http://www.eurosport.com/home/pages/v4/l0/s18/e7297/sport_lng0_spo18_evt7297_sto716669.shtml

:eek:

Yeah, what a chump. It sure was a sketchy sprint, but conspiracy? puhleeese.

Elsewhere, Baden Cooke is quoted as saying that Kirsipuu head-butted Petacchi but I didn't see that in the live feed.

Whining aside, Petacchi has to be pretty damn fast to come out from being boxed in like that, back in 9th or 10th wheel at 75m to go, come off the barriers and go around behind everyone to take fourth.

Looks like that's the way to beat him tho'. If it's rough and tumble, being 'gentlemanly' ain't gonna get you anywhere. Gotta be an oportunist little p*cker like McEwen. :D

I'm glad the Giro's playing out the way it has - Petacchi's 9 wins last year were a snooze-fest. Bettini was just amazing yesterday with that kick - forza Il Grillo!

Is "collusion" illegal? - TF

Is "collusion" illegal? - TF
Collusion is illegal.

I just lost a little respect for Ale-Jet after his comments on the stage. I think he has just gotten too used to winning everything in sight, and now has to come back to Earth. I hope to see it more mixed up again today.

Collusion is illegal.

I just lost a little respect for Ale-Jet after his comments on the stage. I think he has just gotten too used to winning everything in sight, and now has to come back to Earth. I hope to see it more mixed up again today.
Define collusion. What can't you do? - TF

Define collusion. What can't you do? - TF
My understanding is that if McEwen had said to Kirsipuu, "Right, now you and Dean come up alongside Pretty Boy's train and pin him to the barriers - I'll take the win today and we'll switch roles tomorrow" that would be collusion and would be illegal.

Lotto DS Allan Pieper seemed a bit peeved about this in his quote on cyclingnews: "You know mate, collusion is not allowed. From the days at the Brunswick track, I know you can get fined for that, so let's not go into that."

With teams obviously working together to bring back breaks, etc, the definition of collusion must be a pretty fine line.

Now he is trying to find a new team... Here is link (http://www.bicirace.com/news/2005/20050510.html)

No way to Discovery Channel. ;)

man, did i call this one right.. his ego is WAY too big..

"The others are jealous of my dominance," Petacchi said

http://www.eurosport.com/home/pages/v4/l0/s18/e7297/sport_lng0_spo18_evt7297_sto716813.shtml

Kirsipuu had the speed on him which is only way he was able to cut in on Petacchi. Otherwise Petacchi would have been leading out McEwen for the sprint. Either way McEwen would have won. On the replay you see Petacchi sitting up in disgust when he didn't gain any ground back on the two. Back a couple of weeks ago when Petacchi was talking about how much of a star he was because of beating Cipo all the time, I knew this guy had a bit too much ego.

Yeah, what a chump. It sure was a sketchy sprint, but conspiracy? puhleeese.

Elsewhere, Baden Cooke is quoted as saying that Kirsipuu head-butted Petacchi but I didn't see that in the live feed.

Whining aside, Petacchi has to be pretty damn fast to come out from being boxed in like that, back in 9th or 10th wheel at 75m to go, come off the barriers and go around behind everyone to take fourth.

Looks like that's the way to beat him tho'. If it's rough and tumble, being 'gentlemanly' ain't gonna get you anywhere. Gotta be an oportunist little p*cker like McEwen. :D

I'm glad the Giro's playing out the way it has - Petacchi's 9 wins last year were a snooze-fest. Bettini was just amazing yesterday with that kick - forza Il Grillo!


No doubt about that. He came screaming out of that mess.

I can't believe he is saying this type of thing publicly. However, I am sure he is frustrated. I'll wait to pass judgment just yet. You know Robbie did make some very strong points:

From the article

McEwen made it clear that the other sprinters in the Giro had decided to fight back against Petacchi and his dominant Fassa Bortolo team to stop him repeating his record of nine stage wins set last year.

"We're not going to sit and let Fassa Bortolo and Petacchi rule the sprints any more," he said.

"In the last couple of years we saw that other sprinters were killing each other for his wheel while he sat there comfortable behind his team mate before starting his sprint when he felt like it."



So anyway, I would say there is definitely an agreement that has been made. Not collusion, but one of disruption of the Fasso Train.

I think he was probably extra p*ssed because he knew he had just lost any hope of wearing pink for this Giro; he lost a minute in today's stage, and Thursday there's more climbs, so he'll have to "settle" for trying to win a few stages. In interpreting his responses, you have to keep in mind that the media here in Italy has been licking his feet for months; the stage-by-stage breakdown of the Giro published in the Gazzetta said of every sprint stage: "Ale-jet will win this one easily", "Ale-Jet will win, but might have to work for it", "Ale-Jet will be wearing pink by now" etc. He was definately under major pressure to win every sprint, and maybe he started to believe his own hype. I still think that, barring getting blocked as happened Monday, every bunch sprint is his to lose.

Thanks for the kind of inside Italian scoop!

I think he was probably extra p*ssed because he knew he had just lost any hope of wearing pink for this Giro; he lost a minute in today's stage, and Thursday there's more climbs, so he'll have to "settle" for trying to win a few stages. In interpreting his responses, you have to keep in mind that the media here in Italy has been licking his feet for months; the stage-by-stage breakdown of the Giro published in the Gazzetta said of every sprint stage: "Ale-jet will win this one easily", "Ale-Jet will win, but might have to work for it", "Ale-Jet will be wearing pink by now" etc. He was definately under major pressure to win every sprint, and maybe he started to believe his own hype. I still think that, barring getting blocked as happened Monday, every bunch sprint is his to lose.