Cycling: Nacer Bouhanni is angry at the commissioners' decision after yesterday's penalty transfer at the Cyclassics in Hamburg. The Frenchman finished first in a rather chaotic final, but was later moved to the end of the group for an 'illegal sprint'. The winner is Caleb Ewan (Orica-BikeExchange), whom Bouhanni pushed aside during the sprint.
In an interview with the French newspaper l'Equipe, Nacer Bouhanni suspects a conspiracy against himself. It was his bad reputation that led to the punishment, not his action in the race. "It pisses me off," The 26-year-old vents himself with clear words. However, it is clear that the Cofidis professional has repeatedly attracted attention in the past with his particularly resolute sprint and yesterday in Hamburg was not the first to get into trouble from the race stewards. Unforgotten was his appearance at this year's Dauphiné, where he literally boxed his way to victory in the stage – and was not punished for it.
https://youtu.be/GXF4Z5aNie0?t=4m20s
Compared to that, his action yesterday in Hamburg was almost harmless. In the final, which was already very chaotic due to two falls, he crossed the lane of his competitor Caleb Ewan in the sprint and thus prevented the young Australian from overtaking him. The video shows the scene from 4:38 - Ewan also protests briefly, but then pulls back. Nothing on purpose says Cofidi's sporting director Alain Deloeuil: "He [Bouhanni, note d. Red.] is looking at his handlebars at this moment – what he did was completely unintentional.” However, it is quite naïve to assume that Bouhanni did not know exactly where his competitors were.
Cycling news: Cyclassics Hamburg: Caleb Ewan wins in chaotic final before Degenkolb
Cycling: Caleb Ewan won the Cyclassics Hamburg 2016. After an exciting and varied race, the Australian prevailed in a turbulent final against John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) and Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo). A strong breakaway group had almost outsmarted the sprinters in changeable conditions, but was caught shortly before the end of the race. In a chaotic […]
Even if Bouhanni has gotten away with worse actions in the past, this should not be a benchmark for the future and the commissioners' decision is therefore completely understandable. There was only no collision yesterday because Ewan immediately backed away when Bouhanni crossed his lane.
Will it teach the hot-headed Frenchman a lesson? One can at least doubt...
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