'fans' on summit finishes

sing_for_absolution

This needs a thread of its own. I know the majority are good, but we always notice the idiotic minority running alongisde the riders.

Is it just me, or was today's stage the worst it's been? It's absolutely insane. Being drunk's no excuse. It's a shame the gendarmes lining the route weren't able to physically take out any more, as they were doing on some of the hairpins.

OffTheBackAdam

I did see one of Les Flics, grabbing a running fan, who was flapping a flag & slinging him right into the rock face!
Shooting one or two would get the message home.
Some of them do just get carried away. Hoban's autobiography notes that he got a real whack across the back, by an old chap with a walking stick.
He was approached some months later by this old guy, who asked Barry if he remembered him. He did! The old lad apologised & said he actually forgot he was carrying a stick, when he was waiving his hands around, to encourage the riders.
Merckx sued a fan, who punched him on one climb. Asked for & got the token 1 franc damages.
With 800,000 fans :shock: on L'Alpe, there's going to be a few "Look mum I'm on telly" (I saw a couple of fans mooning the camera bike in the Pyrennees) and some who just are bladdered. Some must be pretty fit, being able to run for some distance alongside the riders.
I haven't seen that Yank with the big horned hat this year, which is a relief.

Yellow Peril

I think there were a combination of factors at play here

1. The historic importance and Kudos of the Alp

2. The close time margins

3. the fact that this was potentially the deciding stage.

luckao

Cameras, alcohol and famous people. When combined, three factors that will get the better of most people. Only a True Fan™ can handle it.

frenchfighter

This is the Tour not the Giro. The fans are not as educated and a decent amount out on holiday, drunk after waiting so long.

Getty

ThatBikeGuy

Quality moment by Contador there!

seemunkee

Roll the clean bottle guy down to clear a path through the crazies.

straas

It is awful though, when contador should have had all his focus and energy in the ride - he was obviously really distracted and frustrated to the point of lashing out.

When so much in these stages is down to your mental attitude stuff like this really can't help.

geoff_ss

Couldn't agree more. I think if I'd been there I'd have been tempted to stick a foot out to trip a running idiot except he could have fallen into the riders.

As I said in the other thread I think that particular spectator (in surgical scrubs) may have been making a point about doping before Bertie delivered the coup de grace with his fist. I hope it hurt the twit (choosing the vowel carefully)

luckao

It looks like that was an alright connection. They should change the combativity award to award the rider who can level the biggest twunt.

sing_for_absolution

Luckao wrote:

It looks like that was an alright connection. They should change the combativity award to award the rider who can level the biggest twunt.

Yep. Rides into someone and punches them proper, like Hinault with those strikers during that one Tour

It's really frustrating though. Those fans abuse the privilege of being able to stand so close to the action by doing what they do. Ruining it for genuine fans and possibly in future, if the ASO decide to restrict fans or barrier more sections off.

straas

haha I realise a lot of people might have seen this before, but for the benefit of those who havn't

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOur8qXvpnk

alan_a

straas wrote:

It is awful though, when contador should have had all his focus and energy in the ride - he was obviously really distracted and frustrated to the point of lashing out.

When so much in these stages is down to your mental attitude stuff like this really can't help.

Compare what you saw today with football crowds and what footballers etc have to put up with. Football crowds sing and chant the most vile / evil abuse at players for 90 minutes every week. Do we worry that it distracts from their ability to score goals? No.

Cycling fans should be a lot worse considering the circumstances we are forced to spectate in. Put 1/2 a million people on a mountain for 2 nights, make them "sleep" in tents / vans. Then add alcohol to 200,000 males mainly aged between 16 & 40 = no sleep, thus they require more alcohol. Instead of making them require a ticket to enter a stadium allow them unrestricted access to the playing surface where they can touch the athletes. I'm surprised that there are not more problems.

I'm not condoning some of the behaviour but at least for the most part it is not violent - ok it's not spectator hitting athlete. The Surgeon probably deserved a punch in the face for being too close & watching live I thought he/she nudged into Bertie hence the punch. Conversely fishing line guy in the Giro made us all laugh, the difference being he never obstructed Bertie's progress.

As you can guess I'm all for running up beside the riders - in a safe manner. Growing up it was a dream of mine to do just that. Last year I did. It was great fun.

The saddest thing that could happen is the entire Alpe is barricaded off with no running etc. Police it better yes, but don't segregate us.

Cleat Eastwood

I thought the fans were brilliant today. The way they cheered all the riders regardless of team or country and that dutch corner was just boss. Totally agree about the water bottle though.

skylla

Luckao wrote:

It looks like that was an alright connection. They should change the combativity award to award the rider who can level the biggest twunt.

Look at the pic again, bottom left: Borat comes to mind?!

meanmrmustard

I agree the fans are brilliant and really add to the atmosphere. 99% of them cheer on the riders and give them much needed encouragement.
Sadly there's always going to be the odd tosser who's only concern is getting on tv. You see them talking on their phones standing right in the path of the riders. Probably saying "Look Mum I'm on the telly!"
The worst are the ones who run alongside the riders and make contact with them. These people really annoy me. They shouldn't invade the riders' space. Good on you AC he deserved that smack in the face!

sing_for_absolution

Cleat Eastwood wrote:

I thought the fans were brilliant today. The way they cheered all the riders regardless of team or country and that dutch corner was just boss. Totally agree about the water bottle though.

There were some gits on dutch corner heckling/booing Voeckler for the Hoogerland incident No need, but they probably weren't cycling fans.

fast as fupp

Compare what you saw today with football crowds and what footballers etc have to put up with. Football crowds sing and chant the most vile / evil abuse at players for 90 minutes every week. Do we worry that it distracts from their ability to score goals? No.



no they dont

alan_a

fast as fupp wrote:

Compare what you saw today with football crowds and what footballers etc have to put up with. Football crowds sing and chant the most vile / evil abuse at players for 90 minutes every week. Do we worry that it distracts from their ability to score goals? No.



no they dont

You've obviously never been to an Old Firm match or a Manchester derby, or Newcastle v Sunderland or a Lazio game or any match in Turkey or any match in 1998 that featured David Beckham.

fast as fupp

Alan A wrote:

fast as fupp wrote:

Compare what you saw today with football crowds and what footballers etc have to put up with. Football crowds sing and chant the most vile / evil abuse at players for 90 minutes every week. Do we worry that it distracts from their ability to score goals? No.



no they dont

You've obviously never been to an Old Firm match or a Manchester derby, or Newcastle v Sunderland or a Lazio game or any match in Turkey or any match in 1998 that featured David Beckham.

so you base the behaviour of all football crowds on the extreme examples you state- well done! (although manchester derbies are a bit tame dont you think?)

are we to decide then that all cycling fans are drunken, flag waving, fancy dress wearing exhibitionists who only go to the mountain stages to impede, insult and spit on the riders?

guinea

Runners should be tortured.

Runners in football strips with large flags should be tortured repeatedly.

OffTheBackAdam

This board needs a "like" tab!

dennisn

frenchfighter wrote:

This is the Tour not the Giro. The fans are not as educated and a decent amount out on holiday, drunk after waiting so long.

Getty

Nice spinning back fist. Maybe it's time for AC to go MMA??

Pross

Alan A wrote:

fast as fupp wrote:

Compare what you saw today with football crowds and what footballers etc have to put up with. Football crowds sing and chant the most vile / evil abuse at players for 90 minutes every week. Do we worry that it distracts from their ability to score goals? No.



no they dont

You've obviously never been to an Old Firm match or a Manchester derby, or Newcastle v Sunderland or a Lazio game or any match in Turkey or any match in 1998 that featured David Beckham.

Surely the whole point of that is to put the opposition off or even wind them up so they get sent off? It's completely different. They are also not a foot from the players faces running alongside them.

frenchfighter

Ben6899

I was on Montgenevré for Stage 17 and the fans were generally well behaved. HOWEVER; one bloke stepped right out in front of the lead bunch (led by Chavanel) and the Movistar rider (sorry just back in England, no TV coverage, no idea who he was) went crackers! Screamed at him.

And rightly so. Too many abuse the privilege of not being fenced off and if it carries on like this, then the authorities might well make changes. And we'll suffer for them.

Le Commentateur

Can't resist posting my big day out on l'Alpe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQAoqhIlcjo


Hopefully captures the essence of watching a stage finish on a climb (and yet not knowing who's actually won the race further up the road).

derbygrimpeur

Le Commentateur wrote:

Can't resist posting my big day out on l'Alpe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQAoqhIlcjo

Hopefully captures the essence of watching a stage finish on a climb (and yet not knowing who's actually won the race further up the road).

interesting to note Cav near the front of the Grupetto and not a sticky bottle in sight

squired

From what I've seen, the worst ones are at races like the Tour of California. I am certain many of them at that race have no interest whatsoever in the cycling and are just trying to get their faces on TV.

ollyridesfirst

dennisn wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

This is the Tour not the Giro. The fans are not as educated and a decent amount out on holiday, drunk after waiting so long.

Getty

Nice spinning back fist. Maybe it's time for AC to go MMA??

From watching this live at the time, it looked as though the surgeon guy was trying to hold his stethoscope onto Contador's chest. He deserved much more than a smack in the chops!

skylla

Le Commentateur wrote:

Can't resist posting my big day out on l'Alpe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQAoqhIlcjo


Hopefully captures the essence of watching a stage finish on a climb (and yet not knowing who's actually won the race further up the road).

Great! But it's all over so soon. Where about were you, roughly between which switchbacks counting from the bottom?