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What should be done about idiotic spectators?

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Apr 15, 2013
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Several things are needed :
-more campaigning on safety with a particular insistance on peer pressure. Don't just say "don't run along the riders nor put flags in their faces", say "please tell your fellow spectators not to do it to".
-have the caravan say this with loud speakers insisting on "strictly prohibited, etc..." + have a recorded loud speaker on board the opening car + some motorbikes saying the same thing.
-have just one or two police officers on motorbikes behind the bunch who are linked with a policeman in the main television studio so that they fine the most egregious and identifiable culprits. Sure you can't fine everyone standing on the road and taking pictures, but a guy dressed in a banana suit with an Euskadi flag running 40 meters along the riders... This guy you can nail. Nail him hard and film it.

But to me the key is peer pressure. Police or organisers will never be able to barrier up all the roads or police it all, but they can convince spectators that this behaviour is very dangerous for all. When your fellow spectators grab you to make you stop running or insult you for being a moron, after a while it gets tiring.
 
Aug 31, 2012
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zlev11 said:
because society is completely ***-backwards. nobody goes to just enjoy something anymore, everyone just wants to promote themselves on social media.
The people haven't changed. It's just that before the advent of social media, they were limited to promoting themselves within their smaller, non-online social circles.
 
Jul 29, 2009
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The selfie thing is all kinds of dangerous. I hadn't thought about it before but I see that becoming very common and resulting in some very nasty accidents.

Trouble is unless you've got a selfie of yourself doing something or being somewhere it never happened so you have to, there's no choice anymore.
 
Aug 13, 2010
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Jan 3, 2011
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red_flanders said:
Better shooting selfies than running alongside the riders trying to get on TV.

Well not if they stabnd on the middle of the road with the back to the peloton to shoot a selfie (which happened yesterday according to several riders).

The crowd has been amazing the first 2 stages, but my god there has also been an awful lot of stupid people endagering the riders.

Also a good little read:

https://translate.google.com/transl...tapen-saa-vanvittige-er-de-britiske-cykelfans
 
I'm not a fan of people putting themselves and the riders in danger by taking selfies but if you get it right like that girl has with Contador/Froome in the background then it's pretty special, it's probably one of those photos you look back on forever. Plus it looks like she is far enough to the side of the road to not cause problems.
 
Pricey_sky said:
I'm not a fan of people putting themselves and the riders in danger by taking selfies but if you get it right like that girl has with Contador/Froome in the background then it's pretty special, it's probably one of those photos you look back on forever. Plus it looks like she is far enough to the side of the road to not cause problems.

That picture was also taking in the neutral.

I dont understand all the pics, I would rather concentrate on the race and leave pictures to the professionals.
 
Aug 6, 2011
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I have to say that I have not seen that many idiotic spectators, bar those stepping out on the road to take a picture.

That said, the huge crowds of mostly inexperienced spectators, did create dangerous situations. They crowded the road of the categorized climbs like they were standing on the flanks of Alpe d'Huez, probably inspired by photo's and video's of MTFs. However, I don't think that most of the crow realized that the peloton would ride in such numbers with such speeds on these relatively easy hills.
 
SeriousSam said:
The people haven't changed. It's just that before the advent of social media, they were limited to promoting themselves within their smaller, non-online social circles.

Maybe people haven't changed, but they are certainly behaving differently. Its crazy that people go on holiday or to a restaurant and instead of actually enjoying the moment they make a picture so they can show they're enjoying the "real life". Its self-promotion all the way and sadly its quickly becoming societal norm to present this perfect image of oneself online. I imagine psychiatrists will have a field day with these kind of people, but at the moment they're a problem for the cycling peloton.

The crowds in Britain are awesome, but current society is too busy with own identity to make it work.
 
RedheadDane said:
One thing I don't understand about the people taking pictures is; why do they even feel they need to look at their camera/phone/whatever?
It's digital, it's not like they have a limited amount of film. Why not just fire ahead and then sort the bad ones away?

At least I don't think anyone still uses an old fashioned analogue camera...

Yeah, I work for a real estate broker, and I feel like I have to constantly remind him that he can take more than one picture of a room. :rolleyes:
 
Aug 13, 2009
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One thing I noticed the last couple of days is a lower police presence on the climbs. In France, or at the Giro, there often are police (Or local organizations) every few meters on the major climbs. They have years of experience. While I saw police on the Yorkshire climbs they did not appear in the same frequency as similar crowds might have in France.
 
Jan 3, 2011
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Pricey_sky said:
I'm not a fan of people putting themselves and the riders in danger by taking selfies but if you get it right like that girl has with Contador/Froome in the background then it's pretty special, it's probably one of those photos you look back on forever. Plus it looks like she is far enough to the side of the road to not cause problems.

Maybe that particular picture, but A LOT of other selfies/pictures have been made where the people endanger themselves and the riders. Also a lot of reports from the riders that people let they kids run around and a lot of people step onto the road without loooking, ignoring the officials etc. Like some one said: its like they expect the peleton to avoid them and not the other way around.

I love the big crowds but maybe there are just to many who arent used to act as spectators to the big races. Maybe the organisers and the British fedaration should have used more ressourced to give information and education on how to reach during a race when the riders pass.
 
Cimber said:
Maybe that particular picture, but A LOT of other selfies/pictures have been made where the people endanger themselves and the riders. Also a lot of reports from the riders that people let they kids run around and a lot of people step onto the road without loooking, ignoring the officials etc. Like some one said: its like they expect the peleton to avoid them and not the other way around.

I love the big crowds but maybe there are just to many who arent used to act as spectators to the big races. Maybe the organisers and the British fedaration should have used more ressourced to give information and education on how to reach during a race when the riders pass.

Yes I agree there have been some silly people about, on the whole it's been a huge success though and the British public have been much better behaved than a few of the numpties you get in the French mountains.
 
Jul 4, 2011
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Not sure if the Froome spitting incident has been discussed on a proper thread. But if it hasn't I remember this thread from last year.

I saw it first on twitter then on the ITV highlights I think.

My main concern is not for the riders and not for the image of the sport. My main concern is for spectators such as myself that travel to France most years to watch the Tour from a yards distance to the riders. The only way the authorities can respond effectively is to do what they did on the Lacets - NO SPECTATORS ANYWHERE. And afterall - ASO get no dough from spectators - they only want the TV cash right ? And whom of us watching on the TV care if there are spectators anyway ?

TWWATS like that guy spitting on Froome would have received a beating from me today. I nearly knocked someones lights out on the Champs d'Elysees before now for acting like a TWWAT. Mostly we see 'self regulation' on stages but I hope to god it does not get to such a state that the authorities need to intervene because it will be a black day indeed.

I do not love Froome but do not wish him harm at all (despite what the Mods and particularly Irondan thinks) and such behaviour on stages must be stamped out by the fans not the authorities one way or another. . . .
 
Re:

Race Radio said:
One thing I noticed the last couple of days is a lower police presence on the climbs. In France, or at the Giro, there often are police (Or local organizations) every few meters on the major climbs. They have years of experience. While I saw police on the Yorkshire climbs they did not appear in the same frequency as similar crowds might have in France.

I wish the riders would just punch the spectators in the face, like what happened to Gibo's uncle or cousin or whomever it was lol...

EDIT: it was Wladimir Belli who punched a spectator at the 2001 Giro d'Italia, and the spectator turned out to be Gibo's nephew:

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/2001/jun01/jun03news.shtml

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=cycling&id=2111219
 
There's a world in difference between spectators who get over excited and cause problems because they think it's so amazing to be just inches away from their biggest idols, and people who haul all sorts of abuse on riders they don't like.


joe_papp said:
[I wish the riders would just punch the spectators in the face, like what happened to Gibo's uncle or cousin or whomever it was lol...

I might on occasion have found myself yelling things such as "Just hit 'im, dammit!" at the screen when spectators get too stupid.
 
Re:

gazr99 said:
Publicy named and shamed. The ones who thrown urine and spit should be charged

Absolutely. Too bad other guys around him didn't serve justice immediately, but he has to be punished for the good of the sport. If this keeps happening it will be the end of fans being allowed to stand on the side of the ride completely.

I'm concerned about Alpe today.
 
Re:

DirtyWorks said:
karlboss said:
Are there any other cases such as these of contenders for stage and GC being pushed whilst still in contention, nay still on the wheel of the rider infront? That was what I couldn't believe.

An Italian at any given Giro? A French rider at an older le Tour? A Spanish rider at the Vuelta?

C'mon. We've had all kinds of shenanigans far worse than an unfortunate push.

The '84 Giro seems to have been a particularly bad one for inside interference. Not only was a key mountain stage cancelled, apparently to keep Moser from losing too much time to Fignon, but Moser was repeatedly pushed by fans on a number of the climbs. Then, on the final day's ITT, the race helicopters hovered behind Moser and in front of Fignon, with predictable results.
 

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