Spectators Running Alongside Riders on Climbs

[runninboy]

It seems that it used to be a corridor of fans and they would part like the red sea as the moto's and riders came through. There were runners but they seemed to usually stay a little further away.

A few stages ago it seemed like one runner after another was getting right on top of the riders, then i see this one dumb a$$ fat fock start running and he is on the right side.then he looks back at the camerabike as he cuts in front while crossing the road. He was heading straight for the rider, i swear he was going to knock the rider over but luckily there was another motor who swung REALLY close ( i mean like 5 inches)and then slowed down to block the guy away. It was just like we do herding cattle. Thank god that other moto was so good because the dumb look on this guys face you knew he was up to no good, his angle was to get in between riders not alongside. Jack A$$

 

[Altimax]

The lack of police outriders with the lead riders is totally wrong. I live in the high Alpes and have ridden to watch many stages on the great cols. You cannot even ride up some of the Cols within 45min of the caravan arriving because of the gendarmes stopping all cyclists for their own safety. They make you (or try to make you) walk). Yet when the race arrives and riders are travelling 3 times faster than the cycling spectators, are the police contoling things ? no they are not, it is a total free for all.

No doubt the first time a rider manages to get a good well aimed punch square onto one of these idiots and hurts him or her, who do you think will be visiting his room that night? The local gendarmes no doubt.

 

[yourwelcome]

I like the cattle prod idea. If I were a rider I'd loathe those fat f-ks screaming in my ear, stealing my oxygen and forcing me to waste energy on staying alert in case one of them trips over and takes me down.

 

[craig1985]

Graham Watson must like this guy - he always has a shot of two of him on his race recaps, and even shares his name as if the guy is worth being famous...my only thought beyond the obvious (wtf ??) is - how the he!! does he travel with all the gear? He must have special cases for the antlers, horns, eagle wings and various football helmets...what a waste.

From personal experience he is very popular at the Tour. He is insanely fit.

 

[sherer]

From personal experience he is very popular at the Tour. He is insanely fit.

I want to know what he does as a job as he can afford to watch the Tour of California without going to work and then fly to Europe and take three weeks off travelling to France

 

[Vanderaerden's perm]

They should just force these tools to run alongside the riders on the descents!

 

[runninboy]

From personal experience he is very popular at the Tour. He is insanely fit.

oh please
I'll give u insane tho...

 

[craig1985]

oh please
I'll give u insane tho...

I have met him myself in real life.

 

[craig1985]

I want to know what he does as a job as he can afford to watch the Tour of California without going to work and then fly to Europe and take three weeks off travelling to France

Aerospace engineer in Seattle or unless my mind is playing games on me. I do remember the engineering bit correctly from what he told me and something about working 60+ hours a week.

 

[Not Riding Enough]

The lack of police outriders with the lead riders is totally wrong. I live in the high Alpes and have ridden to watch many stages on the great cols. You cannot even ride up some of the Cols within 45min of the caravan arriving because of the gendarmes stopping all cyclists for their own safety. They make you (or try to make you) walk). Yet when the race arrives and riders are travelling 3 times faster than the cycling spectators, are the police contoling things ? no they are not, it is a total free for all.

Totally agree.

Are you one of the guys who rides the course just after the race has gone through and gets cheered on by the fans still hanging around thinking you may be in the race? I love that.

 

[Altimax]

They should just force these tools to run alongside the riders on the descents!

Thats ace, love it

 

[**Uru**]

I think I saw Kloeden push a moron away from him yesterday....

One of these days, a fat guy running in front of a rider will fall on his face and cause a huge crash. Not looking forward to seeing that.

 

[Jayarbie]

Remember one of them got run over by moto in 2005 during the stage that George Hincapie won, got what he deserved IMO.

I have admit I'm sort of gulity of this as I once ran alongside Marcus Burghardt waving a T-Mobile flag in my hand, but I was 2 or 3m away from him. He probably thought I was some sort of nut (like who runs alongside some straggler on a mountainside in the Pyrennes?). Fun times.

You're not guilty of anything. Fans running alongside the riders at a reasonable distance away is part of what makes the Tour (and other races, too, of course) great. Besides, at the speed Burghardt goes uphill, I bet you could run with him all the way up the ascent.

 

[Bala Verde]

When the fan is wearing this get-up then, yeah, there is a difference. Looks like he forgot his ginormous flag this time.

Is softy brains even running on his Sidi's with cleats?

I have never understood why a certain percentage of cycling fans finds it necesarry to run alongside cyclists - preferably uphill, otherwise it would look even more stupid - other than self-glorification and TV exposure. The reason they do it, is because they lead sad and miserable lives which need to be livened up with exciting experiences, they need fresh and interesting life stories they can share with their pals when they return home.

They are the fruitcakes of the sport, similar to the court invader that ran up to Federer in this year's edition of Roland Garros. Like a bunch of streakers and other general attention and adrenaline junkies.

If you want to cheer, or support your hero - even dressed up up to the point that one looks like a fool - you can do it from the side of the road, without spitting, spraying, sprinkling, touching, patting, probing, fingering, feeling, rubbing or stroking.

Go run of a cliff, antlers first...

 

[Altimax]

Totally agree.

Are you one of the guys who rides the course just after the race has gone through and gets cheered on by the fans still hanging around thinking you may be in the race? I love that.

I wish, the speed I climb these cols, they'd have to be very stupid, or I would need EPO for breakfast if I was to fool them.

 

[Anonymous]

I was always fine with spectators running alongside me in the mountains as long as they gave a friendly push. However, watching the Tour coverage, especially today's stage, it seems that "The Runners" have crossed some line of acceptable behavior or decency. I know it's logistically impossible to barricade an entire climb, but I think it is absolutely inappropriate for fans to run alongside the riders, inches away from them, sometimes touching them, often shouting profanity, endangering the riders' safety and generally ruining the TV shots while making asses of themselves. I saw a few spectators get punched today by riders in the lead group, and while I wish every rider would swat away every spectator who violated his personal space and ran alongside him on a climb, the reality is that, whether climber or not, the break in concentration and energy required to punch a drunk, idiotic "spectator" in the head - as minimal as it may seem - is gigantic in its negative effect (on the rider).

I hate to say add more motorcycles, but there should be police bikes hovering near the lead groups who are authorized to run down "The Runners." I'm surprised Armstrong hasn't already employed a team of private, moto-mounted body guards to do just that.

Two words: Pepper Spray

 

[CentralCaliBike]

A new competition

I see the Devil, Montana Longhorn guy, Texas Longhorn guy, EPO Needle guy (from the Tour of California), and several others in a race up Verbier for a sprint type award, the chance to ride with their favorite cyclist, and as a entrance test to make their runs on the mountain stages of the Tour (or any other race for that matter). For obstacles there could be other cycling fans with bowling balls along the route who should be told to attempt to miss the racers (but make sure they stay on course). Once you complete this competition in the top three you are allowed on the a mountain stage with your costume.

 

[**Uru**]

Where is this guy this year?

 

[Bala Verde]

Where is this guy this year?

Borat? He is Bruno now I think...

So just keep on looking for a very feminine hair dresser type running along on heels...

 

[Bruce_Willis_97]

Takes a real Jackass to Die watching the tour. Hope it was worth it...your life to get a good look at a cyclist.

I don't understand the separation between fans who could so called appreciate the effort of the sport but they go crazy for these guys like they know nothing of what its like to ride a bike up a mountain pass!?

Would you want some idiot yelling in your ear pumping his fist and waving a flag in front of you? Do they have soccer fans come up there or what? And it seems american fans have just followed suit. Haven't really caught up to the rdiculousness of the euro fans but god knows they will.

I fear for the TOC, and tour de georgia (if it comes back next year)

Its now an oppurtunity for these "fans" to call their friends and say look, I'm running up a hill next to lance or whoever.

I love Didi tho, he's earned the diablo title.
wonder what he thinks about some of these fans

 

[Animal]

I think the problem is probably worse in Europe.

In the US (and UK), it's mainly cyclists who watch cycling.

Your regular, fat, beer-swilling "sports fan" doesn't follow cycling.

But in continental Europe, he does. I saw one Franch guy on the Col de Ramaz in 2003 who had been camping there in his camper van. He was so drunk by the time the the riders arrived that he fell a couple of times trying to "run" with them, leaving big scrolls of bloody skin on the road, but it didn't seem to bother him.

 

[wheels55]

I saw one Franch guy on the Col de Ramaz in 2003 who had been camping there in his camper van. He was so drunk by the time the the riders arrived that he fell a couple of times trying to "run" with them, leaving big scrolls of bloody skin on the road, but it didn't seem to bother him.

Perhaps he needs to go to Pamplona next...and get a little more "bang" for his buck...wonder if antler/longhorn man ever thought about going head-to-head with a bull for his biggest adrenaline rush ever?

 

[runninboy]

Aerospace engineer in Seattle or unless my mind is playing games on me. I do remember the engineering bit correctly from what he told me and something about working 60+ hours a week.

Thanks for the info good to know that he has a nice job/income
I know plenty of lawyers so i think i will camp out near him on the TOC

"Your honor i was just minding my own business when this guy comes by wearing a headress made of elk antlers and impales me"

welcome to the california version of " Who wants to be a millionaire"!!!

 

[titotito]

Can we get something done about that jackass with the huge antlers and even larger Texas flag? It is only a matter of time before he trips and puts the horns or flag pole through someone's wheel.

Yeah, that guy ****es me off more than anybody. Forget horns through the wheel. If he trips he's going to impale a rider or some helpless fan. What a selfish ***.

 

[benpounder]

Yeah, that guy ****es me off more than anybody.

Me too. Why does he chose stretches of road where there aren't more spectators around and the riders aren't more constricted? /snark