Race spectators

Crow92

Just watching the usa pro challenege and there are load of spectators running alongside the cyclists, waving stuff in their faces ect. ect. is that very common?
Does it piss off the cyclists? Does it ever cause accidents? It just seems very annoying to see.

kenmc

Yes. Yes. Yes.
Did you see the devil?

Crow92

This one?


Flicking between laptop and tv, must of missed if he was on.

Chips Lovell

You're not a proper cycling fan unless you run alongside them dressed only in speedos and roar and throw beer over them.

buffalo

I love the caption for this. "HE PUNCHED A DOCTOR IN THE FACE!" Next it'll be little children.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhuHsW3pnPY

langdang

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

You're not a proper cycling fan unless you run alongside them dressed only in speedos and roar and throw beer over them.

mullet and a crappy 'tache for extra kudos if you're gonna look like a tool you might as well go the whole hog...

Hungrycol

Think it's getting worse year by year?

droidus

Dont think so. Didnt a TDF leader get punched by a spectator back in the 50's? I seem to remember something about riders wearing disguises and refusing to wear the yellow jersey to avoid getting beaten or poisoned by spectators

Lumen

droidus wrote: »

Dont think so. Didnt a TDF leader get punched by a spectator back in the 50's? I seem to remember something about riders wearing disguises and refusing to wear the yellow jersey to avoid getting beaten or poisoned by spectators

Not the 50s, but...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddy_Merckx

1975 Tour de France
"The finishing climb on the Puy de Dome (12 km, 7% gradient) was the beginning of the end for Merckx. The legendary giant of the Massif Central has provided the Tour with great drama over the years. This year's battle will write another chapter in Tour history. Just over 4 kilometers up the finishing climb, Thevenet charged off the front with Van Impe in tow. The two slowly pulled away from Merckx and Zoetemelk. The race leader, trying to limit his time loss, was forced to do all the work in pursuit of the breakaway. As Merckx tried to close the gap near the top of the climb he was punched by a spectator. Review of French TV film shows the man standing along side the road with his hands at his side. As Merckx passes him the man punches him in the lower right abdomen (not a kidney punch as has been claimed in the past) with as much force as he probably could from launching the punch from a hip position. Most of the force was pushed away as the man's arm was thrown back from the momentum of the movement of Merckx up the hill. Merckx grabbed his side for a second. But, a second later, he had both hands back on the handlebar and was moving at the same speed as he was before the spectator hit him. The image of the spectator is very clear in the film and it is not known whether or not he was identified and charged with assault on Merckx that day. The exhausted Merckx couldn't close the gap. But, he did hold on to finish third, 34 seconds behind Thevenet who was second and, Van Impe who was first. But, the Frenchman had landed a fatal blow that cut into the overall lead and trailed Merckx by only 58 seconds as the Tour headed into the Alps ."

skerry

Think its gonna get worse until they eventually do something about it, which will suck cos as Cuddles Evans said, its one of the few sports where you can get so close to the riders and you don't even have to pay an entrance fee. For the most part I think it really adds to the spectacle. But I think giving folks like that asshole with the steer horns extra coverage on tv and making them into celebrities (at least in their own sad little sense of the word) only encourages them to get more extreme. Didi on the other hand is a legend !!

Chips Lovell

The early years of the Tour used to see spectators ambush riders by pulling them off their bikes and beating them with sticks.

07Lapierre

skerry wrote: »

Think its gonna get worse until they eventually do something about it, which will suck cos as Cuddles Evans said, its one of the few sports where you can get so close to the riders and you don't even have to pay an entrance fee. For the most part I think it really adds to the spectacle. But I think giving folks like that asshole with the steer horns extra coverage on tv and making them into celebrities (at least in their own sad little sense of the word) only encourages them to get more extreme. Didi on the other hand is a legend !!

On Eurosport yesterday, they said that guy was banned from the US Pro Cycling Challenge..

Ste_D

droidus wrote: »

Dont think so. Didnt a TDF leader get punched by a spectator back in the 50's? I seem to remember something about riders wearing disguises and refusing to wear the yellow jersey to avoid getting beaten or poisoned by spectators

seiously?? WTF?? Thats madness!

Hungrycol

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

The early years of the Tour used to see spectators ambush riders by pulling them off their bikes and beating them with sticks.

No wonder they were all on pain killers!

skerry

07Lapierre wrote: »

On Eurosport yesterday, they said that guy was banned from the US Pro Cycling Challenge..

Think I seen that myself. Didn't he appear running up the road with a helmet with eagles wings attached after they mentioned him though, or perhaps it was an impersonator (which would be very sad indeed)

lennymc

07Lapierre wrote: »

On Eurosport yesterday, they said that guy was banned from the US Pro Cycling Challenge..

i thought he was banned from the TDF wearing his horns. I think I saw him with clipped horns and a US flag running up the road (well away from the riders) on stage 1 of the US Pro cycling challenge. Maybe I misheard tho.