Scars of battle: Tyler Farrar crashed and wrecked his bike and with no team to help, a spectator stepped in and gave him these shoes and bike to keep him in the race )Photo: Anne Fedorowytsch)
The Tour Down Under has thrown up a feel-good story on stage 3, with a fan by the roadside intervening to save one rider’s race.
US sprinter Tyler Farrar said had it now been for a fan surrendering not just his bike but his shoes also, his trip all the way to Australia would have ended very early.
Now riding as a team mate of four-time Irish champion Matt Brammeier with WorldTour team Dimension Data, Farrar came down in a crash just before the Corkscrew climb would split the field.
For a while it looked like his race might be over, as he lay almost upside down on the rocky slope at the edge of the road.
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However, he dusted himself down and got back on his bike with the help of those in his team car.
His mechanic checked the bike before Farrar remounted and gave him the go ahead to continue.
It was not until he had ridden a distance – and his team car had sped up the road to catch the race again – that the American sprinter realised his bike was in bits.
His rear derailleur was smashed and stopped working completely with around 10km remaining.
It was at that point that the fan stepped in and gave him the bike and shoes he needed to get to the stage end.
Tyler Farrar Stage 3A bizarre way to finish a race, Tyler Farrar borrowed a bike from a spectator on today's Stage 3. We got all the details about how it unfolded.
Posted by CyclingTips on Thursday, 21 January 2016
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“Without his help, I would’ve travelled all the way to Australia for only two and a half days of racing,” Farrar said.
“This shows how friendly the people are here in Australia. We will give him a full kit to say thanks, and if we don’t have a spare kit, I’ll give him one of mine.
“There were one or two fans on the side of the road, they asked me how big I am and soon I had one of their bikes!” Farrar said. “But I had different cleats, so I had to take his shoes as well. Luckily, we had the same size.
“I’ve been professional for 14 years, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen this.”
The fan travelled to the finish of the stage in the broom wagon with Farrar’s bike.
Tyler Farrar's legs up in the air as he lays stricken after his stage 3 crash.
The rescued rider finished over 13 minutes down on stage winner and new race leader Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE).
He escaped a two-minute time penalty under the same rule that saw Riche Porte – then riding for Team Sky – penalised when Simon Clarke, then with Orica-GreenEDGE, gave him a wheel in last year’s Giro.
The race organisers issued a statement saying:
“Race officials have confirmed Farrar will be allowed to continue the race as an exception to the rule because a bad crash with several other riders involved created a hectic situation.
"(It) meant neither his team car nor the event’s neutral service vehicle was in a position to provide assistance.
“This ruling respects the spirit of the sport and considers the rather exceptional circumstances in which this occurred.
“In normal circumstances accepting outside assistance such as Farrar did today would result in his disqualification from the race.”
Highlights stage 3, Tour Down Under
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