. It was a tricky decision for the officials, and I think they got it right. If the GB rider had been injured and put out of the rest of the games, that would be an entirely different matter.

[Peter]

Definitely not British!

I expect they cheer when they win and practice beforehand too

Absolutely!  Complete lack of moral fibre.

[Beardy]

I think that the rider in question should be banned from the final for his recklessness but the rest of the team should be allowed to compete in the final with their 5th man. For there to be no consequence would be wrong, but DQing the team would also be inappropriate.

[TimC]

Sure, the Dane crashed out Tanfield but that was after the race was over. Unlike many folk (who haven’t raced bikes), I am a bit less concerned about crashes.

Lovely use of the technicality. Madsen was a jerk for riding into Tanfield, and was even more of a jerk for behaving like a twat afterwards. He should be sanctioned. I have no problem with the rest of the team (with their 5th man) continuing in the competition nor would I have a problem with GB contesting the wooden spoon, though if the Danes get to ride for the Gold, GB have qualified to ride for the Bronze even if they have no hope without Clancy.

However, the UCI have failed on several levels here. The GB team should have been flagged when Tanfield went off the back to warn both GB and Denmark that the team was split. There should also have been a noise signal as Denmark approached Tanfield that the Danes had caught GB and the race was over - though that does not absolve Madsen of responsibility for looking where he's going. The UCI also failed to appropriately sanction Denmark for their (very clever) use of tape and aero undershirts in earlier rounds. The fact that Denmark had incorrectly received approval for those measures just makes the UCI look even more stupid.

But, hey, I don't race. So I can't possibly have any sense of the rules, or what's right and wrong.

[Nick H.]

However, the UCI have failed on several levels here. The GB team should have been flagged when Tanfield went off the back to warn both GB and Denmark that the team was split. There should also have been a noise signal as Denmark approached Tanfield that the Danes had caught GB and the race was over

Are those rules? Not seen anyone else mention them. Very interesting.

[Karla]

I'm struggling to find the Huub aero undervest on their website.  Has the "Banned by the UCI" publicity worked that well already?