Giro d'Italia 2012: Magnus Backstedt insists riders were "lucky" after Roberto Ferrari's switch during sprint finish Ferrari caused a dramatic crash in the closing metres of the 190-kilometre stage at Horsens, Denmark, after the Androni-Giocattoli rider made a sharp switch to his right and into the line of Mark Cavendish. The world champion was covered in road rash after hitting the asphalt at around 75kph while several other riders, including race leader Taylor Phinney, were taken out. The American, though, later retained his maglia rosa and is expected to make the starting line on Wednesday alongside Cavendish when the three-week stage race touches down in its native Italy with the team time-trial. While numerous riders and observers were quick to vent their anger over the episode on Twitter on Monday afternoon, Backstedt, team leader at UK Youth, the British outfit funded by Nigel Mansell, president of the charity that lends its name to the Swede's team, remained somewhat more reasoned. "It was a dodgy switch by Ferrari, for sure, but at the same time it was a racing incident," Backstedt told Telegraph Sport on Tuesday. I don't particularly like what he did and he certainly should have been handed a severe penalty. All of the riders were, in fact, quite lucky in that they were able to walk away and nobody hurt themselves worse than what they did. Though, we'll have to see how Taylor Phinney is tomorrow when he gets on the bike because he looked pretty beaten up. Unfortunately, though, when you are coming into those sorts of sprints these sort of things do happen at times. "I don't think throwing the rider off the race would be the right thing," added the 2004 winner of Paris-Roubaix. He saw a gap and he went for it. Ask Mark Cavendish if he would have done the same thing in that position. You know, he [Ferrari] was slightly boxed in, then in that split-second move the gap opened up and he went for it. At that point you never look round. You never think 'who's on my wheel?', all you think is 'I'm getting out of here, moving up and going for the race win'. That's the mentality you have as a sprinter, or even as a lead-out man. Whatever happens behind you happens behind you. It's such a difficult one. But, 200 Swiss francs and a 30-second penalty is not severe enough, but at the same time I don't think he should be chucked out of the Giro.