Napolitano and Lancaster trade accusations over stage 2 finish

By Agence France Presse

Katusha’s Danilo Napolitano hit back Monday at allegations that his race tactics prevented team Cervelo from pulling off a sprint coup on the second stage of the Tour de France.

Cervelo’s Brett Lancaster, the main lead-out man for the team’s Norwegian sprinter Thor Hushovd, was left frustrated and angry Sunday with what he called the “amateur’ racing of Katusha sprinter Napolitano.

“We got Thor right up there and then typical Napolitano just smashing people like he’s in an amateur bloody under-19 race. It’s just disgraceful,” Lancaster told AFP.

“The guy needs to pull his head in.”

Columbia’s Mark Cavendish avoided the mayhem going on around him as other riders fought to get on his speedy back wheel; the 24-year-old Manxman won the stage to pick up his fifth career victory on the race.

Lancaster meanwhile said he had to brake hard to avoid Napolitano, bringing the Australian to a near halt forcing him to relaunch his bid to get Hushovd to the line.

Napolitano, who eventually walked over the finish line with his bike after breaking a spoke, claimed Monday he himself had been victim of a rider from the Milram team, who he said had misjudged the final bend and caused him to brake hard.

“I was on Cavendish’s slipstream and there was a Milram rider in the train close to us who didn’t see the corner and I ended up crashing into his back wheel,” he said.

In the event, Hushovd finished fourth as Cavendish easily held off American Tyler Farrar of Garmin.

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