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Emotions Fly After Crash At Dana Point Grand Prix

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Bahati scrambles to get up after the crash. Photo: SoCalCycling.com
Bahati scrambles to get up after the crash. Photo: SoCalCycling.com

With three laps remaining in the Dana Point Grand Prix last week, chaos erupted in the field as a crash took out several dozen riders coming around the final turn, and now the blame is being passed around the peloton, with some calling for fines and suspensions for some of the riders involved.

Defending champion Rahsaan Bahati (Bahati Foundation) says United Health Care rider Jake Keough intentionally veered to the right, running into Bahati and bringing him down in the final few laps, derailing his chances for back to back victories at Dana Point.

Bahati is also being criticized for his reaction after he threw his sunglasses at Keough, who stayed up during the incident, as Keough passed a visibly angry Bahati near the start/finish line on the next lap.

Video of the incident is after the break. Ill intentions or just aggressive bike racing? You be the judge.

You can see the crash in this video. The incident is slowed down at 1:20.

This video captures Bahati’s controversial reaction. You can see him step out onto the course at 0:36, as riders come around the very next lap after the crash.

What do you think? Who is at fault, and who needs to be fined or punished, if anyone?

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cheeken
cheeken
13 years ago

One more piece of context that might help readers make a decision about this is that one of Bahati’s new teammates, Jorge Alvarado, was killed a few days before the Grand Prix while out on a training ride by some street racing teenagers from a local high school. (On a road that I regularly ride here in Southern California, might I add.)

Here’s the velonews version of that story: http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/04/news/charges-likely-in-bahati-riders-death-driver-was-street-racing-official-says_111130.

While this doesn’t excuse Rashaan’s behavior after the crash, I think it’s at least important to know that those were some rough days for the Bahati Foundation Team.

Robin
Robin
13 years ago

NOTHING excuses Bahati nor should be considered a mitigating factor. He should be suspended. Full stop. Who is so stupid and careless as to throw, purposely, their glasses into a racing peloton? Bahati, that’s who. If Bahati was upset enough by his rider’s death that he was emotionally compromised, he shouldn’t have been racing. Bahati is a liar and is looking for a convenient excuse to explain away his dangerous and threatening behavior. ANYONE who even tries to justify the throwing of something into a peloton is just as brainless as Bahati and doesn’t get the potential for harm. Idiots.

Bike Rumor’s really on top of things with this week old story.

cheeken
cheeken
13 years ago

Wait, are you the same Robin who was so butt-hurt about BikeRumor’s coverage of the Blockhead stem over here? https://bikerumor.com/2010/04/06/blockhead-stem-with-integrated-brake-lever/#comments

While I don’t disagree with your main point on Bahati, I’m sorry that someone is still forcing you to read BikeRumor against your will.

Robin
Robin
13 years ago

Yup. If I go, who’s going to challenge Bike Rumor to do a better job? Themselves? I don’t think so. They could be a lot better. Cheeken, it seems as if your stance is, “if you’ve got criticisms of a site, go somewhere else.” Wow. That’s an intellectual leap into nothingness. A reputable new site–or any site–would welcome criticism. Having criticism is in no way an indication that someone should go somewhere else.

Clive de Sousa
13 years ago

Emotions fly at races like this, what Bahati did is not excusable and he should be disciplined for his behavior. However it is understandable, Robin calls his “brainless” but that must be because he/she has no experience with racing and the emotions it can bring up in a rider.

Robin
Robin
13 years ago

Wow. The critical thought shown here is astounding. Actually, I’ve raced 2 wheels without and with motors, and it’s NEVER been acceptable to chuck you kit back into the race at other racers. That should land a racer at least a year long suspension as that can seriously injure or kill a racer. If people can’t see that, they are blithering idiots. There is zero excuse for that. None. If that’s the sort of racing you like, tune into NASCAR. To repeat: it is NEVER acceptable to throw shit into a peloton or into the path of any racer. If a person is so emotionally “fragile” that they might do such a thing, then they should not be racing until they recover they’re self-restraint. If you do not have enough respect for your competitors to keep yourself from heaving shit at them while they race, you don’t deserve to be in a race.

As for emotions that can be brought up “in a rider”, I know all about it, BUT we have control of our emotions. Those “emotions” should be channeled toward winning and competition NOT toward harm or potential harm of your competitors. There is ZERO justification for throwing glasses into a peloton. Emotionally turmoil is not an excuse for crap behavior. Moreover, it’s not understandable. It’s easy to understand being upset, but you can’t equate being upset with being willfully irresponsible and reckless. That is what Bahati was.

cheeken
cheeken
13 years ago

A few selections from the Robin method of “Challenging for Improvement:”

“You guys should learn to think independently and use something called “critical thought.”
“Freakin’ brainless bloggers.”
“…brainless turd…”
“…feckless turd…”
“…regular cyclists can pedal about without having to be stained by the hipster/stupid blogger stench.”
“What a completely stupid statement.”
“Christ. Is someone supposed to take your crap seriously…….Tyler?”
“The critical thought shown here is astounding.”
“Wow. That’s an intellectual leap into nothingness.”
“…they are blithering idiots.”
“Bike Rumor’s really on top of things with this week old story.”

My problem isn’t that you’re criticizing the site, it’s that you’re being an over-emotional ass about it. Seriously, how about you calm down a little if you want anything you say to be taken seriously? Do you realize that you come across as a complete douche?

cheeken
cheeken
13 years ago

Shoot, I missed my favorite of Robin’s Quotes for Constructive Criticism:

To Tyler: “I’m still waiting to see where you might have actually displayed intelligence, credibility, and the ability to do more than involuntarily breathe.”

andy
andy
13 years ago

dirty racing…dirty

reggie
reggie
13 years ago

Granted that had all the elegance of a cat 5 crit, but do you think Keough would put himself in a situation at 30 mph (intentionally) where he might hit the pavement with a dozen other racers? Shit happens. Get over it.

Robin
Robin
13 years ago

@Reggie: correct. No matter what happened in the race before the crash, there’s zero that justifies chucking some kit back into the peloton as they ride by. We’ll see what USA cycling does, if anything.

Matt
Matt
13 years ago

Any one seen this angle yet? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZp5pS-Zzwk

I do not want to go on record saying that chucking one’s shades is cool, because it’s not. But, man – Jake Keough did it and did it good. That sure looks like a take-down to me.

Old Cat 1
Old Cat 1
13 years ago

@Robin

While I agree that it is inapropriate to throw anything into a peleton, I cannot, for the life of me understand how one could conclude that Bahati’s actions were worse than those of Jake Keough. If you look at the right video footage, you can see Keough blatently come across Bahati’s wheel & crash him & 30 other riders. Not sure what your crit racing experience is, but I have over a 1000 crits under my belt and intentionally crashing someone is truely inexcusable.

Anyone who has raced with these clowns can tell you what most likely went down that day. But, just in case, you misplaced the listener call in number for the “Mr Obvious” show (Bob & Tom… you guys rock!)… let me spell it out for ya (the best I can beings since I wasn’t actually there). Most likely the big bad UHC lead out was lazy at best and way too slow. I’ve seen it many times… these crappy US pro teams “control” the front of the field for the last 10 laps with their pathetic 28 mph leadout trains by choping all the corners rather than actually going the speed required to keep the peleton at bay…safetly. Bahati’s team wasn’t around so naturally he looked to position himself where he felt necessary to win the race. In doing so, I have zero doubt in my mind that Rashaan rode agressively enough to annoy the panties off of young Jake.. who was sitting neatly at the tail end of the UHC leadout snail. After several laps of fighting off Bahati’s advances, Jake decided to end Rashaan’s race by hooking him to the pavement. Just ask Jake’s team director Mr Gord Fraser, he invented the “hook take down”… Hell in just 2 different races, I saw Gord himself crash 3 different riders intentionally. It appears Jake has learned from the best.

Let me ask you Robin… was Bahati’s reaction really more heineous than Jake’s intentional & successful hook? Again, I agree throwing anything at a racing peleton is all kinds of wrong, but have you ever been intentionally crashed??? Most take that very personally. Was Bahati’s agressive riding so outside the confines of American Criterium racing that he deserved to be crashed? So much so that he deserved to have HIS life & well being intentionally threatened? Not to mention the other 50 or so riders behind him, of which a good portion were almost guaranteed to suffer the same fate.

Mr Fraser will say that you must “respect the lead out train”, pointing the finger at Bahati’s agressive riding against Keough. And THAT is why Keough was in the right. I say BS! If you want your “lead out train” to be respected, run it in a respectful manner. Run it fast enought to discourage riders from penetrating it rather than choping everyone in the corners like a bunch of pansy a** 28mph Cat 3’s. Bottom line is: Fighting for position is part of bicycle racing, attempted manslaughter is not.

By the way… to say that Bahati should have simply controlled his emotion is to some degree a little naive. Let’s go for a ride together sometime & I can show you what I mean.

kit
kit
13 years ago

omg, you guys are so right. throwing a pair of glasses is WAY worse than throwing your your entire kit, body, and bicycle at someone. everyone knows you can only dangerously interfere with a race when you’re on two wheels and riding at 30 mph.

Matt
Matt
13 years ago

@ Old CAT 1 – BRAVO! EXACTLY!

Cycling Action
13 years ago

The idea that one person is to blame for this incident is kind of silly. There’s plenty of blame to go around. Disciplining a rider for walking into the course and tossing something at the passing peloton is a no-brainer. So is disciplining a rider who so blatantly takes down another rider (and the entire pack) with a sketchy move. There’s plenty of blame to go around. The fact that USA Cycling has done nothing is mind boggling.

Here’s an article that quotes someone who was ACTUALLY THERE and has a fractured elbow to prove it.

http://oregon.cyclingaction.com/2010/dana-point-crash-knocks-van-uden-out-up-to-four-weeks/

Sounds to me like Keough wasn’t innocent, and neither was Bahati.

Matt
Matt
13 years ago

I feel bad for the guy, but honestly it was a pretty diplomatic, noncommittal account. Not a lot of telling what happened other than Bahatti was fighting with UHC riders and it got ugly. That we know.

Cycling Action
13 years ago

Really? Non-committal? Read that again, Matt.

Matt
Matt
13 years ago

You really think that rider was faulting someone? I don’t.

Matt
Matt
13 years ago

He was trying to read Rashaan’s mind though. Funny, the defending champion of that race was fighting for position, odd that he would do that.

oilcanRacer
13 years ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bgEK6qtWLQ&feature=related

in this video it clearly shows jake which is half a bike length ahead of bahati keeping his line after the turn. bahati going too fast or trying to force jake off his line runs into the middle of jakes bike and falls(0:08).

i have been raced more than 200 pro races and the rider in front has control of the line especially in a turn. furthermore the rider in front cannot see the rider behind him. bahati acted in a manner not becoming of pro or even amature racers. to let him get away with this is inviting gangster tatics in bike racing.

Old Cat 1
Old Cat 1
13 years ago

@Oilcanracer…

Uh… 200 pro crits huh… Strange that with all that experience riding with these guys you can’t even pick out the correct team kits in your video. Not sure where you got that video, but neither rider is Jake Keough or Rashaan Bahati. Might want to check your facts before spouting off.

Matt
Matt
13 years ago

@oilcanRacer

Wrong crash bro…

Matt
Matt
13 years ago
Reasonable doubt
Reasonable doubt
13 years ago

I love a good debate. The vid here doesn’t really give enough clear evidence to me. Would you all be willing to consider the physics of a guy Behati’s size against a guy Keough’s size? His bike seems to being sliding more than turning to me, and Behati’s elbow is making contact behind Jake’s shoulder. If there was, as those that are racing claim, some serious jockeying between the two, could it be that it was indeed the wrong leverage at the wrong time? I also have a bit of trouble believing that someone would believe that it was worth risking the unknown injury and recovery just to crash another competitor. If it gets to that point, will it ever be safe to race crit? Just thoughts… Be safe out there.
Cheers.

jc
jc
13 years ago

Seems to me Old Cat 1 has it pretty much dead on…If Bahati could get in to the train, seems to me it’s not going fast enough. Respect the train? Only if it’s in fact controlling the race…Otherwise, it’s not a train, its teammates riding in a line.

Bahati’s behavior pre and post accident not withstanding, the evidence of a take down is pretty incriminating in my eyes. Judged simply by the video and the screen shot link here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LqVfAr9Dox_yUo28gc6p-A?feat=directlink

look at all the other riders- straight line, all of them, through the corner- no more turning…except Keough. Clearly swerving for no visible reason.

@ Reasonable doubt: Keough shouldn’t be leaning into pressure that isn’t there. If Bahati is leaning on Keough’s hip- initiating the contact, Keough wouldn’t have needed to swerve- he’d be pretty stable..At least not swerve the way he did…unless he panicked like a Cat 5.

No matter how I look at it, Bahati’s ‘aggressive riding’ shouldn’t be met with a take down, which in my eyes it clearly was.

‘Sweep the leg’

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