How to lose a bike race…twice
A guide to messing up the finale
Winning a sprint finish is never easy, and Spanish pro Eduard Prades (Caja Rural–Seguros RGA) certainly can confirm this. Finding the right wheel, launching at the proper moment, executing a perfect bike throw, these are all things that go hand in hand with being victorious in the finale. Of course, you also need the legs to power ahead of everyone else.
Bike racing is a roller coaster of emotions. You can be in the break, get caught, only to break away again. You can get dropped and think you’re out of contention, only to catch back on. But for Prades, the highs and lows of stage one at the Tour of Hellas were…palpable.
How to cheat in a bike race with the stickiest bottle you’ll ever see
Prades came to the line with a great sprint, beating the lead group. As he raised his arms in a victory salute..his saddle broke off which caused him to crash hard.
That in itself is a rough way to finish a race, but hey, at least he won, right? Right?
No. No he did not. Little did Prades know that Kiwi Aaron Gate (Bolton Equities Black Spoke Pro Cycling) had already won. He had broken away earlier–unbeknownst to Prades, clearly, and had finished almost two minutes earlier.
You can watch the unfortunate finish below.
