Fans encroaching over barriers

[lemon cheese cake]

Re:

let me ask you this, when you are cycling past a junction do you assume the cars won't edge out a bit and plough on regardless, or do you sensibly make allowances for the fact that there are selfish a$$holes out there?

i take the world the way it is, not the way i want it to be. and if i was in a sprint i wouldn't be cycling within 2 ft of the barriers, jalabert can tell you all about it (though obviously that was entirely the morons fault).

If they that feet then they will use it. If riders see a gap then they will try and get into it (Cav and Gerrans showed us so last year). These riders will see a space that isnt big enough but make it big enough with elbows, shoulders, heads etc.

 

[42x16ss]

Re: Re:

Those who are blaming the riders for clipping spectators leaning over barriers must not have raced much. Coming into a sprint finish with crosswind where do you think that the best place is going to be?

I wasnt one of those people saying that, but according to my diagram below, the riders will press right up against the barrier (the green) that the wind will be hitting. So if anyone wants to move up, then they will have to enter the wind.

Bingo!

No, I was saying it for Singer01's benefit

 

[IndianCyclist]

Armitstead crashes after win, What were the race organizers doing????
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/video-armitstead-crashes-on-finish-line-after-stage-1-victory

 

[jmdirt]

Re:

Armitstead crashes after win, What were the race organizers doing????
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/video-armitstead-crashes-on-finish-line-after-stage-1-victory

I'm always surprised that there aren't more crashes after the finish line because of all of the people in the finish chute area.

 

[Peter70]

How about stupid riders keep their hands on the steering and braking devices when sprinting. Entirely her fault. No sympathy, Hell mend her!

 

[lemon cheese cake]

Re:

How about stupid riders keep their hands on the steering and braking devices when sprinting. Entirely her fault. No sympathy, Hell mend her!

If they want to celebrate they can. The photographers should ne put on a little bridge rather than standing in the finish chute. Plus she cant help it if a sudden bit of wind blows her off. And actually even if she had had her hands on the bars amd can happen to anyone (Scheldeprijs 2012).

If amyone is to blame, it's the organisers fault.

 

[ray j willings]

You can make the run off completely clear and that's what will happen i'm sure for the rest of the race. But if your not paying attention you could easily run into a barrier instead of a person.
Very unfortunate incident and I hope she will be OK.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Re: Re:

Besides; I don't know if it was the case here, since I wasn't actually at the finish line, but I have been to bike races where the speaker several times reminded spectators to keep everything behind the barriers. I see absolutely no reason to believe that wasn't the case here.

My experience is exactly the opposite: fans are encouraged to thump the advertising boards and "make plenty of noise", which is only possible with arms over the barrier.

In fariness to the finish-line commentator, this is with sloping barriers: vertical barriers are no doubt cheaper, but far more hazardous.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Re: Re:

If they want to celebrate they can. The photographers should ne put on a little bridge rather than standing in the finish chute. Plus she cant help it if a sudden bit of wind blows her off. And actually even if she had had her hands on the bars amd can happen to anyone (Scheldeprijs 2012).

If amyone is to blame, it's the organisers fault.

If the organisers follow the guidelines that are in place at every race(and it looked the same as the set up at most races), then the organisers are acting perfectly responsibly. If those guidelines are insufficient to secure safety for all involved, then those who produce the guidelines are culpable. The photographers' zone was on a straight section of road: Armitstead had seen them and was drifting right to avoid them, then something happened (gust of wind? Rider behind her?) to move her back to her left, and into the photographers' area.

Fans want photos, riders want to celebrate: both are reasonable, neither are risk free. Statistics show that the balance of risk is successfully kept low. Do we want risk factors set to 1 in 1,000 chance of accident? 1 in 100,000? 1 in 10,000,000?

 

[lemon cheese cake]

Re: Re:

If they want to celebrate they can. The photographers should ne put on a little bridge rather than standing in the finish chute. Plus she cant help it if a sudden bit of wind blows her off. And actually even if she had had her hands on the bars amd can happen to anyone (Scheldeprijs 2012).

If amyone is to blame, it's the organisers fault.

If the organisers follow the guidelines that are in place at every race(and it looked the same as the set up at most races), then the organisers are acting perfectly responsibly. If those guidelines are insufficient to secure safety for all involved, then those who produce the guidelines are culpable. The photographers' zone was on a straight section of road: Armitstead had seen them and was drifting right to avoid them, then something happened (gust of wind? Rider behind her?) to move her back to her left, and into the photographers' area.

Fans want photos, riders want to celebrate: both are reasonable, neither are risk free. Statistics show that the balance of risk is successfully kept low. Do we want risk factors set to 1 in 1,000 chance of accident? 1 in 100,000? 1 in 10,000,000?

I just didn't agree with the person i'd quoted and replied to. Now i've seen the video, I see what you mean.