ASO demands apology from Bakelants after sexist remarks

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

By Cycling News June 28, 2017 9:57pm
Updated: June 28, 2017 9:57pm Race: Tour de France

ASO demands apology from Bakelants after sexist remarks
AG2R La Mondiale rider makes insinuations about podium hostesses


The Tour de France organisers are demanding an apology from 2013 maillot jaune holder Jan Bakelants (AG2R La Mondiale) after the Belgian made damaging comments about the reputation of the podium hostesses in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws on Wednesday.

Bakelants, who won the opening stage of the 2013 Tour de France and led the race for two days, began the interview by saying he would miss his "cute little daughter" Julia the most over the three weeks of racing. "But we'll see each other every day via Skype."

He then inexplicably answered an innocent question about when he would call his parents for the first time with "when I run out of porno movies". After insisting that he was joking, he then dug himself a deeper hole when asked if going without sex for three weeks was difficult by first referring back to the pornographic films, and then by adding, "there are also the podium hostesses."

To further his point, when asked what items he would take along to use in his free time he stated, "definitely a packet of condoms. You never know where those podium hostesses are hanging out."

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme was quick to demand an apology for the disrespectful remarks, telling Reuters, "We will contact his team so that he makes an apology."

The team also saw the interview, and told Reuters that Bakelants' remarks were intended to be humorous, "but in the present case it was very bad taste. We apologize to the organizers and to those who may have been offended by this remark."

A similarly teachable moment on how not to treat podium hostesses came in 2013 when Peter Sagan inappropriately touched one of the women during the podium ceremony of the Tour of Flanders. He later apologised.


http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/aso-demands-apology-from-bakelants-after-sexist-remarks/

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

A lot is taken out of context. People are too sensitive nowadays. Jeesj

 

[Anderis]

Re:

A lot is taken out of context. People are too sensitive nowadays. Jeesj

People are selectively sensitive, I would add.

 

[King Boonen]

Yes, implying that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine and people are just taking out of context.

His team should have dropped him, straight away. Their statement is just as offensive as what Bakelants said.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re:

Yes, implying that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine and people are just taking out of context.

His team should have dropped him, straight away. Their statement is just as offensive as what Bakelants said.

A bit of an overreaction, don't you think?

 

[Netserk]

He's cracked a joke about podium girls being loose. Big deal. It's not like he slandered anyone, he just made a funny (innocent too, imo) remark about a stereotype.

Yes, implying that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine and people are just taking out of context.

His team should have dropped him, straight away. Their statement is just as offensive as what Bakelants said.

A bit of an overreaction, don't you think?

The first sentence already revealed that

 

[deValtos]

Re:

Yes, implying that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine and people are just taking out of context.

His team should have dropped him, straight away. Their statement is just as offensive as what Bakelants said.

He was trying to crack a few jokes, you'll find more "offensive" jokes at any comedy show.

Bakelants is not saying "that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine". You just made that up so you could be outraged and ask him to be removed.

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

Yes, implying that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine and people are just taking out of context.

His team should have dropped him, straight away. Their statement is just as offensive as what Bakelants said.

A bit of an overreaction, don't you think?

No.

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

Yes, implying that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine and people are just taking out of context.

His team should have dropped him, straight away. Their statement is just as offensive as what Bakelants said.

He was trying to crack a few jokes, you'll find more "offensive" jokes at any comedy show.

Bakelants is not saying "that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine". You just made that up so you could be outraged and ask him to be removed.

"definitely a packet of condoms. You never know where those podium hostesses are hanging out." Actual quote.

 

[Eshnar]

Re: Re:

Yes, implying that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine and people are just taking out of context.

His team should have dropped him, straight away. Their statement is just as offensive as what Bakelants said.

He was trying to crack a few jokes, you'll find more "offensive" jokes at any comedy show.

Bakelants is not saying "that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine". You just made that up so you could be outraged and ask him to be removed.

"definitely a packet of condoms. You never know where those podium hostesses are hanging out." Actual quote.

Which at most implies he thinks he has a chance with them. The joke is already bad as it is, no need to exaggerate even more.

 

[deValtos]

Well damn, I guess every comedian in the UK that I've ever heard of is a terrible terrible person.

I will immediately ask for them to be removed from any media outlet.

Glad we're fixing problems together!

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

Yes, implying that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine and people are just taking out of context.

His team should have dropped him, straight away. Their statement is just as offensive as what Bakelants said.

He was trying to crack a few jokes, you'll find more "offensive" jokes at any comedy show.

Bakelants is not saying "that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine". You just made that up so you could be outraged and ask him to be removed.

"definitely a packet of condoms. You never know where those podium hostesses are hanging out." Actual quote.

Which at most implies he thinks he has a chance with them. The joke is already bad as it is, no need to exaggerate even more.

He claimed that when his porno stash runs out he doesn't have to worry because there are podium girls around. That doesn't imply that he thinks he "has a chance" it implies that he thinks it's likely.

 

[Dr. Watson]

Re:

Yes, implying that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine and people are just taking out of context.

His team should have dropped him, straight away. Their statement is just as offensive as what Bakelants said.

I agree, even if it was a joke, it doesnt make it ok, doesnt he have a wife and a daughter? Dont know what I would think of my father if he said that, hope I wont see his face all tour and I certainly wont be sad if he doesnt win anything ever again

 

[Hugo Koblet]

No need to apologize for that. You can find his jokes funny or not, but they were in fact just jokes. It's only when we can't make jokes about different issues that we really have a problem.

 

[Eshnar]

Re: Re:

Yes, implying that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine and people are just taking out of context.

His team should have dropped him, straight away. Their statement is just as offensive as what Bakelants said.

He was trying to crack a few jokes, you'll find more "offensive" jokes at any comedy show.

Bakelants is not saying "that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine". You just made that up so you could be outraged and ask him to be removed.

"definitely a packet of condoms. You never know where those podium hostesses are hanging out." Actual quote.

Which at most implies he thinks he has a chance with them. The joke is already bad as it is, no need to exaggerate even more.

He claimed that when his porno stash runs out he doesn't have to worry because there are podium girls around. That doesn't imply that he thinks he "has a chance" it implies that he thinks it's likely.

Maybe he is very successful on that, what do you know. I assume people can still have consensual sex right? Or do you think anybody who keeps a pack of condoms in his wallet thinks that women are being kept around him so that he can have sex with them?
Again, the joke was between very bad and full ***, but there's a limit...

 

[King Boonen]

Re:

Well damn, I guess every comedian in the UK that I've ever heard of is a terrible terrible person.

I will immediately ask for them to be removed from any media outlet.

Glad we're fixing problems together!

Sexism isn't funny, just like racism isn't funny. Who are you going to see? Jim Davidson and Bernard Manning?

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

Maybe he is very successful on that, what do you know. I assume people can still have consensual sex right? Or do you think anybody who keeps a pack of condoms in his wallet thinks that women are being kept around him so that he can have sex with them?
Again, the joke was between very bad and full ***, but there's a limit...

Well this is just silly isn't it? If you can't see the difference between someone having a condom in their wallet on the chance they might have sex with someone and a professional cyclist announcing that they need condoms on a rest day because they will be sleeping with podium girls then there's pretty much no point in continuing this conversation.

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

Yes, implying that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine and people are just taking out of context.

His team should have dropped him, straight away. Their statement is just as offensive as what Bakelants said.

I agree, even if it was a joke, it doesnt make it ok, doesnt he have a wife and a daughter? Dont know what I would think of my father if he said that, hope I wont see his face all tour and I certainly wont be sad if he doesnt win anything ever again

He has a young daughter. I would assume by his comments that he doesn't have a wife/partner.

 

[Ikbengodniet]

Re:

Yes, implying that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine and people are just taking out of context.

His team should have dropped him, straight away. Their statement is just as offensive as what Bakelants said.

SJW alert.

 

[deValtos]

Re: Re:

Well damn, I guess every comedian in the UK that I've ever heard of is a terrible terrible person.

I will immediately ask for them to be removed from any media outlet.

Glad we're fixing problems together!

Sexism isn't funny, just like racism isn't funny. Who are you going to see? Jim Davidson and Bernard Manning?

I'm on the side of nothing should be off limits in comedy. Always have been, always will be.

I've never even heard of people you mention either btw. I'm talking about mainstream UK comedians like Mcintytre, Rhod Gilbert, Jimmy Carr, Russel Howard, Gervais etc They've each made 100 jokes more "offensive" than what Bakelants said. Heck Frankie Boyle has made 1000 more offensive. Are they bad people?

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

Yes, implying that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine and people are just taking out of context.

His team should have dropped him, straight away. Their statement is just as offensive as what Bakelants said.

SJW alert.

I have no idea what that means?

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

Well damn, I guess every comedian in the UK that I've ever heard of is a terrible terrible person.

I will immediately ask for them to be removed from any media outlet.

Glad we're fixing problems together!

Sexism isn't funny, just like racism isn't funny. Who are you going to see? Jim Davidson and Bernard Manning?

I'm on the side of nothing should be off limits in comedy. Always have been, always will be.

I've never even heard of people you mention either btw. I'm talking about mainstream UK comedians like Mcintytre, Rhod Gilbert, Jimmy Carr, Russel Howard, Gervais etc They've each made 100 jokes more "offensive" than what Bakelants said. Heck Frankie Boyle has made 1000 more offensive. Are they bad people?

I would point out false equivalence but there really isn't any point is there? Could you highlight a joke where those comedians have made sexism remarks against a specific set of individuals they interact with over the course of their work?

 

[Ikbengodniet]

Re: Re:

Yes, implying that women are being kept around just so cyclists can have sex with them whenever they want is totally fine and people are just taking out of context.

His team should have dropped him, straight away. Their statement is just as offensive as what Bakelants said.

SJW alert.

I have no idea what that means?

Social Justice Warrior.

Statements that his team should have dropped him immediately and his daughter should not see him anymore are totally exaggerated. People are way too sensitive these days and this political correctness crap is getting out of hand. Just an excuse so the upset people could sleep again seems right in place.

 

[deValtos]

Re: Re:

I would point out false equivalence but there really isn't any point is there? Could you highlight a joke where those comedians have made sexism remarks against a specific set of individuals they interact with over the course of their work?

What specific set of individuals do comedians interact with over the course of their work? Just youtube Jimmy Carr offensive jokes if you want to find out where your limit is.

I think you're equating making a joke about a subject with someone's belief on a subject. I think that's a mistake.

 

[RedheadDane]

To me this seems like a classic case of Open Mouth, Insert Foot syndrome, maybe with a hint of Digging Yourself Deeper.
Some people just have a tendency of... not really thinking before they let stupid stuff blurt out of their mouths.