How many water bottles per year - for a pro rider?

tremayne
tremayne Posts: 378
edited July 2011 in Pro race
Soz - but I'm going to answer my own question here, as just watched a clip on BBC iplayer or whatever. HTC estimate up to 800 bottles per rider, per year!! I couldn't believe what I was hearing. What an amazing number!! Just had to share it - though I'm sure some of you may have guessed correctly (I wouldn't of).

Comments

  • I'm sure it is quite rare but some teams have been known to recycle the bottles.

    That is interesting. Probably just for the Tour.
  • NervexProf
    NervexProf Posts: 4,202
    700/800 bottles according to this feature :

    (click video)

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/olliewilliam ... dish.shtml
    Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom
  • Bronzie
    Bronzie Posts: 4,927
    And most of them end up in roadside ditches. What a waste.
  • WisePranker
    WisePranker Posts: 823
    I remember when we were kids, when the milk race passed through the town, me and my mates used to watch the race then go round the route collecting the bottles that the riders had thrown away :lol:

    We used to have loads of them!!
  • dougzz
    dougzz Posts: 1,833
    Didn't I see/hear mention on a (new?) initiative to collect the junk riders throw. I think they were setting up bins roadside (I assume giant net things that you can throw at from speed) to encourage riders to dump wrappers and bottles at these points rather than anywhere along a 180K route. Maybe the recent Swiss tour?
  • scrumpydave
    scrumpydave Posts: 143
    When the ToB came near me a couple of years ago I went out the morning after to see if there were any bottles lying around. Couldn't find a single one. I was sure they must have some system for clearing them up or maybe they weren't allowed to throw them.
    Riding the Etape du Tour for Beating Bowel Cancer - click to donate http://bit.ly/P9eBbM
  • rebs
    rebs Posts: 891
    Think most races have a car/truck riding behind the race picking up most of the junk easily visable on the roads. They also pickup junk from people watching the race.
  • emadden
    emadden Posts: 2,431
    Ah.... bottles.... every young fan's dream. Ohhh the stories I can tell you...

    I can remember many times going to see the Nissan Classic and hanging out at team hotels, annoying the riders, annoying the mechanics looking for bottles... I can remember asking a guy from a Helvetia La Suisse team car if I could have a bottle, all he said was "F***ing kids, all they want are f****g bottles...."....

    On one stage of the Nissan I can remember about 30 youngsters all riding behind the peloton just behind the commissaires car... and as the race sped up all the fans on bikes (me included) tried to stay in the following cars. The race organisers left us, and Sean Kelly even rode with us for bit... I managed about 15 miles before I fell back to the last team car. Finally I was dropped to the last car, the Fagor team car, and as it passed, a mechanic reached out and handed bidon to me... It was cool... I was only 15 at the time... A stage from Cork to Kilkenny if I remember... After I got dropped, I turned around and went home... What a day...

    Another story: Kelly and Yates had just battled it out on St Patricks hill in the pissing rain... After the stage I went up behind yates and tried to steal his bidon ... he caught me and left out a yell; " Hey ... f***king wa***er" hahaha
    **************************************************
    www.dotcycling.com
    ***************************************************
  • emadden wrote:
    Ah.... bottles.... every young fan's dream. Ohhh the stories I can tell you...

    I can remember many times going to see the Nissan Classic and hanging out at team hotels, annoying the riders, annoying the mechanics looking for bottles... I can remember asking a guy from a Helvetia La Suisse team car if I could have a bottle, all he said was "F***ing kids, all they want are f****g bottles...."....

    On one stage of the Nissan I can remember about 30 youngsters all riding behind the peloton just behind the commissaires car... and as the race sped up all the fans on bikes (me included) tried to stay in the following cars. The race organisers left us, and Sean Kelly even rode with us for bit... I managed about 15 miles before I fell back to the last team car. Finally I was dropped to the last car, the Fagor team car, and as it passed, a mechanic reached out and handed bidon to me... It was cool... I was only 15 at the time... A stage from Cork to Kilkenny if I remember... After I got dropped, I turned around and went home... What a day...

    Another story: Kelly and Yates had just battled it out on St Patricks hill in the pissing rain... After the stage I went up behind yates and tried to steal his bidon ... he caught me and left out a yell; " Hey ... f***king wa***er" hahaha

    :D
  • runaway
    runaway Posts: 4
    Sounds about right to me. Each rider is going to be doing 60+ races/stages per year using a minimum of 6 bottles on each stage. The riders will also give away bottles at hotels, training camps and any publicity events they do.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    emadden wrote:
    Another story: Kelly and Yates had just battled it out on St Patricks hill in the pissing rain... After the stage I went up behind yates and tried to steal his bidon ... he caught me and left out a yell; " Hey ... f***king wa***er" hahaha

    Is this you, as well?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7O1yMRYSQo
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • tremayne
    tremayne Posts: 378
    emadden - what a fantastic story about riding behind the peloton! Who wouldn't fancy a bit of that? Would they still let it happen now? England - no. Ireland - maybe!!! :D
  • emadden
    emadden Posts: 2,431
    Team Garmin - about 20,000 bidons a year:

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/ins ... ice-course
    **************************************************
    www.dotcycling.com
    ***************************************************
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    I remember when we were kids, when the milk race passed through the town, me and my mates used to watch the race then go round the route collecting the bottles that the riders had thrown away :lol:

    We used to have loads of them!!

    The feed station at the 09 nationals was at the bottom of my parent's street - I haven't needed to by a bottle since!
  • emadden
    emadden Posts: 2,431
    RichN95 wrote:
    emadden wrote:
    Another story: Kelly and Yates had just battled it out on St Patricks hill in the pissing rain... After the stage I went up behind yates and tried to steal his bidon ... he caught me and left out a yell; " Hey ... f***king wa***er" hahaha

    Is this you, as well?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7O1yMRYSQo
    '

    Flippin' 'ell... thats almost identical to what I did :-) haha
    **************************************************
    www.dotcycling.com
    ***************************************************
  • emadden
    emadden Posts: 2,431
    tremayne wrote:
    emadden - what a fantastic story about riding behind the peloton! Who wouldn't fancy a bit of that? Would they still let it happen now? England - no. Ireland - maybe!!! :D

    It was amazing... if you want to ride with the peloton I suggest you go to see the Tour of Lombardy - last 30km or thereabouts and if you are half decent and look the part you can sneak into the gruppetto and ride to the finish. For the last few years I have seen this each year... Usually about 6 or 7 guys mixed in and chatting with the pros... To pull this off though you'd need to be fairly handy on the bike... The cops dont do anything and half the pros dont give a damn - I guess because (a) they are knackered and (b) its the "last" race of the year
    **************************************************
    www.dotcycling.com
    ***************************************************