One Pro Cycling owner Matt Prior has branded as “ridiculous” a decision by commissaires that the finish of Stage 7 of the Tour of Korea was a dead heat between his team’s former British champion Kristian House and the Drapac rider Brad Evans.
At first, House was awarded the win but the result was later declared a dead heat because there were no working cameras at the finish line at the moment the riders crossed the line.
The One Pro Cycling rider told Eurosport: “They keep changing their mind. Initially, Brad put his head down as if he lost it and I thought I had won it.
“Unfortunately the cameras did not work, probably for the first time all race, so there is no way of proving one way or the other. The transponders read the same time and the front camera were useless … so they called it a dead heat.”
The team’s sports director Matt Winston added: “Obviously it’s a good result, but as with any sportsman, you want to win it decisively. Unfortunately, as Kristian said, when two of the cameras fail and they only have a front on camera, it’s almost impossible to tell.”
Drapac sports director Keith Flory reflected: “The decision was made and it’s still a win for both riders, but it does take a bit of the shine away. Brad feels firmly he crossed the line first and from the footage I’ve seen I would have to agree.
“Unfortunately the official overhead finish line camera was not working when the leaders crossed so there is no ‘conclusive’ proof to go by.”
Later, former England cricketer Prior provided just that, tweeting a picture taken from a drone positioned above the finish which clearly shows House crossing the line first.
Pretty obvious who the winner was surely? Thought there wasn’t any photo evidence @TourdeKoreaEN #ridiculous pic.twitter.com/sQ0SllzRur
— Matt Prior (@MattPrior13) June 11, 2016
House, who joined One Pro Cycling from JLT-Condor at the start of this season, retweeted the picture, saying: “Was pretty clear to me too, when actually crossing the line.”
Both riders had been in the day’s break, and frustratingly for House and One Pro Cycling the finish line overhead camera was reportedly back working again when the main bunch completed the stage 20 seconds later.
8 thoughts on “One Pro Cycling’s Matt Prior slams “ridiculous” Tour of Korea dead heat”
If he can accurately point
If he can accurately point out where either front wheel is on that grainy picture from a nonsense angle I will pay him the winners prize money myself.
Otherwise he needs to wind his neck in and have some respect for the officials and consider himself lucky that they don’t throw a fine at him for poor sportsmanship.
its a UCI event ,so there is-
its a UCI event ,so there is- HAS to be Photofinish on the line. Coms will have viewed it.
No I mean your tone. Get a
No I mean your tone. Get a grip.
PennineRider wrote:
Nice one. Couldn’t agree more.
You can see by the rear
You can see by the rear wheels for a start that House was miles in front.
jonnyb1978 wrote:
No you can’t.
As for ‘miles in front’? Eh?!
As others have said it’s grainy footage taken at a dubious angle, so hardly constiutes proof.
Sounds like sour grapes to me.
House’s bike does “appear” to
House’s bike does “appear” to have the edge but that’s about as much as you can say from one poor still image. It would be nice to see slo-mo images but in any event you have to have accept the judges decision and move on.
I wouldn’t rely on the position of the rear wheels as there may be a difference in the wheelbase of both machines.
SuperPython59 ,you are a real
SuperPython59 ,you are a real hero on the key board , I bet you are overcompansating for your real life cowardness .By the way you are the one who can’t see shit or are you blinded by your little man patriotism ?