ADELAIDE, Australia – Tour Down Under race director
Mike Turtur angrily played down suggestions Wednesday that poor course
planning caused a series of crashes during a dramatic second stage finale.

Tour de France sprint king Mark Cavendish was among around a dozen riders
caught up in at least three crashes inside the final five kilometres of the
146 km stage from Tailem Bend to Mannum.

Young Australian Bernard Sulzberger was ruled out of the race after he
suffered a broken collarbone and compatriot Chris Sutton, of Team Sky, is
uncertain to start Thursday after suffering a knee injury.

Cavendish suffered cuts above his left eye and abrasions over his body
after he came down moments after negotiating a tight left-hand bend around
four kilometres from the finish line.

After crashing, another rider — suspected to be teammate Matthew Goss —
rode into the back of his head.

According to officials from his HTC-Highroad team the Isle of Man rider is
expected to start Thursday’s third stage, from Unley to Stirling in the
Adelaide hills.

Further crashes ensued as the teams in the peloton prepared to wind up
their top sprinters for the finish, with some riders later complaining of
treacherous patches of gravel on the road and a finish that was too
technically demanding.

Crashes are commonplace in many bike races, especially when a bunch finish
is anticipated just before the finish line and riders touch elbows and get
thrown off course as they jostle for position.

Turtur said it was simply part of the racing.

“Everyone is running around blaming the gravel — they’d been on that road
for three and a half kilometres, they’d seen the road surface, you race the
conditions,” Turtur said.

“Having said that, the conditions of the road did not cause the crash.

“The run in the main straight was your typical pile-up in a sprint, with
guys switching wheels.

“This is fierce sprinting at its best, these things happen… guys are
going at 100 miles an hour, they want to win.

“I’m shattered, I hate seeing riders crash, I just want to see a good race,
but it’s part of the sport.”

Australia’s Robbie McEwen took over the leader’s ochre jersey from
compatriot Goss after finishing second in the sprint behind Britain’s Ben
Swift.

Article:AFP