Ferrari should be ashamed of Giro sprint, says Cavendish
The Giro d'Italia was turned upside down today in Horsens, Denmark, due to Robert Ferrari's sprint. The Italian of team Androni darted right, hit Mark Cavendish's front wheel and caused a crash that also took out race leader, Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing).
"Ouch! Crashing at 75kph isn't nice!" Cavendish said on Twitter. "Nor is seeing Roberto Ferrari's manoeuvre. Should be ashamed to take out Pink, Red & World Champ jerseys."
Team Sky's sprint leader hit the road hard on his left side in the final 200 metres, but then got up and walked over the finish line carrying his bike. Afterwards he re-mounted and rode toward the team bus, stopping first to congratulate his former team-mate Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) on the stage win.
"He was a bit pissed off, a bit gutted," Geraint Thomas told Cycling Weekly.
Thomas led Cavendish into the sprint, but lost him in the final kilometres. He kept looking back over his shoulder to see where he was and to make sure he'd be in position to repeat yesterday's win in Herning.
"I knew he'd lost my wheel with two K to go in that last right-hander. I wasn't sure if he let me go or what, so I wasn't too sure whether to go back and wait for him. I thought I'd just get around the corner in good position. I looked back and he was in decent position, behind Mark Renshaw about five or six positions back. He wasn't too far off at all, I thought he was in a decent position."
Cavendish was a little far back, but jumped to follow Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Barracuda). They surged up the right side, when Ferrari shot right and tried to pass behind Farrar. He took out Cavendish, Arnaud Démare (FDJ-BigMat) swerved and avoided Cavendish's head and Elia Favilli (Farnese Vini) bunny-hopped his body.
Ferrari continued to finished ninth, but the jury disqualified him to last place in bunch at 192nd. "Ferrari goes on instinct," Gianni Savio, Androni team manager said. "He didn't know what he did behind him."
Pink jersey, American Taylor Phinney went down in a subsequent crash. He nursed his right ankle and had to cross the line in an ambulance. The jury awarded he could keep the jersey, in an action similar to the one that allowed Daryl Impey to keep his after the Tour of Turkey crash in 2009.
The award ceremony went on, a young boy took the jersey in Phinney's place. Phinney then returned in the ambulance and accepted the jersey, right ankle wrapped and race numbers dangling over his backside.
"I have no idea what happened in the crash. I just ran over somebody," explained Phinney. "I am happy that nothing is broken."
Phinney and the rest of the peloton are travelling by aeroplane to Verona for the start of the Italian stages. He and Cavendish will be able to recover on the rest day, but both will suffer in the team time trial on Wednesday. Phinney added, "I think I'll be able to start."
Goss won the first Grand Tour stage for Australia's new top division team, Orica-GreenEdge. However, he wasn't pleased with Ferrari's actions.
"Some guys don't have much regard for the safety," Goss said. "It's win at all costs at some points."
A substitute accepts Taylor Phinney's maglia rosa after the leader's crash
Phinney later arrives via ambulance to collect the maglia rosa in person
Phinney's bandaged right ankle
Phinney leaves after the podium presentation to head to Italy
Related links
Goss wins in Horsens as Cavendish and Phinney crash
Giro d'Italia 2012: Latest news
Giro remembers Wouter Weylandt
Cavendish and Thomas a winning combo, says Brailsford
Geraint Thomas narrowly misses out on Giro lead
Phinney realises Giro dream
Thomas and Phinney talk Giro d'Italia time trial
Kennaugh enters Giro with least amount of racing miles
Cavendish faces first Grand Tour as World Champ and father
Frank Schleck's last minute Giro adventure
Swift out of Giro after training crash
Giro d'Italia 2012: Who will win?
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Giro d'Italia 2012: Start list
Cavendish, Thomas, Kennaugh, Swift and Stannard for Giro
Giro d'Italia 2012: Jerseys unveiled
Giro d'Italia organiser announces wildcard teams for 2012
Giro d'Italia 2012 route revealed
Giro d'Italia 2012: Live coverage
Giro d'Italia 2012 live text coverage schedule
Giro d'Italia 2012: Stage reports
Stage three: Goss wins in Horsens as Cavendish and Phinney crash
Stage two: Cavendish wins in Herning
Stage one: Phinney wins time trial
Giro d'Italia 2012: Photo galleries
Stage three photo gallery
Stage two photo gallery
Stage one photo gallery
Giro d'Italia 2012: Teams and riders
Giro d'Italia 2012 start list
Giro d'Italia 2012: TV guide
Giro d'Italia 2012: British Eurosport TV schedule
Related links
Giro d'Italia 2012: The Big Preview
Cycling Weekly's Giro d'Italia section
Reader comments
Add your comments
JD
May 07 18:42
The scandal isn't just that Ferrari nearly ended the season for Cavendish and Phinney but that he was in the race at all - he looked completely out of his depth at this level.
Trevor
May 07 19:27
Crazy manoeuvre considering the stage started with a rembrance of Wouter Weyland! If a move like that ends up with a rider unable to start the next stage, or has to abandon the next stage due to the injuries, then the likes of Ferrari should be removed from the race too!
Howard Ashenden
May 07 19:43
If Cav had ridden like Farrari he would possibly have been sent home.
DAVID HANBURY
May 07 21:26
A few head buts from Renshaw got him disqualified from the tour a couple of years ago. So why has Ferrari been allowed to continue. He needs some education before he is allowed to complete at this level again. As the previous commet stated he's out of his depth
Robert
May 08 08:02
Cavendish complaining about someone else's dodgy sprinting? The phrase 'Pot calling the kettle black' comes to mind! Just think back to the 2011 Tour of Switzerland where Cavendish veered across the road in order to lean on another rider, caused a massive crash and then was reported as spitting at the feet of those who complained about his behaviour.
John D
May 08 09:29
Re the Tour of Switzerland, Cavendish did not "veer" across the road - what utter tosh. He was probably at fault (though not everyone thinks it was that clear-cut) but the move was far more subtle than Ferrari's sudden and wild veer to the right. Cavendish was, however, booted which raises the question of why Ferrari wasn't. At the Tour de France, he'd have been shown the door within the hour.
martin
May 08 09:39
Cav has no doubt forgotten that he once did pretty much the same thing to heinrich haussler and haussler hasn't been the same since. All that gets forgotten when you're world champion clearly
arronski
May 08 10:14
Nothing will happen to Roberto Ferrari it's the Giro after all and he has said he [ cares nothing for what happens behind him in the sprint ] shows his complete disregard for other riders safety. He should have just apologised For taking out the Pink, Red and WC jersey's Disgrace to cycling and should be DQ !
Robert
May 08 11:55
Regarding the crash Cavendish caused in the 2010 Tour of Switzerland. First, he was not disqualified: he was fined a paltry 200 Swiss Francs and given a time penalty. Secondly there was nothing subtle about the way he deliberately tried to lean on Haussler. Thirdly, far from others feeling that it was not 'clear cut' (apart from a few flag-waving Cavendish fans I guess) most were disgusted by his deliberate bullying tactics. So much so that the whole peloton held a 2 minute protest before the start of the next stage demanding that Cavendish show more respect for the safety of his fellow professionals. And now Cavendish is arguing that riders no longer respect each other as they used to! What a cheek!
Colnago dave
May 08 12:24
I think Martin needs to look at the Haussler incident again as it is not as clear cut as he thinks. Cav has stated many times previously that there are riders getting mixed up in the sprint who have no chance and they do cause crashes. Cav's comments are pretty mild compared to the previous Cav but one thing is true if it had been him causing this accident he would be going home. Ferrari should be sent home and made to learn the hard way that whilst sprinting is dangerous the top riders can and do trust each other to sprint clean
harry01
May 08 14:41
This is the Cavendish who DID SPIT at the feet of those who were complaining about his poor sprinting. Possibly booted off the TofS due to the SPITTING. This is the same Cavendish who nearly took out Thor H when he couldn't match him in a sprint. This is the same Cavendish who was wheeled around the TDF last year so he could win the green jersey. The TDF lost a lot of integrity for me ( and many others I think) in CHANGING the rules simply so Cavendish could win a green jersey. The manager has apologized so hopefully that is the end of it, but no doubt Cavendish will whinge and whinge for a while longer.
JD
May 08 16:33
A handful protested about Cav in the Tour of Switzerland - they wanted him out so they had more chance of winning. There is not much comparison between that nudge and Ferrari's wild swing. Look on YouTube. Cavendish also suffered -- he was clear favourite for the win and came down too. By the way, nobody seems to have noticed the ridiculous way Romain Feillu cut Cavendish up quite deliberately seconds before he was hit by Ferrari. Feillu is another infamous sprinting clown.
Timothy
May 08 18:37
Definitely the worst I've seen in a sprint. Regardless of any previous incident, Cav hit the deck at high speed and has every right to demand riders maintain a standard. Whether he was less mature or inexperienced in the past is irrelevant, it doesn't mean riders shouldn't learn going forward or be punished for causing accidents like this. These guys put their lives and careers on the line at those speeds. Ferrari should take his medicine and go home.
Alex
May 09 07:12
Ferrari made a radical alteration of course in a high speed sprint finish, and veered at nearlly 45 degrees across the line of other riders moving at hiigh speed behind him. He didn't look, and said himself that he was unaware of what was happening behind. Mark Renshaw, Matt Goss, Robbie McEwan, Robbie Hunter and Gianni Savio have all said he was out of order. Quite simply, he rode dangerously. I'm glad I don't have to ride with those on here who seem to think his riding was OK.