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July 12, 2007
Discovery Channel's Noval injured by BT team car
ThePaceline.com (free reg. req.) | Tdf St 5: Pozzato Plunges for Line
Cathy Mehl notes that Discovery Channel's Benjamin Noval was injured on the descent to the finish, when, while riding away from any race action, a Bouygues Telecom team car hit the brakes in front of him, and he went through the rear window. Noval apparently required stitches in his chin and arm, and directory Johan Bruyneel thinks he'll start Stage 6.
Bruyneel wasn't happy about what he saw as the cause of the accident:
“The car had a French TV crew inside the car and the director was entertaining the camera, explaining race tactics as he was driving and going all out downhill. I think it’s pretty dangerous to do that. There are some people who talk about the danger or usefulness of using radios in a race and I have my opinion on that, but I definitely have my opinion about TV cameras in the race cars. Seeing certain directors trying to be the star of the show and wanting to entertain the TV while they have to drive and think about the safety of the riders. It’s definitely very dangerous. That’s why we never have TV cameras in the car, or at least if we do we pretend that they are not there. I don’t think we can say the same of everybody.”
Posted by Frank Steele on July 12, 2007 in 2007 Stage 5 | Permalink
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Comments
Ack! Second one at least this tour - Eduardo Gonzalo crashed out in Stage 1 when he hit the rear window of a Caisse d'Eparge team car.
But at the same time I wonder why there aren't more time penalties imposed for drafting off cars....
Posted by: Nancy Toby at Jul 12, 2007 6:52:11 PM
is there any reason why these team cars are not fitted with shatterprufe glass? it would make a whole lot of sense as this "going through the rear window" seems to happen regularly. anyway - shatterprufe glass would've meant no deep cut in benji's armpit
Posted by: debi at Jul 13, 2007 4:02:36 AM