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Friday roundup – from the sublime to the ridiculous

By · On May 18, 2012

This past week, we saw the gamut from crazy to awesome and back again during both the Giro d’Italia and the Amgen Tour of California. In typical Twitter fashion, the social media posse rose to the occasion in a splendid manner. Let’s look back, shall we?

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Ferrari steals Cav’s sprint wins, first with a crash and then with his legs

In a case of ill-timed swerving, sprinter Roberto Ferrari deviated wildly from his line to take out World Champion Mark Cavendish 200 meters before the finish during Stage 3 of the Giro in Horsens, Denmark. Aerial footage clearly show the Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela rider making the move to jump on the wheel of Garmin-Barracuda’s Tyler Farrar and swerving directly into the path of Cavendish, causing the World Champion and the then-maglia-rosa-leader Tyler Phinney, to fall and crash heavily.

Mark Cavendish falls heavily in a bunch sprint into Horsens (Photo: AP)

 

The Italian crossed the line in 9th place, but was subsequently relegated to last after the commissaires reviewed the circumstances of the crash. When interviewed afterwards about the crash, Ferrari busted out his best Gumball Rally moves, stating, “I don’t know who was behind me. I know that when Farrar went, I threw myself right and somebody hooked me back. There was space to pass, I don’t know who was on the wheel or what happened. I made my sprint,” he added. “I was on my course. I was in front of him [Cavendish], I don’t care what happens behind me.”

The whole scenario was hilariously reminiscent of the classic Raul Julia movie scene:

 

Reactions in the cycling world were all over the map, from “That’s racing” to “Ferrari is a danger and should be kicked out of the Giro.” Cav himself was none too pleased, tweeting his angry response to the situation:

 

 

along with pictures of his debrided posterior and thigh.

 

 

Of course, in the ultimate of ironies, the Stage 11 finish in Montecatini Terme saw Roberto Ferrari cleanly outmaneuver and outpower Cavendish to nab the stage win that left Cavendish languishing in fourth place but retaining his sprinter’s jersey. At least the Rai after-show had the good sense to interview the two in separate locations…

 

 

#GIRORUMBLE – a rivalry and a hashtag are born

This is a saga that can only be recounted through the power of Storify:

The start of the Tour of California saw a different kind of rumble – the mad scramble to get the deets on the rumored subpoenaing of Johan Bruyneel the minute he set foot in the Golden State. The twitterati were abuzz, and the comments came fast and furious. Enigmatic Twitter pundit @TheRaceRadio chortled:

 

 

At the pre-race festivities, Cyclingnews ace reporter Laura Weislo shared the wit and wisdom of Johan:

 

 

Then VeloNews reported:

 

 

Shortly after that, Bruyneel went off the grid, disappearing from the race and missing several important sponsor meetings. Speculation ran rampant as to his whereabouts, which included fleeing the country or entering the witness protection program. Then, mysteriously after Peter Sagan’s fourth sprint win in as many days, Bruyneel emerged from the cones of silence to tweet as if nothing had happened:

 

 

To which more than a few responded:

 

Then, just as magically as he appeared, Bruyneel disappeared. Until…

 

 

Of course, we all know the real answer to the mystery:

 

 

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