When Armstrong took a short cut

[Accy cyclist]

No doubt it's been discussed before, but i still can't see how he wasn't disqualified when he cut across that field in 2003!

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAnza-RX8Yo
He left the designated "field of play",surely he should've stopped, composed himself and carried on on the road and not given himself an advantage by taking a short cut! Am i right in thinking this?

 

[shouldbeinbed]

ancient history surely and not his biggest transgression in cycling, if you prove your thinking are they going to strip him of the win?

oh.

 

[buggi]

i think at the time they deemed he was forced off the road and the short cut took longer than if he stayed on the road, due to the terrain. He gained no real advantage so it was allowed. As said, it kinda pales into insignificance now.

 

[Accy cyclist]

ancient history surely and not his biggest transgression in cycling, if you prove your thinking are they going to strip him of the win?

oh.

Maybe ancient now but i saw the highlights the evening after the event and couldn't get my head round his blatant cheating,and how the commentator commended him on such quick thinking! When they have a 10,000 meter race at the Olympics for example and there's a stumble there's no way another runner could cut across the field and meet up with the other runners on the other side and then carry on in the race!

 

[cyberknight]

If you watch closely he actually lost time , the group that were behind him went past as he remounted .
Im not an armstrong fan , i even stopped watching the TDF during his tenure as i always felt there was something not right but i have to give him that one as reasonable bike handling skillls.

 

[buggi]

a lot of things happen in cycling that don't happen in other sports. They mostly help each other anyway lol

 

[rich p]

 

[Flying Dodo]

11 year old news is not news.

 

[Crackle]

He took a few shortcuts, that was one of the few we all saw back then.

 

[charlieivan]

Maybe ancient now but i saw the highlights the evening after the event and couldn't get my head round his blatant cheating,and how the commentator commended him on such quick thinking! When they have a 10,000 meter race at the Olympics for example and there's a stumble there's no way another runner could cut across the field and meet up with the other runners on the other side and then carry on in the race!

In the points race on the track it is allowed for a competitor to fall off his bike and rejoin the race a couple of laps later and still be included in the race on equal terms with all the other riders.

 

[ufkacbln]

Ask yourself this question......

If the same situation had arisen last year and Wiggins or Froome had avoided a fallen rider, gone off road, lost position and rejoined the peloton in the same way would you still be bleating about it being blatant cheating?

Forget it was Armstrong and look at it for what it is, a rider avoiding someone who has fallen in front of them, following the line that maneuovre has placed them in and losing time in doing so...... but in the process showing good handling skills

Lets take another example.... in 2005 Wiggins, Schleck and Basso were in a group when there was a crash. They were awarded the same time as the original group despite finishing after them. They gained time

Was that blatant cheating... claiming a time that you did not actually finish at, or was it fair because it is within the rules (3km rule)?

 

[Accy cyclist]

11 year old news is not news.

Yes but we're in cycling discussions, not the latest cycling news thread.

 

[Globalti]

The history of bike racing is littered with odd incidents like that; everybody could see that he took that line to avoid hitting the fallen rider. It gave him no advantage and he was lucky not to fall off. End of.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Thanks for the replies,i will now lay this 11 year old bee in my bonnet to rest! I now understand that he gained no advantage and that it was an accepted manoeuvre. If only they'd have explained that on the commentary at the time!

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

He also takes shortcuts fixing punctures!

http://www.outsideonline.com/featur.../How-to-Fix-a-Flat--with-Lance-Armstrong.html