American spectators

[Thomsena]

yes. american cycling fans are ***. and their farts stink too.

simple. if you don't like americans violating your sport by...gasp...showing up to cheer on a bicycle race, don't watch american races. don't post about them. just ignore them.

the vuelta is on. in spain. watch that. it's in europe. where everyone knows exactly how to comport themselves properly at a bike race.

simple.

****ing hell. Again. I wrote a majority.. I've never said anything about americans violating the sport! It happens to be that a race in Colorado was on tv yesterday and I found several spectators to be over the top with a wierd mentality the race. And no. They were not cheering on a bicycle race. They were making in to a freak show and that's where my little issue lies.

Oh, and don't tell me what to do. Thank you. With quality riders like that in the peloton I'm - of course - going to watch the race.

 

[Cobblestoned]

Considering this thread and the recent Sagan-thread, I just wonder if WW III has broken out over night.

Now trolls even trying to divide the very united cyclingfans and nations all over the world.

 

[Deagol]

I guess you missed the guy in the red fuzzy suit that knocked the Neutral bike down on independence pass? Americans get in the way, Euros run along side not usually in the riders path, Americans turn their backs on the cars a lot and it is just plain silly how so many young men dress in bikinis and underwear. As for Didi in the devil suit? He used to be just about the only one! and almost never gets in the way, Now every few meters is some nut job looking for personal attention and a lot less about making a tribute to the riders. A lot of these kooks in European races speak English as their first language. You figure out where they come from.

If you are talking about the yellow (Mavic?) motorbike getting knocked down just after the final switchback, I did see part of that. Could not tell what caused it, but read about it latter. So, whoever caused that represents all of America, right? How de we know he(she?) wasn't from Belgium?

 

[Jamsque]

You see, Europeans watch cycling like this, but Americans watch cycling like this. Am I right guys? Am I right?

 

[Deagol]

You see, Europeans watch cycling like this, but Americans watch cycling like this. Am I right guys? Am I right?

I'm not sure, but your avatar is from DOOM, right ?

 

[krebs303]

"Come on people now
smile on your brother
everybody get together
and try to love one another right now"

 

[etymology]

You see, Europeans watch cycling like this, but Americans watch cycling like this. Am I right guys? Am I right?

you are wrong, wrong, wrong.

any *real* fan of our sport knows that europeans watch cycling like that and americans watch cycling like that.



also: european cycling fans argue for the sake of arguing, while american cycling fans prefer to "passionate debate."

please note i will not mention that phil and paul are the defacto voices of american cycling because well, if i did, what would be next - defending frank schleck's great descending skills???


p.s. - neener, neeeeener, neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeener!!!

 

[krebs303]

I would like to say this about that

 

[spetsa]

****ing hell. Again. I wrote a mojority.. I've never said anything about americans violating the sport! It happens to be that a race in Colorado was on tv yesterday and I found several spectators to be over the top with a wierd mentality the race. And no. They were not cheering on a bicycle race. They were making in to a freak show and that's where my little issue lies.

Oh, and don't tell me what to do. Thank you. With quality riders like that in the peloton I'm - of course - going to watch the race.

I will forgive you if English is only a second or third language for you, but do you even know the definition of majority. They would have had to nuetralize the stage due to road being blocked. Maybe our (USA) labor unions will be out in force to do that today. Only us stupid Americans would do such a thing for publicity right?

 

[movingtarget]

You see just as many retards on the mountains of France in July. They dus wanna be on da tv. Nothing new.

 

[khardung la]

Sooooo tired of people messing with cliches about countries...for God´s sake, we live in a globalized world in the 21st century. It is stupid.

"It is a cliche that most cliches are true, but then like most cliches, that cliche is untrue".

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Funny,

I was at Vail today and Independence yesterday and of the many thousands of fans there, the VAST majority where not folks dressed as chickens, or banana's but fairly normal looking folks who enthusiastically cheered every rider along, from the leaders to the guys struggling to hang on to the grupetto. From what I saw the folks who decided to get a bit more, shall we say "colorful" where not too far out of proportion to the over the top fans you see in the big Euro races and stayed out of the way and were harmless. Not my style but what the hell, give 'em credit for showing up and showing support for the race.

I think you have unwittingly brought up the distinction.

I don't really have a problem with over enthusiastic fans as long as they are respectful to the race and riders.
But you really only see that level of enthusiasm at the Tour (& most of those are not French)- to a lesser extent the Giro & Vuelta - but rarely at Dauphine, Suisse, P-N, Tirreno, Poland etc or at single day races.

Yet at the ToC and now Colorado it appears to be a common fixture.

 

[Deagol]

You see just as many retards on the mountains of France in July. They dus wanna be on da tv. Nothing new.

Yes, and to clarify, the Borat pic was taken in France...
I'm guessing that a lot of American fans who dress up are imitaing what they see happening in Europe, since those races have obviously been going on a little longer..


OK, here are some of those horrible American fans on stage 2

 

[Escarabajo]

They are enjoying themselves and enjoying the sport, what's the problem? They are not so different from fans in Europe who camp out by the side of the road and get blind drunk for three days leading up to the race.

I agree that both, Europeans and American fans, are doing the same silly things. But both are endangering the wellfare of the cyclists though. I was freaking out a little on the Vail TT. Just like the TT to Alpe d'Huez. Total idiocy if you ask me.

I come from an undeveloped Country that is Colombia, and I don't see chickens, devils and drunken people running on the side of the cyclists. You simply don't. They are applauding the cyclists as they pass by. Believe it or not, that there is something that we do better than Europeans and Americans. Maybe that's the reason we are not in the news highlights when it come to cycling fans. Only to soccer fans.

 

[Thomsena]

I will forgive you if English is only a second or third language for you, but do you even know the definition of majority. They would have had to nuetralize the stage due to road being blocked. Maybe our (USA) labor unions will be out in force to do that today. Only us stupid Americans would do such a thing for publicity right?

Yeah, it was obviously supposed to be 'minority'.

But I give up. I'm done. Never called americans stupid nor have I accoused every single american for being bad spectators as someone wanted it to be read like. That's just not what I said..

 

[kurtinsc]

The fact is, what the people doing goofy things at US races are doing is copying people doing goofy things at a certain european race.

All that is done at the TOC or the current colorado race is learned from idiots from Europe. They are copying it because YOU GUYS made it "cool" to do this stuff.

The US fans may not know all of the "rules" of doing that stupid stuff... but neither do a lot of the europeans who do it at the tour from what I've seen.


What this whole thread feels like is a bash the US thread. It's really not warranted. If there weren't fans on the sides of the road it would get bashed too. If the fans where there but sitting back in chairs away from the action it would get bashed. If they were pushing too close and going crazy but not running along the side of the road, it would get bashed.

This is an excuse to attack a country you don't like, not to comment on behavior that is no different then what is seen at the Tour de France.

 

[Escarabajo]

Funny,

I was at Vail today and Independence yesterday and of the many thousands of fans there, the VAST majority where not folks dressed as chickens, or banana's but fairly normal looking folks who enthusiastically cheered every rider along, from the leaders to the guys struggling to hang on to the grupetto. From what I saw the folks who decided to get a bit more, shall we say "colorful" where not too far out of proportion to the over the top fans you see in the big Euro races and stayed out of the way and were harmless. Not my style but what the hell, give 'em credit for showing up and showing support for the race.

That's not what I saw on the Veil TT. I was freaking out with these guys running to the side of the cyclists.

 

[Thomsena]

This is an excuse to attack a country you don't like, not to comment on behavior that is no different then what is seen at the Tour de France.

****ing hell...

 

[Deagol]

Yeah, it was obviously supposed to be 'minority'.

But I give up. I'm done. Never called americans stupid nor have I accoused every single american for being bad spectators as someone wanted it to be read like. That's just not what I said..

I think the problem was the premise of your first post, starting with the title. The thread started out from a point of view that totally ignored everything that has been happening with the Tour de France long before Americans ever got in on the act. If you had a problem with those types of fans in general, you maybe should have phrased it that way- not distinguishing between these fans on either side of the Atlantic. Your initial premise could make sense to anyone who has re-occurring amnesia every July, I suppose.

 

[Cobblestoned]

"Come on people now
smile on your brother
everybody get together
and try to love one another right now"

 

[movingtarget]

That's not what I saw on the Veil TT. I was freaking out with these guys running to the side of the cyclists.

What's worse is the little kids running on the side of the road. What are their parents thinking if anything ?

 

[Angliru]

It's because watching bike races in person is boring. Why would I ever stand around all day to watch a bunch of dudes in spandex ride by me in a pack for like 20 seconds. No thanks, I'd rather go for a ride myself and maybe check out the finish on the internet later.

The other point is completely stupid, b/c if you ever go to bike race in the US the only people in attendance are other racers.

From what I understand the riders passing is the main course. The ambiance of communing on a mountain with others that share a similar passion for the sport while waiting for the riders to pass is also part of the attraction. I'm sure you noticed that many of the spectators on the side of the road actually did ride their bikes to get to their positions on the mountains.

 

[Angliru]

I guess you missed the guy in the red fuzzy suit that knocked the Neutral bike down on independence pass? Americans get in the way, Euros run along side not usually in the riders path, Americans turn their backs on the cars a lot and it is just plain silly how so many young men dress in bikinis and underwear. As for Didi in the devil suit? He used to be just about the only one! and almost never gets in the way, Now every few meters is some nut job looking for personal attention and a lot less about making a tribute to the riders. A lot of these kooks in European races speak English as their first language. You figure out where they come from.

Unless you have some type of polling info to back up this statement (in bold) then how can you comfortably make it?

Additionally, I can recall multiple times where, in major events, fans knocking over riders in their efforts to either take a picture or get in one. Multiple times where fans in their possibly drunken frenzy, running along next to riders, bumping them to the point that the riders has to push them off. There are rude and unruly fans on both sides of the Atlantic, and they certainly don't all speak English as their first language.

 

[Angliru]

European fans are better huh?:

According to Master50, most of them must be English speaking folk, a sure sign of the unevolved, this based on his first hand knowledge.

 

[benpounder]

People hate antler dude because he runs around with an american flag but his dedication is unparalleled. Hoffman is always found amid huge crowds and Did is usuallly among other fans too, but antler dude studies the parcors, picks a spot where there will be no fans, then dresses up, goes and waits there for hours and starts running when the peloton comes.

As such there is usually NO one else there. What dedication.

And the riders appreciate it as they often mess around with him.

The videos of Juan Flecha "borrowing" Old Glory from Antlers dude for a few meters is priceless...