Idiotic Spectators

[J.Burns]

Watching the tour de France on the TV the other day and once again there was a spectator grabbing someones water bottle off his bike whilst he was riding it. In doing so the riders water bottle holder was broken and he took the bottle, but the rider got the bottle back and rightly so insulted him.
There is also a majority of spectators persist on running across the front of the riders and causing crashes. Why dont these idiots not bother going to spectate and stay at home?? Because I cant see a way of policing it!?

 

[olbone]

I agree. Why can't they just keep off the pavement?

 

[DeRosa_AV]

Don't forget the idiot who took a dog on sundays stage causing a major crash which led to the abandonment of a rider.

 

[gntlmn]

How much do those water bottles weigh anyway? I was watching the Tour today, stage 9, and they showed one guy ferrying 3 water bottles up to a couple of other riders, Ullrich and Zabel. The commentator said that this would be about 4 kilos, but that seems rather high. Do they hold more than a liter? I'm guessing that he began talking about weight of water bottles and how hard it is to carry up a hill and then didn't mention that the 4 kilos was not the weight of the 3 bottles this guy was carrying, but the weight that a rider might carry if he was packing more bottles to several more riders on a different occasion. They look like they may hold about 1/2 a liter.

 

[ed073]

How much do those water bottles weigh anyway? I was watching the Tour today, stage 9, and they showed one guy ferrying 3 water bottles up to a couple of other riders, Ullrich and Zabel. The commentator said that this would be about 4 kilos, but that seems rather high. Do they hold more than a liter? I'm guessing that he began talking about weight of water bottles and how hard it is to carry up a hill and then didn't mention that the 4 kilos was not the weight of the 3 bottles this guy was carrying, but the weight that a rider might carry if he was packing more bottles to several more riders on a different occasion. They look like they may hold about 1/2 a liter.

Some riders can carry 7 bottles form the car back to the bunch.

 

[gntlmn]

Some riders can carry 7 bottles form the car back to the bunch.

Yeah, I've seen them carry even more than that on occasion. That must have been what they were talking about. Uggh. That's a little tough up through the Pyrenees and Alps.

 

[J.Burns]

Im sorry if this sounds a winge guys but this needs to be sorted in our sport, these idiots are a small 1% that spoil it, as for the water bottles guys! I have one in the house from couple years back and it is less than a litre. My own tour de france water bottle

 

[David_Zen]

The world is full of idiots and I'm sure France does not have a shortage. Last year was the first time I watched the Tour on TV and one of the things that irked me most was the way those idiotic spectators get in the way of the riders. Everybody remembers the incident where Lance was pulled down with the yellow bag. The Spectator who did this probably didn't mean to do it but I suppose that is to be expected when you have so many spectators crowding the roads. Riders will just have to ride smarter and try their best to stay clear of spectators.

 

[J.Burns]

The world is full of idiots and I'm sure France does not have a shortage. Last year was the first time I watched the Tour on TV and one of the things that irked me most was the way those idiotic spectators get in the way of the riders. Everybody remembers the incident where Lance was pulled down with the yellow bag. The Spectator who did this probably didn't mean to do it but I suppose that is to be expected when you have so many spectators crowding the roads. Riders will just have to ride smarter and try their best to stay clear of spectators.

True mate but reading the above does not police the spectators!
It says the riders must use more energy to avoid tossers, not good for the sport!

 

[gntlmn]

It's pretty hard to stop the real lunatics, like the one that got Eddy Merckx or the other one that got Monica Seles.

It's a good thing there aren't too many of those around.

 

[Marx SS]

The spectators spun me out too first time I watched the TDF.
But after seeing some of the other tours & day races they have in Europe, I can see that the TDF is THE glamour event & even though it’s prised highly by all the riders, they realise that the ‘spectator’ factor is a large issue they need to deal with for the reward.

And I suppose if you get a large enough of a crowd included in there will be a larger idiot element.
I suppose they want a story to tell after seeing the TDF live : “I was 2cms away from Lance!”.

How about the amature photographers, that squat there directly infront of the rider/pack in some mountain stages & pop that flash just 2 inches from the riders face.

 

[ed073]

The spectators spun me out too first time I watched the TDF.
But after seeing some of the other tours & day races they have in Europe, I can see that the TDF is THE glamour event & even though it’s prised highly by all the riders, they realise that the ‘spectator’ factor is a large issue they need to deal with for the reward.

And I suppose if you get a large enough of a crowd included in there will be a larger idiot element.
I suppose they want a story to tell after seeing the TDF live : “I was 2cms away from Lance!”.

How about the amature photographers, that squat there directly infront of the rider/pack in some mountain stages & pop that flash just 2 inches from the riders face.

Erik the Cameraman who knocked Guerini off on his way to victory at Alpe d'Huez.

 

[Brunswick_kate]

The world is full of idiots and I'm sure France does not have a shortage. Last year was the first time I watched the Tour on TV and one of the things that irked me most was the way those idiotic spectators get in the way of the riders. Everybody remembers the incident where Lance was pulled down with the yellow bag. The Spectator who did this probably didn't mean to do it but I suppose that is to be expected when you have so many spectators crowding the roads. Riders will just have to ride smarter and try their best to stay clear of spectators.

Actually, Lance in an interview on Charlie Rose last year blamed himself for the incident saying that as a professional rider, he really should have known better than to ride that close to the crowd. It was a little kid (Lance pegged his age as 8 or 9) swinging a bag and I'm sure as a father, Lance already knows how unpredictable kids can be at the best of times.

 

[steve]

Erik the Cameraman who knocked Guerini off on his way to victory at Alpe d'Huez.

Lucky for him Guerini won the stage, if he lost the stage the spectator wouldnt have got of alpe d'huez alive

 

[meehs]

Actually, Lance in an interview on Charlie Rose last year blamed himself for the incident saying that as a professional rider, he really should have known better than to ride that close to the crowd. It was a little kid (Lance pegged his age as 8 or 9) swinging a bag and I'm sure as a father, Lance already knows how unpredictable kids can be at the best of times.

Yeah. I bet you won't see Lance riding that close to the crowd this year. Huh?

 

[Brunswick_kate]

Yeah. I bet you won't see Lance riding that close to the crowd this year. Huh?

Looking at some of the sections, I don't think you have a lot of choice sometimes. I think dodging spectators and little kids swinging feed bags is as much a part of surviving the Tour as mountain stages, rain, cobblestones or dogs.

 

[mitosis]

How much do those water bottles weigh anyway? I was watching the Tour today, stage 9, and they showed one guy ferrying 3 water bottles up to a couple of other riders, Ullrich and Zabel. The commentator said that this would be about 4 kilos, but that seems rather high. Do they hold more than a liter? I'm guessing that he began talking about weight of water bottles and how hard it is to carry up a hill and then didn't mention that the 4 kilos was not the weight of the 3 bottles this guy was carrying, but the weight that a rider might carry if he was packing more bottles to several more riders on a different occasion. They look like they may hold about 1/2 a liter.

The biddens carry 750 mLs which is 750 grams (of water). The biden itself weighs about 50 grams. 3 full bidens = about 2.5 kilos = about 5.5 pounds.

To put it in perspective, groupset manufacturers go to great lengths to lose 10's of grams from their components when they bring out improvements. This is insignificant when you look at the mass of food and drink riders carry.

In past years when Ullrich was considered overweight (10 kilos by some estimates) you can see what a burden it would be to carry that extra up the mountains.

If you want to go faster you could save a few grams and spend a few hundred dollars on new components or carbon cranks, or spend next to nothing losing a few kilos of your own fat.

 

[hippy]

How much do those water bottles weigh anyway? I was watching the Tour today, stage 9, and they showed one guy ferrying 3 water bottles up to a couple of other riders, Ullrich and Zabel. The commentator said that this would be about 4 kilos, but that seems rather high.

I think I remember that. The rider was actually carrying 8 bidons. They are
usually the smaller size (to fit in the compact frames? easier to deal with?)
so they are about 500ml (half a litre). This would be 4kg.

hippy

 

[mingcat9]

The world is full of idiots and I'm sure France does not have a shortage.

I think some of the "idiots" are imported.
in the mountians many of the spectators are form spain.
explain the guy who annually runs along side with a texan flag!

 

[HellonWheels]

How about the German devil guy?