Do the fans spoil the racing ?

[Night Rider]

I think the fans were so close last night that it almost affected the racing, I’m not sure if you noticed about 1km from the finish the motorbikes and car briefly lost touch with AS and AC because the fans running behind them actually blocked the safety cars/bikes completely. I was sure there was going to be an accident at one point.

On stages with a narrow mountain top finish road like that I reckon it’s only a matter of time before we see a flag hook some bars or jam in a wheel, or some drunken idiot trip and either take a rider down or get run down by the following vehicles. It’s getting ridiculous.

 

[Bennyl]

i think the closeness of the fans would deter riders in attacking at times. what are they going to do, swing out into the crowd? No, pretty much for the last 5 kms, they would just have to wait until the last kilometre to attack again. I was hoping AC would attack again last night but found myself thinking 'there is no room'.. still, they do create the atmosphere, but a little respect for the race would help.

 

[buckwheat]

Some of those "fans" are real douchebags. Dumping water on these guys, screaming at them. Then there are the asshats like the clown who took down Guerini in '99. What a schmuck.

 

[HokieJoe]

Watching todays stage finish on top of the col du Tourmalet, I was annoyed by the behaviour of some of the fans.

I believe that there are times when they stop riders from attacking because they are running alongside the riders and in my opinion they are spolining the racing.

What do you think can be done to stop it?

The enthusiasm adds to the excitement. Hell, I remember a fan knocking the lead rider to the pavement in one Tour back in the mid-90's. Alpe d'Huez stage IIRC.

 

[xFrankyBx]

Nothin is worse than the fan who watches the race just to get on a forum board and scrutanize EVERYTHING you just did. Run next to them act like idiots but to say YOU could have done better or what you think they could have done better come on people. But then again, I guess I can see why people like the interwebz.

HATESTRONG.

 

[Benotti69]

the only way to cut it down is to make sure they don't get on tv, instruct the cameramen to do their best to crop as close to riders as possible in situations like this then most of these idiots would give up as they are not seen on tv anymore.

Didi the devil (who is now sponsored) is part of the problem of fans dressing up a whackos...now there are sponsors trying to take advantage of the tv/media exposure you can get at the TdF...

 

[quiensabe]

Fans?

i think the closeness of the fans would deter riders in attacking at times. what are they going to do, swing out into the crowd? No, pretty much for the last 5 kms, they would just have to wait until the last kilometre to attack again. I was hoping AC would attack again last night but found myself thinking 'there is no room'.. still, they do create the atmosphere, but a little respect for the race would help.

I used to travel to watch the climbs. The atmosphere was great. While we waited we talked to strangers because we had common ground; and we cheered & yelled for our heroes during the electrifying minutes that made the wait worthwhile. I don't go to the climbs now. Things have changed. Most of these idiots are NOT fans. They're attention-seekers in fancy dress (or undress), trying to capture the cameras, waving hello to Mama, or running naked for a bet or a dare. They're a danger and a menace, spoiling the spectacle for genuine fans. You have to admire how Shleck & Contador held their nerve in the midst of those imbeciles.

 

[bobmcpartland]

the only way to cut it down is to make sure they don't get on tv, instruct the cameramen to do their best to crop as close to riders as possible in situations like this then most of these idiots would give up as they are not seen on tv anymore.

A good idea but difficult to do when they get so close to the riders. Maybe they could give the motorcycle riders an electric cattle prod to use as they ride alongside the cyclists. That would add to the entertainment, watching some idiot dressed as a chicken getting zapped.

 

[Roland Rat]

I understand the excitement one can experience while cheering the riders up a mountain. I think that most of the dudes running along side the riders are selfish boors, however, and they have no concern for the danger they're creating and for the negative effect their blocking causes.

Obviously I never rode the Tour so I can't speak to those conditions, but many smaller UCI stage races I've done had mountain stages with thousands of spectators lining the climbs, and the ones who run with you are jerks! I personally loathe them. They're annoying, the often times stink (especially reeking of beer) and some of them have gone so far as to steal bottles off my bike! lol.

I think there is a big difference between a swelling crowd that lines a climb, chokes it off even but is stationary, and the jerks who sprint alongside the riders, screaming insults at them from only inches away, using up precious oxygen and polluting their space

Wow. Just how slow were you going?

 

[Fester]

Fans are necessary. I think a few TV adds during the tour with etiquette would help. There were clearly points on the Tourmalet where the riders were endangered.

Etiquette:

-Don't touch the riders in anyway.
-Give at least a lanes worth of space to the riders.
-Don't use it as an opportunity to advertise unofficially eg "Dirk Hoffman MotorHomes".
-Don't run on the road.
-Everything else goes, sure I always thought the Tour should put up beer tents on the mountains and seating like a stadium finish!

But the race was badly organized, I think TDF should have barriers for the last 5km, they have the money and the people and it is the biggest race on the planet; no excuse.

 

[L'arriviste]

At the Ronde, where people are high on strong beer and pork derivatives, they're happy to go crazy behind safety barriers. Granted the riders are no longer close enough to guess their particular brand of fabric conditioner but there's no lack of atmosphere.

Meanwhile at the Tour, dressing up in silly outfits they hired for the day is the legacy of a single mankini.

All that says to me is that they're in it for the next YouTube compilation. They're all just sheep. Ironic really, because the actual sheep were three bags full of entertainment.

 

[craig1985]

For me the most annoying fans are the ones who have such a lack of personality that they need to play dress-up and run along side. Borat's yesterday, Sumo wrestlers in the ToC, etc, etc.

Or the bloke with antlers on his helmet. Met him before, he's a nice guy is actually rather harmless. Pretty fit as well.

 

[tubularglue]

Do the fans spoil the racing ?

Does cheating with trains, cars, motors, drugs, bribes, payoffs etc. spoil the racing?

A. Yes,


but that depends on who you talk to,
how thick their wallet is,
and how it got stuffed

 

[Benotti69]

A good idea but difficult to do when they get so close to the riders.....

yep it is difficult but sooner or later someone is going to take out a GC contender and maybe out of the race or a fan is gonna go under a following motorcycle/car..

i dont mind it on the lower slopes where there is plenty of space and respect but up the tourmalet it was crazy

 

[Benotti69]

.....
All that says to me is that they're in it for the next YouTube compilation. They're all just sheep. Ironic really, because the actual sheep were three bags full of entertainment.

three blood bags full too late for some.....

i know, i know...coat, hat and door, i'm away to the clinic

 

[L'arriviste]

Or the bloke with antlers on his helmet. Met him before, he's a nice guy is actually rather harmless. Pretty fit as well.

Yeah, some of those football shirt, mankini and banana outfit wearers are giving honest dressers up like The Devil a bad name.

 

[craig1985]

The worse ones are the idiots who run along with their pants down. I bet their mothers are proud.

 

[nia O'Malley]

They've always been there. They used to be worse. I absolutely would not want the Tour without the crazies at the side of the road.

Whoever doesn't like it can go race on the track.

 

[Dedelou]

I saw that too! Some guy with two mean fistfulls of Luxembourg flag ran up next to Contador and looked to be giving him a piece of his mind . . . Contador wisely swerved over to the other side of Schleck.

Also, I feel like I saw more a** cheek on today's stage than in the last two or three Tours combined.

well as it turned out the tourmalet stage was a bit of a gay parade. (this is a private joke as many people in the high Pyrenees mountain have a name who finishes in "gay" once as we were riding up the Soulor on the way to the Aubisque we encountered a local who gave us water and said he heard that in the states where we live he had heard they were a lot of "gay" too and wondered if they were related.) you had to be there .. I mean that's what you get when you climb too slowly: Local humor .
I did finally see a woman in some sort of bikini running next to Andy. That was a first that I can remember

 

[Dedelou]

Fans are necessary. I think a few TV adds during the tour with etiquette would help. There were clearly points on the Tourmalet where the riders were endangered.

Etiquette:

-Don't touch the riders in anyway.
-Give at least a lanes worth of space to the riders.
-Don't use it as an opportunity to advertise unofficially eg "Dirk Hoffman MotorHomes".
-Don't run on the road.
-Everything else goes, sure I always thought the Tour should put up beer tents on the mountains and seating like a stadium finish!

But the race was badly organized, I think TDF should have barriers for the last 5km, they have the money and the people and it is the biggest race on the planet; no excuse.

Not that i want to actually defend ASO but i think you have no idea what it takes to put up the tour de France. Your are talking about is the largest crowd handler in all sports events. Bigger than the world cup or the Olympic and that circus is ambulatory. Each day they move to a different venue and the "stadium is 3000 miles long. Probably, on a stage like yesterday, ASO had to think about the logistic affecting a few millions people. Not only the probable million that were lining up the 3 climbs but also the few million others, not directly involved but affected by the passage of the Tour. If you ever tried to put up a road race anywhere you would know how complicated that is. I have come to be turned off to the commercial aspect of TDF but I am still quite impressed with their organization. You can go to the Tourmalet today and will not find garbage left from yesterday's stage. By 9 pm last nigh most of the total 20 kilometers of barriers setup at various point along the route were removed and by this morning they were put up in a different location for today's stage. Sure they should do more. There is always room for improvement

 

[movingtarget]

Too many morons on the mountains. We have seen riders knocked off before when leading the stage. It could effect the outcome of the race which is ridiculous. Nothing wrong with dressing up and cheering or whatever as long as they don't get too close or touch the riders. It's the idiots with cameras and some of the runners who get too far out into the road that make it dangerous and irritating.

 

[RedheadDane]

Gotta admit one thing;
Sometimes I'm cheering at the riders to hit those annoying spectators running in the way...

 

[El Pistolero]

Gotta admit one thing;
Sometimes I'm cheering at the riders to hit those annoying spectators running in the way...

Yeah, Contador did that once lol.

 

[nia O'Malley]

Schlecklet did it twice this year Part of the fun.

 

[tiger 10]

I used to travel to watch the climbs. The atmosphere was great. While we waited we talked to strangers because we had common ground; and we cheered & yelled for our heroes during the electrifying minutes that made the wait worthwhile. I don't go to the climbs now. Things have changed. Most of these idiots are NOT fans. They're attention-seekers in fancy dress (or undress), trying to capture the cameras, waving hello to Mama, or running naked for a bet or a dare. They're a danger and a menace, spoiling the spectacle for genuine fans. You have to admire how Shleck & Contador held their nerve in the midst of those imbeciles.

It's interesting you say this. I've never been, but just from looking at it on television it looks like crowd behaviour has really changed from when I started watching. There seem to be a lot more people wanting to get themselves on TV, and like you said, doing stupid things to do so. It almost looks like the race is just an excuse to go somewhere new, get drunk and behave like an idiot. I have no idea how race organisers could stop this behaviour though.

I haven't been watching it all so avidly this (I'm so hacked off by the commentators), so I haven't seen this happen this year, but I LOVE it when some idiot is running and screaming next to the riders and the shot is close in and they're suddenly yanked sideways back into the crowd. Exit stage left or right via the invisible hand of some huge, annoyed cycling fan. Love it.