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hrotha

hrotha

Jun 10, 2010
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Mambo95 said:
http://fragg.me/video/tour-spain-juan-antonio-flecha-american-flag

But there were no hard feelings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF847ESJEo0


While on the videos, Jens gives his opinions with a nicely edited video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQgWWceYwbY
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The other day Flecha was commentating the stage on TV and he said they all had a good laugh but Antler Dude told him not to drop the flag to the ground the next time, that it was kind of disrespectful. Of course, Flecha hadn't even stopped to think about that. :p
 
M

montagna lunga

Aug 4, 2009
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PaulSimon-SNL-TurkeySuit.jpg


Hard to take this thread seriously if you've seen this sketch...
 
9

9000ft

Feb 4, 2010
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Escarabajo said:
That's not what I saw on the Veil TT. I was freaking out with these guys running to the side of the cyclists.
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Freaking out? If there's any reason to freak out I'd say it's the riders and support staff's job to do it.

I was mostly up near the finish, but I did walk down well below the fencing and yep, there were folks running beside the riders, but I didn't see anyone impede any of them. Like I said, not my style and the vast majority of the fans were simply lining the course and cheering like crazy but who is to say what is appropriate and what isn't as long as the race isn't being effected.

If the riders and their teams feel it's a hazard or impediment to the race, then they should work with the promoters - be they US or Euro - to find ways to deal with it (maybe all fans should be required to bring lawn chairs and sit by the side and politely clap as the riders pass) but otherwise it's part of the spectacle.
 
The Hitch

The Hitch

Jun 14, 2010
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hrotha said:
The dude on the right with the Spanish flag and the T-shirt of Spanish 2nd Division football team SD Huesca? A Yank.
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The most famous fan on that stage was the jerk in an iniesta barca shirt that run about a km next to Contador in the final stages.

In those pyraneen stages a lot of the fans are spanish, though on Alpe or Ventoux there are often lots of yanks judging by the flags and signs and also interviews with fans.
 
M

Mambo95

Jul 2, 2009
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While the crowds at races can get a little out of hand and a bit of a risk, I'm constantly amazed at their restraint. In some other sports, at least one fan of one contender would just do over a rival. As far as I know, that's only happened once - Merckx being punched in 75, I think.

Partisan fans + booze should equal trouble. But it doesn't. It's a miracle to be honest. I think however crazy people seem, almost all know where the line is.

IMO Fancy dress is good, running not good, running and screaming at the rider (mostly a European thing as far as I can tell), really bad form.
 
M

Mambo95

Jul 2, 2009
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While the crowds at races can get a little out of hand and a bit of a risk, I'm constantly amazed at their restraint. In some other sports, at least one fan of one contender would just do over a rival. As far as I know, that's only happened once - Merckx being punched in 75, I think.

Partisan fans + booze should equal trouble. But it doesn't. It's a miracle to be honest. I think however crazy people seem, almost all know where the line is. They are wonderful fans who respect the riders and the race - something many posters on here could learn from.

IMO Fancy dress is good, running not good, running and screaming at the rider (mostly a European thing as far as I can tell), really bad form.
 
zapata

zapata

Jul 19, 2009
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Mellow Velo said:
US fans seemed to be doing quite quite well in this debate, until BR sealed their fate with his glowing endorsement.

IMO: Anyone who runs aside riders; European or American, is a tosseur, par excellence.
The: "They can express themselves anyway the like, just so long as they don't cause an accident," argument is only good, up until the time we have that inevitable accident.
The saying: "No use crying over spilt milk," mean anything around here?
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That's it, as far as I'm concerned. No need to make it about america vs europe; even if the riders do indeed like it, which I find hard to believe, the cretins are blocking my view. I want to see the race, not some drunken idiot in a thong.
 
Escarabajo

Escarabajo

Apr 16, 2009
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Mambo95 said:
While the crowds at races can get a little out of hand and a bit of a risk, I'm constantly amazed at their restraint. In some other sports, at least one fan of one contender would just do over a rival. As far as I know, that's only happened once - Merckx being punched in 75, I think.

Partisan fans + booze should equal trouble. But it doesn't. It's a miracle to be honest. I think however crazy people seem, almost all know where the line is. They are wonderful fans who respect the riders and the race - something many posters on here could learn goofrom.

IMO Fancy dress is good, running not d, running and screaming at the rider (mostly a European thing as far as I can tell), really bad form.
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I hope that you are kidding, right?
 
Master50

Master50

Mar 10, 2009
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Deagol said:
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?;)
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Because he cursed in English after he looked to grab his bits. I heard he was acting up in general from some people that talked to the magic crew after the incident.
 
D

Deagol

May 7, 2009
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Master50 said:
Because he cursed in English after he looked to grab his bits. I heard he was acting up in general from some people that talked to the magic crew after the incident.
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Hence my ;) in the prior post...

You mean Mavic, right ?

I actually got a chance to view the crash on 9news video since this afternoon, watched in slow motion a few times. From what I could tell, a guy in a green shirt may have pushed a guy in a red shirt out in the road ?

Just for the record, I am not defending either of those guys. It was a bummer to see it happen. Sounds like you were closer to that crash than we were. Could you see if any of the riders behind the car that rear-ended (?) the moto had to slow down or anything?

Even with all that, though, I don't recall seeing any other spectators running along the riders in our stretch of roadway.

It seemed like the car may have crunched the motorcycle and they were scrambling to get the bike wheels mounted back on the rack.
 
Astana1

Astana1

Aug 16, 2009
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I always thought imitation was the highest form of flattery. Most of these flamboyant actors are avid Europhiles. They are actually paying Europe a compliment of sorts even if a small minority take it too far.

Sadly this thread is par for the course for this board. You guys will always find something to ***** about.

In Italy this year you actually had fans trying reroute the race after a descent was nixed and they didnt like it. If Americans did this there would 16 pages of mock outrage.

There's idiots everywhere. I can't think of many other sports wher you can reach out and touch a participant like you can in cycling. It's really a priceless privilege to get so close to these athletes and I don't have any respect for any fan, regardless of nationality who abuse it.
 
auscyclefan94

auscyclefan94

Jun 16, 2009
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Astana1 said:
I always thought imitation was the highest form of flattery. Most of these flamboyant actors are avid Europhiles. They are actually paying Europe a compliment of sorts even if a small minority take it too far.

Sadly this thread is par for the course for this board. You guys will always find something to ***** about.

In Italy this year you actually had fans trying reroute the race after a descent was nixed and they didnt like it. If Americans did this there would 16 pages of mock outrage.

There's idiots everywhere. I can't think of many other sports wher you can reach out and touch a participant like you can in cycling. It's really a priceless privilege to get so close to these athletes and I don't have any respect for any fan, regardless of nationality who abuse it.
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Say no more. Thread over.
 
Master50

Master50

Mar 10, 2009
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Deagol said:
Hence my ;) in the prior post...

You mean Mavic, right ?

I actually got a chance to view the crash on 9news video since this afternoon, watched in slow motion a few times. From what I could tell, a guy in a green shirt may have pushed a guy in a red shirt out in the road ?

Just for the record, I am not defending either of those guys. It was a bummer to see it happen. Sounds like you were closer to that crash than we were. Could you see if any of the riders behind the car that rear-ended (?) the moto had to slow down or anything?

Even with all that, though, I don't recall seeing any other spectators running along the riders in our stretch of roadway.


It seemed like the car may have crunched the motorcycle and they were scrambling to get the bike wheels mounted back on the rack.
Click to expand...


I was directly behind the MaVic bike. You are right that in that area he was the runner but around the next corner is another one and then another one. While the majority of fans are reasonably behaved in that they stay in one spot and cheer the runners scare the heck out of me and that incident is exactly why. This guy was running along a rider but there is no room for error. They run past spectators that are politely in place and expressing their enthusiasm in a much more civil way. Yes I think he ran into one of those spectators and bounced into our path. If the magic bike was not first it would have been our car and maybe he would have been down under our car. The worst is for the drivers. Our cars are wider than the riders. So many fans move for the riders but forget a car is right behind. Toes and feet too close to the wheels. swerve to miss a person on the left and hit six on the right. How do you think that effects the future of a race? How do you think the safety authorities see it? The sport looks like an accident waiting to find the right person to make an example of. The TV glorifies this behaviour and while I might like to believe it is imported from America (Canada included) as I never saw so much of it in Europe 10 years ago I know that it is not just us. Soccer has streakers, cycling has Borat!
If they just stayed in place and faced the oncoming riders and caravan but they have their backs to us or forget there is a car behind as they stop running or as in this case they run into another fan and bounce into our path. The Mavic guys are OK but it shakes them up. We might joke that the guy got his just deserts but the moto driver is shaken and you need confidence to drive that bike. Imagine the nightmare if a spectator dies under your car.
 
joe_papp

joe_papp

May 13, 2009
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ImmaculateKadence said:
Agreed. I love the fans that stand on the roadside with a pumping fist yelling encouragements. The fans that run alongside, with few exceptions, are nothing but a distraction. I don't doubt their love or enthusiasm for the sport; I just see it as misdirected. It's also apparent they have never raced before. It's more of an attempt at airtime, selfish really.

The worst are those that actually interfere trying to make some sort of point: Like that fatass at the TOC a couple years ago wearing the bumblebee outfit poking Lance with a giant syringe or the guy wearing surgical garb poking Contador in the face with a stethoscope. The fans not paying any attention that get too close and cause a crash are just as bad. There is no place for that disrespect or irresponsibility in this sport.
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I agree.

As a fan of the sport, I loathe what I call the "runners" - those tools who sprint alongside the riders, screaming at them (whether encouraging or harassing) ... they are a danger and annoyance to the riders who don't want to be screamed at, they mess-up the view for the static spectators, and they aren't what I want to see on TV when watching coverage.

As a rider I loved the fans, especially the static ones, while the only "runners" I welcomed were the ones trotting along behind me, pushing me up the mountains in my pre-EPO days. A drunk man with stinky breath running alongside me shouting "encouragement" in his native tongue...well, wait I guess it actually did help me go faster because I wanted to get away from him...doh.
 
cyclingPRpro

cyclingPRpro

Oct 29, 2010
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Race Radio said:
scaled.php


See that little guy with the Leopard jersey? That is Andy Schleck in the crowd today
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A great pic by Jonathan Devich (@photogjono on twitter)

BTW, the videos with Frankie are going awesome Joe. Well done. LMAO'd at Elvis.
 
goggalor

goggalor

Oct 16, 2009
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Race Radio said:
scaled.php


See that little guy with the Leopard jersey? That is Andy Schleck in the crowd today
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Andy Schleck, don't forget, finished second in a little race called the Tour de France this year. If you just tuned in you might guess this is the Alpe d'Huez he is racing on, but no, these are the crowds of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.
 
Master50

Master50

Mar 10, 2009
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cyclingPRpro said:
Not a runner. I watched it multiple times. The guy was static (except for jumping up and down) when he was pushed from behind by a guy in a green shirt who ran behind the jeep.
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Well you did not see him 3 to 5 seconds earlier. He was a runner. I was there right behind the mavic bike in a car. Maybe the guy in green pushed him but the guy in red was running before the news clip.
 
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