Lanterne Rouge takes a look at the strange sprint finish to Gent-Wevelgem 1992.

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Credits:
Footage | Gent-Wevelgem 1992
Photos | Cor Vos (unless stated otherwise)

Who was in the wrong here was it chip palini Abdu japaro should both have been relegated one of the most bizarre finishes I’ve seen decided to go back and watch Classics in the ’90s and this bizarre finish in Kent vhem 1992 really caught my attention back

When men were men you know wore helmets that didn’t work and what the [ __ ] is this these flares when Arrow did not exist uh just pure panach little harder don’t have the parkour but there’s the kelberg a few times and a flat finish in Avil gam as the name suggests and like

In a lot of additions depending on the weather it didn’t look like too bad the weather here cold obviously but not that cold I guess probably people didn’t shave their legs as much but no arm warmers on so I’m going to assume it was decent conditions and there was a

Breakway after the last camberg uh with good riders in it with ballerini uh schmill mu ludvig and the sprinters teams with chipollini JP van poo Abdu jabarov were trying to bring that back fondrea counterattacked and then it all got locked down although there were a lot of counterattacks even into the last

Kilometer in this race but eventually was going to be a pretty big uh Bunch Sprint one of those moves that did get a fair bit of traction though uh was one with B in it as well as casar and manov but the next year Chini won this race he

Was really good in vam obviously as well as Abdu japaro won this the year before in 1991 he’s on Carrera jeans Vagabond he’s the defending Champion PDM will bringing that bow move back for JP van Popp who’s the father of Danny van poppo the lead out man classic Sprinter on

Borans now there’s also Johan capio he’s the father of Amar capio I think on Ara but Panasonic were trying to shut things down for real I think ludvig in the Sprint they go to the front last 530 M he was called the Tash ktera Abdu jarov

I don’t know was that P pejorative at the time like did he like that nickname um he’s from usbekistan from atashin obviously but this is all over the shop and you can’t really see anything from the front on particularly with you know everyone’s gray it’s in Belgium in March

Chipilin is in the middle you see Abdu coming out the left with speed then chelini tries to chop the hell out of him to the barriers and you so you can’t really see anything from the front on there Milling about about they show the front on slowmo again shipolini is on

That white dash line Adu starts to come out of his we with the late burst really good timing and chip is like nah how about you eat some of these barriers and then right here with the hoarding blocking what’s happening Abdu puts his hand out you can’t see it from the front

On and then we see him screaming past wins chiellini puts the hands in the air it’s only when you see the overhead shot that you see chiellini come bursting through the right hand side uh you know late compared to the others that already started their Sprint it just looks so

Different to Sprint nowadays doesn’t it he’s on the right hand side here Abdu is in his slipstream he’s got space to his left he’s got space to his right but you know obviously it’s hard to come out of Chip chini’s wheel there’s no guarantee of that and chiellini is going past

Everyone on the left Abdu starts to come out of the wheel here with speed already level with his rear wheel and going past it I I don’t know if he was going to win it would have been pretty close I think and then chipo starts to move to his

Right I think if Chini doesn’t chop him I think Abdu wins but as he’s coming out of the wheel and chipilin is chopping him Abdu puts his hand out grabs the saddle I mean great timing oh no he grabs his right leg not his saddle and pulls chiellini back and that obviously

Exaggerates or accentuates how much he wins by cuz chalini loses all momentum and I don’t know like is it self-preservation he’s still got a bit of space to the right I don’t know what the rules were back in the day I think the rules in Sprints before like 2010

Was pretty much you’re allowed to kill anybody if you’re in front of them so I don’t I haven’t got a copy of the rules back in the day whether you’re allowed to just chop someone like chip was obviously trying to do a new Ab was coming try to chop him to the barriers

By today’s rules you’d probably relegate both of them because chalini obviously chops him and deviates from his line deliberately Abdu you obviously can’t put your hand out and touch someone in Sprint uh anymore and so you probably would have given it to capio Yan capio ends up coming third even though he

Wasn’t going to win this race but kind of as a punishment to both of them very very strange what ends up happening is despite Abdu Crossing first liot said he would have just let the results stand I probably would have been inclined to do the same myself they get ABDO on on the

The podium they say he’s the winner of the 992 and then all of a sudden it starts coming down the commissaires this is an actual photo of the commissaires in the 9992 race looking at the finish and having a look at it and all of a

Sudden oh no he finds out that shipolini has been given the win and Adu jao has been relegated or disqualified from the race completely what do you think should have happened neither relegated both relegated one relegated or which one do you think should have been relegated if

Any or disqualified I kind of think the commiss screwed over ABD japaro but maybe that’s cuz he had a bad reputation in the Sprints but I hope you enjoy the video and I’ll see you with something else maybe later in the week ciao

24 Comments

  1. No change should have been made and here are the reasons i made up myself:
    1-Abdou's move was the safest way to avoid getting put into the barriers and thus that it's not his fault he slingshotted himself past Cipo

    2- as for Mario, he should not be relegated becaese he didnt go all the way to the barriers. in the end, he left enough space plus more than Abdou needed to come by

  2. Watching old races really makes you appreciate all the small gains that have been made over the last couple decades. Everything from the hoods positions to the overall position of the riders is drastically different. Also some of those helmets are comically bad.

  3. Abdou was like the Bouhanni of his day: he had a reputation for being dangerous and, as a result, commisaires were looking for any excuse to punish him. These shenanigans (elbows, headbutts etc.) were part-and-parcel of bunch sprinting back then.
    Nice to see the return of the original Lanterne Rouge format by the way 🙂

  4. Back in the day Cipollini was allowed to do what he did, but Abdoujaparov wasn't.
    The main rule is you can NOT take your hands or feet from the handlebar or pedals to contact other riders. Big NO-NO.

    I disagree with the modern stick-to-the-line-rule, we're getting soft… the way of not getting caught behind someone and the barriers is to not be behind anyone, that's the definition of winning. If you lost your position, you lost the race, plain and simple. You should have started earlier, don't wheelsuck until the very last second and then expect to win, you twat… That's ugly, dirty, cheap, coward, disappointing… against cycling spirit.

    Unfortunately that's the other way of becoming a legendary sprinter, but it only works if you're a bloody pom for some reason.

  5. It would be great for you to cover these with one or two of the current sprinters watching and commenting. Penny for Cavs thoughts- or the likes of Sean Kelly

  6. In the day, first across the line. NO BOX REPLAYS. Its just not repeatable, having replays at every event. So it should not be used until a proper scheduling of tech, rulings, event timing etc. Like in team sports today, took years for tenny and cricket to trust its implementation.
    Sure, BLOOD LUST SELLS PAPERS. gladiators be gladiators.

  7. By today's standards, BOTH relegated! But back then they should have let Abdu have the win, or at least delay the podium presentation, until they had made their decision!!! Sheesh! Great video! Thanks!

  8. Well, since you don't know the sprinting rules of the 80's and half of the 90's……in situations like this, both the spinters would have been given heavy leather suits and be forced to a hand to hand battle using short dull kitchen knives. The winner of the knife fight would be bandaged as necessary. Then allowed to take his place on the podium. The knife fights were kept very private but usually staged within 100 meters or closer to the winners stage/podium.
    The loser would be officially DQed.
    For further punishment, sometimes the looser of the knife fight would not be bandaged or receive any first aid for his knife wounds.

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