The Stage 1 controversy
I've gotten a lot of questions, calls, e-mails and comments about how it all went down on Monday. Here's the scoop if you haven't heard: with the big crash in the finishing circuits and the ensuing time gaps, i would have pulled on the yellow jersey of the tour of california. the refs came back and retroactively changed the rules and extended the "3k rule" (where riders suffering mishaps within the last 3 kilometers receive the same time as the pack they were in) into the "9k rule." There's two reponses that I'd like to highlight, they've been published in online cycling websites and i think the capture the spirit and attitude of both me personally and the Priority Health Cycling Team:
from Velonews.com:
[Priority Health] team manager Mark Olson said the team would respect the commissaires' decision.
"Ben rode in good position, and that kept him out of that crash," Olson said. "Now he's being penalized. I applaud Ben for riding with the best in the world, and it would have been a tremendous reward for us and our sponsors, but at the end of the day, it's a tough call. And I'm not the type that's going to go hammer on the commissaires.
"A lot of guys went down in that crash, and we could have just as easily been on the wrong side of that. As hard as it is to swallow, it's part of racing."
And on cyclingnews.com:
If the decision was made to stick with the UCI regulated three-kilometre rule, Ben Jacques Maynes from Priority Health would have been presented with the leader's jersey of the Tour of California. "Thinking that I was going to be in the leader's jersey is an honour and a dream, but that is counting chickens before the eggs hatch," Jacques Maynes said. "The commissaire's ruling is sticking, and we just have to live with that. We have a lot more racing and my team is motivated to keep going and to race our hearts out. I'm trying not to pay attention to all these details and get on with the job at hand."
Jacques Maynes added, "I'm not in a position to question the commissaires and I just have to live with it keep racing my bike. I'm paid to pedal, and they are paid to make those decisions. It is hard to swallow that, but that is what we have to do."
from Velonews.com:
[Priority Health] team manager Mark Olson said the team would respect the commissaires' decision.
"Ben rode in good position, and that kept him out of that crash," Olson said. "Now he's being penalized. I applaud Ben for riding with the best in the world, and it would have been a tremendous reward for us and our sponsors, but at the end of the day, it's a tough call. And I'm not the type that's going to go hammer on the commissaires.
"A lot of guys went down in that crash, and we could have just as easily been on the wrong side of that. As hard as it is to swallow, it's part of racing."
And on cyclingnews.com:
If the decision was made to stick with the UCI regulated three-kilometre rule, Ben Jacques Maynes from Priority Health would have been presented with the leader's jersey of the Tour of California. "Thinking that I was going to be in the leader's jersey is an honour and a dream, but that is counting chickens before the eggs hatch," Jacques Maynes said. "The commissaire's ruling is sticking, and we just have to live with that. We have a lot more racing and my team is motivated to keep going and to race our hearts out. I'm trying not to pay attention to all these details and get on with the job at hand."
Jacques Maynes added, "I'm not in a position to question the commissaires and I just have to live with it keep racing my bike. I'm paid to pedal, and they are paid to make those decisions. It is hard to swallow that, but that is what we have to do."
5 Comments:
I am proud, touched, amazed at your maturity, self discipline, sense of good sportmanship, and level headed practicality. It's tough when the call isn't in your favor, and you show your character in how you have handled it. You are the leader in this. Go race your heart out, and win!
Papa
class, real class! big karma points for you.
Ben, with your attitude, you don't need a bike race to be a winner.
I have to say that was a good attitude. Nice ride today over Sierra.. sorry no push!
Ben, Wild Dingo is cheering for you! That was a very positive attitude, and like tony says, you need to bike race to be a winner! way to go!
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