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What should be done about idiotic spectators?

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Enthusiastic fans watching a bike race:

270-RTR2KRN8-775.jpg


Clowns running up and down the mountain while we have a race ongoing:

165100_To310514Spo_0088.jpg
 
Aug 13, 2009
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Supposedly the Italian Police are looking for the guy in the World Championship jersey and want to charge him with interfering with a sporting event
 
jsem94 said:
If I ever find myself on a Col, Mont or Passo - I'll make sure to trip up anyone who tries running alongside the cyclists.

And if that runner falls in such a way that they make contact with another bike, you will be just as notorious as the rainbow jersey clad clown from last week is at the moment.

You could potentially leave yourself open to an assault charge if they are injured in falling.

I wouldn't recommend it, though I entirely sympathise with the temptation.
 
Mar 13, 2009
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ASO made a new clip again this year I see, with Kittel for example (see article on front page). They already showed it during Paris-Nice on French TV, with the same images but with Voeckler doing the voice over. A good initiative
 
May 23, 2013
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Race Radio said:
Supposedly the Italian Police are looking for the guy in the World Championship jersey and want to charge him with interfering with a sporting event

Rui Costa can't be that hard to find, can he? But has he ridden in Italy this year?
 
Dec 7, 2010
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scholar said:
Rui Costa can't be that hard to find, can he? But has he ridden in Italy this year?

"Interfering with a sporting event."

1 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Portugal) 7:25:44
2 Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spain)
3 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spain) 0:00:17
4 Vincenzo Nibali (Italy)

:p
 
I can't actually participate in this suggestion myself, mainly because I'm not on Twitter.
But what if, every time someone sees an idiot running alongside the riders or something like that they take a picture of said idiot, and post it on Twitter (or Instagram) with the hashtag #Idiot (or #morron, or something like that)?
With my understanding of Social Media there is a fair chance that the picture will eventually be seen by the idiot themself.
 
Jun 2, 2010
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RedheadDane said:
I can't actually participate in this suggestion myself, mainly because I'm not on Twitter.
But what if, every time someone sees an idiot running alongside the riders or something like that they take a picture of said idiot, and post it on Twitter (or Instagram) with the hashtag #Idiot (or #morron, or something like that)?
With my understanding of Social Media there is a fair chance that the picture will eventually be seen by the idiot themself.

That would only encourage them.
 
Everyone could be looking at this the wrong way round.

Why do people do this?

The Factors:

1. They can. They have access to the course
2. It is fun.
3. They are drunk.
4. They get on tv.
5. It is exciting to get up close to a famous athlete.
6. It is daring.
7. There are no negative consequences.
8. They mistakenly believe they are encouraging and helping the rider.
9. They get so over-excited they cannot help themselves.
10. They are being a pain in the **** deliberately.

How many of these factors can be eliminated or significantly reduced? This is the key.
 
Jul 10, 2011
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So annoyed as well

So glad to see this discussion. Every mountain stage is nerve racking, hoping these running idiots don't cause a problem for the riders.

We would like to see fines given to spectators who interfere with any rider. It would not be hard to post notices...no running in the roadway...no interference...
 
the sceptic said:
I propose that touching a rider should be illegal and anyone who does it should be identified and given a hefty fine. And also spread those army people or whatever it is more evenly instead of having everyone on the top.

I was at the 1992 TDF at Alpe d'Huez. There was one million people from Bourg d'Oisons to the summit. It is impossible to fence off the whole route. We got to our spot at 9:00 a.m. and most of the people around us (French, Italians, Dutch etc.) were drunk by noon. It is a spectacle of huge proportions and it would be impossible to police, identify offenders, apprehend them, identify them and issue tickets. There simply are not sufficient gendarmes

Besides which it was at the top where the barriers for the last 3 km worked really well.

IMO what would work is the regular aficionados who attend year after year and who appreciate and understand the race police the jerks. Sort of like a neighbourhood patrol. I recognize this also has a downside as power can sometimes be abused, but if organized properly it would work.
 
wirral said:
Everyone could be looking at this the wrong way round.

Why do people do this?

The Factors:

1. They can. They have access to the course
2. It is fun.
3. They are drunk.
4. They get on tv.
5. It is exciting to get up close to a famous athlete.
6. It is daring.
7. There are no negative consequences.
8. They mistakenly believe they are encouraging and helping the rider.
9. They get so over-excited they cannot help themselves.
10. They are being a pain in the **** deliberately.

How many of these factors can be eliminated or significantly reduced? This is the key.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJm9sREf_kA
Hang a few of them on the side of the road along major races. After it becomes commonplace they can just hang effigies made out of paper machet.
 
Oct 26, 2012
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Never having found myself overshadowed by emotion, cheering for riders on a mountain top finish, since I've never been to one of the Grand Tours, all I know is, I get pretty excited watching the race in the confines of my own home.

I suspect that I would be yelling words of encouragement as each and every rider goes by, but running along the riders seems to me, having raced a number of years myself, somewhat disrespectful and dangerous. I would think, coinciding with the danger, there must be an incredible "rush" experienced by certain riders as they are fueled by the uplifting support from the crowd. I remember that crowd support when I raced and it enabled me to do things I never thought possible.

On the down side, though, I just wonder what kind of beverages are being consumed, in large quantities, prior to the arrival of the peloton, that these "runners", dressed in costumes, are on. Curtailing the open consumption of alcohol might be a worthy of consideration.
 
Christian said:
ASO made a new clip again this year I see, with Kittel for example (see article on front page). They already showed it during Paris-Nice on French TV, with the same images but with Voeckler doing the voice over. A good initiative

Well unfortunately it probably won't be shown in the Good Old USA as from where my experience most of the idiots come from! I am a big believer in allowing spectators to be allowed to trip and stiff arm these idiots but unfortunately doing so may mean you miss the real action, the bike race!
 
RobbieCanuck said:
I was at the 1992 TDF at Alpe d'Huez. There was one million people from Bourg d'Oisons to the summit. It is impossible to fence off the whole route. We got to our spot at 9:00 a.m. and most of the people around us (French, Italians, Dutch etc.) were drunk by noon. It is a spectacle of huge proportions and it would be impossible to police, identify offenders, apprehend them, identify them and issue tickets. There simply are not sufficient gendarmes

Besides which it was at the top where the barriers for the last 3 km worked really well.

IMO what would work is the regular aficionados who attend year after year and who appreciate and understand the race police the jerks. Sort of like a neighbourhood patrol. I recognize this also has a downside as power can sometimes be abused, but if organized properly it would work.

Where were you Robbie as I rode up at noon after having new forks fitted to my bike. Apart from Dutch corner which was mild I thought back then was good. The other years I have been up there just got worse especially when the 99'rs started turning up! Interestingly they barrier the Champs so I suspect the French could barrier the Alpe which would be good.

One question though is why do spectators stand on the inside of a corner? You see less and get in the road!
 
timmers said:
Where were you Robbie as I rode up at noon after having new forks fitted to my bike. Apart from Dutch corner which was mild I thought back then was good. The other years I have been up there just got worse especially when the 99'rs started turning up! Interestingly they barrier the Champs so I suspect the French could barrier the Alpe which would be good.

One question though is why do spectators stand on the inside of a corner? You see less and get in the road!

We were about 200 metres past the last switchback, up high on a bank on the left, as you go toward the village, about 600-800 metres from the village itself.

BTW I recently watched the 1992 Alpe d'Huez stage on YouTube. I could not find us, but I think I saw the general area where we were standing. If you recall, it was a great day, super hot - one big party. I recall guys riding up all day with great looking bikes.

We parked at the top and actually took the road down that was used as the descent in last years Tour. It was really rough at the top and there was a lot of exposure on the way down. They have obviously sort of fixed it up, but not much.

The traffic was so massive it took us 7 hours to drive to Grenoble where we were staying. Great memories. Cheers:eek:

I think the only reason people crowd the corners is to see the riders coming and going. I like watching the mountain stages, because by the time they get near the top they are going so slow you get a real good look at the stars. It is hard to believe the difference between the winner and the last guy is about 1.5hours given these are the best cyclists in the world.
 
Archibald said:
Secondly the camera bikes - ride them slightly to the side of the riders instead of directly in front. This would naturally clear the sides of the roads, and it'd have to be a VERY thick person to step back from the bikes then go straight back to be in front of the riders, no?

The problem with this of course is that the riders will follow the bikes hoping to draft even the slightest amount.

I actually don't mind the people who get dressed up, I find many of them are better behaved than those wearing flags. They want to get on TV or whatever but will often run along side at a distance.
The big problem is those who want to get right up to the riders, yelling and pushing like the Colombian fans this year.

They already seem to barrier off sections they think will have issues but there is not policing so people were inside the barriers. Just make it illegal to be inside the barriers when they are there.

The big problem this year seems to be the people trying to film themselves as they run in front of the riders.
 

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