Contador stopped by police

[Merckx index]

For riding without lights, LOL.

Tour de France champion Alberto Contador was pulled over by a French police officer on Wednesday for cycling in the descent of the Galibier pass in the Alps without lights.

Spokesman Jacinto Vidarte said the officer told the three-time Tour champion that he needed to be visible on the road that snakes down through dark tunnels.

Vidarte told The Associated Press that Contador tried but failed to convince the officer that his team's cars could light his way. He said Contador finally conceded and "put his bike in the car."

Contador is training for the Alpine stages of this year's Tour. The race starts on July 2.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/06/15/sports/s093132D93.DTL#ixzz1PMdHzKRo

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

pff, why need a topic for this sh*t?

 

[Granville57]

pff, why need a topic for this sh*t?

Because it's an amusing and interesting story. And who knows, maybe it will prompt other similar stories and turn out to be an interesting thread.

...and pixels are free.

See? There are already three posts now.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

this could be the official "contador gets stopped by police" thread. for every other time this will happen we can post in here. thanks

 

[just some guy]

pff, why need a topic for this sh*t?

Because it's an amusing and interesting story. And who knows, maybe it will prompt other similar stories and turn out to be an interesting thread.

...and pixels are free.

See? There are already three posts now.

And so the cyclingnews team can have something write about.

Funny how stuff gets discussed here only to appear on the website later. Not all the time but enough

 

[Publicus]

That's just silly on the part of the officer.

 

[euanli]

Not really. Pros are bike riders and vulnerable like all of us when in dark tunnels that are also used by cars. Its not like the road was closed.

They need to abide by the same rules as we do, its not like he was riding in Spain*

*re Spain's helmet law.

 

[Publicus]

Not really. Pros are bike riders and vulnerable like all of us when in dark tunnels that are also used by cars. Its not like the road was closed.

They need to abide by the same rules as we do, its not like he was riding in Spain*

*re Spain's helmet law.

If his team car is behind him in the tunnels, he would be lit and thus visible by on coming traffic. The headlights of a car are considerably brighter and cast a much stronger swathe of light than a bike light an individual would use. So in that regard it is silly. Frankly it reads like a bit of harassment, but I won't read too much more into than necessary.

EDIT: BEFORE YOU RESPOND CORRECTING ME ON THE ERROR OF MY THINKING, NO NEED. IT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE AND I SEE THE FOLLY OF MY RESPONSE. NOT DELETING THESE PRIOR MESSAGES.

 

[BYOP88]

Soon lights on helmets will be law when racing

 

[euanli]

Oh next time I'm riding at night on a busy road I obviously don't need lights.

 

[ferryman]

Bet the Gendarme is dining out on this one

 

[Publicus]

Oh next time I'm riding at night on a busy road I obviously don't need lights.

You are being sillier than the policeman at this point. [NOPE, I WAS WRONG ON THIS ONE AND YOU WERE RIGHT]

Anywho, Bonnie Ford queries whether AC sees the metaphor in this situation. I'm scratching my head at that one. Anyone want to give it a shot? Not you Euanli. I know this is a simple public safety matter for you. [THIS TOO]

Courtesy of the Swordsman on Twitter. Apparently the same cop didn't stop joggers who were running by when he stopped Saxo Bank for lack of lights.

http://sporten.tv2.dk/cykling/article.php/id-40812306:contador-stoppet-af-fransk-politi.html

 

[Granville57]

I just have to wonder if any other pros have ever been stopped in that area for the same reason.

I say, illuminate them all and run a stage at night.

I liked the idea of the 2010 Vuelta TTT.

 

[pedaling squares]

If his team car is behind him in the tunnels, he would be lit and thus visible by on coming traffic. The headlights of a car are considerably brighter and cast a much stronger swathe of light than a bike light an individual would use. So in that regard it is silly. Frankly it reads like a bit of harassment, but I won't read too much more into than necessary.

Unless Contador is translucent I would think he would be a dark spot in the middle of a partially-blocked headlight beam. In an already dark environment. And the car would have to be so close to be effective that it would be a different type of safety issue if he fell. Not so sure about harassment in the absence of information that the officer purposefully lay in wait for Saxo, sounds more like a guy who ran across something relevant to his job function and decided he shouldn't ignore it.

 

[Granville57]

Anywho, Bonnie Ford queries whether AC sees the metaphor in this situation. I'm scratching my head at that one. Anyone want to give it a shot? Not you Euanli. I know this is a simple public safety matter for you.

I see you got your repsonse.

A man and a sport in a dark passage.
http://twitter.com/#!/Bonnie_D_Ford/status/81055524585603073

 

[euanli]

Ironic given all the hoohaa about rider safety in races when they won't mind their safety in training.

 

[Publicus]

Unless Contador is translucent I would think he would be a dark spot in the middle of a partially-blocked headlight beam. In an already dark environment. And the car would have to be so close to be effective that it would be a different type of safety issue if he fell. Not so sure about harassment in the absence of information that the officer purposefully lay in wait for Saxo, sounds more like a guy who ran across something relevant to his job function and decided he shouldn't ignore it.

Are you also assuming that the cars coming the other way don't have headlights on as well? Just from the sound of it seems petty to me, but I'll defer to you and Eunali on this one that it was all about public safety.

 

[Dedelou]

If his team car is behind him in the tunnels, he would be lit and thus visible by on coming traffic. The headlights of a car are considerably brighter and cast a much stronger swathe of light than a bike light an individual would use. So in that regard it is silly. Frankly it reads like a bit of harassment, but I won't read too much more into than necessary.

Actually , Publicus, the opposite happens sometimes. If your support vehicle rides in the back of a cyclist , the traffic on the other side , sees the head lights of the car and depending on the distance the cyclist is not clearly visible. best to be behind the car on a training ride through tunnels , IMO

 

[Dedelou]

Unless Contador is translucent I would think he would be a dark spot in the middle of a partially-blocked headlight beam. In an already dark environment. And the car would have to be so close to be effective that it would be a different type of safety issue if he fell. Not so sure about harassment in the absence of information that the officer purposefully lay in wait for Saxo, sounds more like a guy who ran across something relevant to his job function and decided he shouldn't ignore it.

plus 1 on this one. have seen too many cases like that before. In racing condition , of course , everything is different

 

[Publicus]

Actually , Publicus, the opposite happens sometimes. If your support vehicle rides in the back of a cyclist , the traffic on the other side , sees the head lights of the car and depending on the distance the cyclist is not clearly visible. best to be behind the car on a training ride through tunnels , IMO

Ok. My apologies to Eunali and Pedaling Squares who originally tried to point this out, but that I didn't listen. See I can take my lumps like a man.

Thanks all.

 

[euanli]

The disappearing in headlights is a major problem with HID headlights. And more so in rain when they reflect off a wet road and basically blind you.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Technically, I would imagine the laws of the road still apply during the race. Odds on a jobsworth cop waiting outside the tunnels on raceday to pull over the non-Frenchman in the two-man breakaway?

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

This article is missing some details.

Apparently, Saxo Bank were stopped by the fashion police for not tucking in their arm warmers under their jersey sleeves.

Hope this clears it up.

 

[The_Z_man]

This sounds like a story from the early '90s when Ayrton Senna got busted for speeding. He was tooling around in his Acura NSX in England when he got pulled over. The cop looked him square in the face and said, "Who do you think you are, Nigel Mansell?"

Sorry if:
A. You didn't get the joke.
B. I dated myself.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Brad McGee was not pleased by the gendarmes' intrusion on their training camp.