Do cyclists make better motorcyclists?

[Tom Nakashima]

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Dear Tom,
>
> I've read that one of the most common injuries treated on
> the Tour de France is broken toes caused by the team car
> tires rolling over the toes of spectators.
>
> The imbecility of spectators cannot be underestimated.
>
> In 1958 Constant Wouters, the General Secretary of the Parc
> des Princes, stepped out onto the Parc's banked track in
> front of the Tour riders, was hit by the leader Darrigade,
> and died of his injuries eleven days later.
>
> Here's a scan of part of a much larger picture:
>
> http://home.comcast.net/~carlfogel/download/asshole.jpg
>
> Even though Wouters was all alone with no other spectator
> anywhere near him, he just had to get a little closer to a
> pack of riders doing over 30 mph.
>
> "Asshole.jpg" is harsh, but I couldn't think of any other
> title for a picture of a track official killing himself by
> deliberately stepping onto a clearly marked track in front
> of the lead rider.
>
> Carl Fogel

It could happen.
The last time I visited Australia, I almost got killed by a car when I
looked to the left instead of looking to the right when crossing the street.
Can you imagine all the cycling I've been through, dodging cars in the U.S.
then getting killed in a foreign country for not looking the right way.

I think the next time Lance rides up the Alp in a ITT, he should have a
Hummer team car with flared fenders behind him.
-tom

 

[John Forrest Tomlinson]

On Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:36:10 -0600, [email protected] wrote:


>In 1958 Constant Wouters, the General Secretary of the Parc
>des Princes, stepped out onto the Parc's banked track in
>front of the Tour riders, was hit by the leader Darrigade,
>and died of his injuries eleven days later.
>
>Here's a scan of part of a much larger picture:
>
>http://home.comcast.net/~carlfogel/download/asshole.jpg
>

Why wasn't Wouters wearing a helmet?

JT

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[Benjamin Weiner]

[email protected] wrote:

> I've read that one of the most common injuries treated on
> the Tour de France is broken toes caused by the team car
> tires rolling over the toes of spectators.

> The imbecility of spectators cannot be underestimated.

I've volunteered as a course marshal for bicycle races, some
on closed roads. When you do this, you discover that the world
really does look different from inside an orange vest. People
will do remarkably dumb things. Like step off a curb into
the path of a motorcycle leading a big pack of fast-moving
bicyclists, despite being cautioned, yelled warnings, and even
occasionally physically restrained. Some motorists also behave
badly - people will do rather risky things to avoid a 10-second
delay - but thankfully I've only had to suffer verbal abuse
and not had people drive through the cones onto the course.

 

[Tom Sherman]

[email protected] wrote:

> ...
> Here's a scan of part of a much larger picture:
>
> http://home.comcast.net/~carlfogel/download/asshole.jpg

Or
<http://users.skynet.be/lenetducyclisme/images/les%20anecdotes/darrigade_et_le_jardinier.JPG>.

--
Tom Sherman

 

[Mark Hickey]

Benjamin Weiner <[email protected]> wrote:

>I've volunteered as a course marshal for bicycle races, some
>on closed roads. When you do this, you discover that the world
>really does look different from inside an orange vest. People
>will do remarkably dumb things. Like step off a curb into
>the path of a motorcycle leading a big pack of fast-moving
>bicyclists, despite being cautioned, yelled warnings, and even
>occasionally physically restrained. Some motorists also behave
>badly - people will do rather risky things to avoid a 10-second
>delay - but thankfully I've only had to suffer verbal abuse
>and not had people drive through the cones onto the course.

I can remember one crit in New Jersey where a car from "inside the
course" pushed through the cones and rode in the gap between a
breakaway group and the rest of the pack. Yeesh. This after about
two weeks of constant reminders that they should park their cars up to
a WHOLE BLOCK AWAY.

It's days like that I'm glad I'm not a cop (since I would have had a
sidearm in easy reach). ;-)

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame