Full on-board highlights from a rainy day in northern France
A bandaged and bruised Alberto Contador finishes stage 1 of the Tour de France after a crash earlier in the day. (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
On-board cameras, hailed in some corners as a a key part of the future business model in cycling, are being widely used in the Tour de France and they captured a key moment of the race on Sunday as Alberto Contador crashed on stage 2.
The mini GoPro cameras are fixed to certain riders' bikes, either on the front end or rear-facing mounted below the saddle, and the Tour organisers have put together a highlights package of stage 2 from the heart of the peloton.
It was a wet and miserable journey from Saint-Lo to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, with riders wrapped up against the conditions. The footage collected mainly shows the mundane moments of life in the bunch, with riders accelerating, bunny-hoppying central reservations and Etixx-QuickStep riders swapping jackets, but the most notable incident occurs when Contador hits the deck at 1 minute 5 seconds in.
It was the Spaniard's second crash in the space of two days and he would go on to lose 48 seconds at the uphill finish. The video shows Contador hitting the deck and a number of other riders piling down on top of him.
Watch the full stage 2 onboard package below and click here to subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel.
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