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Ted King's DSQ, a rider protest maybe?

Last Post 07/05/2013 03:24 PM by Cosmic Kid. 42 Replies.

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bobswire

Posts:304

07/03/2013 10:34 AM
He should have received and exemption but as CK stated, worked out the best for King health wise.

CarbonGecko

Posts:42

07/03/2013 01:44 PM
It is a three week tour. How many days does this "rectify huge organizer mistake" freebie last for? Just the first week? Halfway through the second? Small organizational errors are made all the time. How big an organizer mistake has to be made to give the rider a freebie? The problem is, if you leave it as a subjective thing then who stays and who goes becomes a subjective decision of one or a group of officials. Eventually that is going to be used unfairly. The Ted Kings will get sent home and the marquis riders will be given breaks. It should be a firm rule and it should be the same for everyone. One of the biggest problems with pro cycling over the last 30 years or so is subjective, vague rules that get applied differently based on team, status, nationality, likability, etc.

jacques_anquetil

Posts:245

07/03/2013 02:17 PM
TK must be totally gutted. VN has a piece up about the situation, and frankly, the official sounds somewhat fair in his call. can't be an easy job http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/07/news/qa-tour-jury-president-says-everyone-must-accept-the-rules_293336

Orange Crush

Posts:4499

07/03/2013 02:39 PM
Based on the considerations reflected in the interview, the decision makes total sense.

bobswire

Posts:304

07/03/2013 04:04 PM
Funny how Orica Green Edge Team bus that started this whole mess is coming up roses.

Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

07/03/2013 09:16 PM
I just see the official contradicting himself and back pedaling. He says "the rules are the rules", but 3 questions later says "each situation is unique and must be judged separately". Well, which is it? The rules are either "the rules" or they are essentially arbitrary and completely dependent on how the judges view the circumstances. CG, the issue with the role of the organizers is simply an extenuating circumstance, IMO. No one is saying he should be allowed to continue on that point alone. What people are saying was that it was damn close,he showed great grit and determination to gut through the stage alone and that similar exceptions have been made in the past. In addition to all that, a good argument can be made that the confusion from Stage 1 was a contributing factor to his condition.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

79pmooney

Posts:3189

07/03/2013 10:02 PM
And, CK, allowing him to continue (with the proper press release) could have been a great sporting gesture, a win-win for all. Granted, if he healed up and became a power in the mountains, some competitors wouldn't like it. Then again, how many roleur-sprinters are happy when Cavendish and the rest of the pure sprinters have the time limit waived? Those are competitors they ditched with their legs, not a team bus. Ben

cabron fiber

Posts:17

07/04/2013 12:18 AM
I know the time cut has been waived on stages where someone has crashed on that particular stage and finished outside the cut, but do you guys know of instances where a rider was injured in an earlier stage, like Ted King, then missed the cut on a later stage and was allowed back?

79pmooney

Posts:3189

07/04/2013 12:02 PM
CF, if that crash was caused by rider inattention or road conditions that should have been scouted ahead of time or just racing I can see the cut, But when a massive crash is caused by the race officials, I think there is some room to make exceptions. If the officials make a mess of things as big as they did on Stage 1, the consequences may linger several days and they may have to look at doing the unusual to "get things right". Ben

pabiker

Posts:80

07/04/2013 12:13 PM
How do race officials "cause" a crash?

79pmooney

Posts:3189

07/04/2013 12:30 PM
Move the finish line by 3 kilometers twice in the final 10 k of the race. OK, you can say that did not "CAUSE" the crash, but it's a no-brainer that it is going to happen. Ben

cabron fiber

Posts:17

07/04/2013 12:57 PM
I just don't know if there's precedent for the time cut being waived for someone with an existing injury. His team knew his condition beforehand; if they really wanted him in the race, they could have had someone wait for him. The role of the race officials in the crash? They had to make a decision in a bad situation; maybe they made the wrong one. Deciding that from then on the time cut doesn't apply to riders who were injured in that crash is a slippery slope. Dogs run onto the course, spectators interfere, team buses get stuck: the officials can't control everything. If a rider is injured, he can choose to continue, but why should he and his team expect the rules to be bent?

pabiker

Posts:80

07/04/2013 01:19 PM
Yep, I would say that. The riders caused the crash. Indeed there was confusion on that stage, not caused by the officials, it was actually caused by the Orica team the officials were trying to come up with a solution. Had a lot of folks missed the time cut on that stage - perhaps some accommodation would be in line. Ted King missed the time cut on an entirely different stage where there was no such event.

Sweet Milk

Posts:93

07/04/2013 02:13 PM
+1 cabron fiber and pabiker. I like Ted King and I feel for him, but I fail to see how his situation warrants an exemption.

ElleSeven

Posts:48

07/04/2013 03:13 PM
The rule is in place for a reason. I've missed time limits in stage races, once at three seconds. For sure I was pissed, but not with the organizers. It wouldn't have occurred to me to beg for an exemption. One problem with this particular sort of "precedent," fudging a tiny deficit, is that it changes the tactical policies of the teams when that kind of fudging becomes established as policy. You think you have some wiggle-room; you don't send a guy or gal back to fetch your teammate in distress, because you're operating on an assumption that the race judges will turn a blind eye as long as the straggler isn't too far behind and does some teary-eyed whining for the cameras. More importantly, though, is that it changes the definition of "rule" to "something you're almost following." A serious sport has serious rules.