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As someone who's raced, I see this as tragic. And frankly, I would not have overtaken the guy in the lead. The second guy really should have followed cycling etiquette. I would not be surprised in the least if the press, fans, his fellow competitors, and others came down on him.
Really? It's considered bad form to race ahead of some fool who decides to hotdog it to the finish line before he has officially won? I'm surprised. It's not like the winner did anything illegal or unethical. I think the tragic part is that somebody obviously in the lead did not finish the race before declaring himself the winner. But I've never raced competitively so what do I know.
Yes, it's bad form in the sport of cycling. Many races without a sprint finish (or in which a racer is able to get to the line without one) will have the lead racer to a celebratory pump or two prior to crossing. This was tragic, not foolish. I can absolutely see ow someone wold consider it foolish but I don't. It takes an unfathonable amount of work to get to a place where one can win a race and when something like this happens it just saddens me.
In road racing, the culture is that the best (i.e. strongest) man wins. That's why in the greatest races (the grand tours that is) you often see a group wait for someone who had a mechanical, like a blown tube. It's respect. So if someone who is up front in the peloton, or is in a breakaway group, needs to have his tire changed, the group will slow down, wait for him, then let him work his way back up through the peloton (typically one has to fight teir way to get p to,the first third of the group) back to the position he was in. Overtaking someone who experiences bad luck is poor. It doesn't get to who's truly best. Cyclists don't normally take advantage like that.
Case in point, remember the 2010 Tour de France when Contador overtook Schleck? The cycling world was outraged. It was hard to fathom. Tour de France 2010: Alberto Contador
There are of course nuances and exceptions but generally, it's about the strongest man winning. In the video you posted, the strongest man was overtaken by a weaker opponent. How tragic. Do you think the guy who won has any reason to celebrate? Absolutely not, if he came in second (as he was supposed to) I bet he would have been happier.
Did not know any of that. Thank you for explaining that. I just thought bad luck like needing to change a tire or falling down were all considered part of the race since it can happen to everybody. I'll pay more attention next time. Wondering if this is true in other sports? Certainly not in automobile racing or track from what I've seen.
Case in point, remember the 2010 Tour de France when Contador overtook Schleck? The cycling world was outraged. It was hard to fathom. Tour de France 2010: Alberto Contador
If the racer had a chain malfunction in the middle of the race? Is it OK to take advantage at that point? Or should everybody stop and wait until he fixes it?
Quote:
In the video you posted, the strongest man was overtaken by a weaker opponent.
I see that as the Tortoise and the Hare. Don't watch much sports but the races I've seen, running, cars, etc. every advantage is taken. I'm not a racer and this is just my opinion but the race ain't over until you cross the finish line.
All sports are like that. Winning often hinges on chance as well as skill and ability. Especially when the contestants are close in skill and ability.
Really? It's considered bad form to race ahead of some fool who decides to hotdog it to the finish line before he has officially won? I'm surprised. It's not like the winner did anything illegal or unethical. I think the tragic part is that somebody obviously in the lead did not finish the race before declaring himself the winner. But I've never raced competitively so what do I know.
Poor sportmanship and lack of respect from the #2 cyclist.
But isn't it the first one who reaches the finish line is the winner? I don't condone cheating or being unethical but I thought the whole point of any race is to finish first.
To me the guy you say should be 2nd was really first and not the weaker cause he actually finished first. He stayed the course and was not showing off like the guy who raises his hands in triumph.
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