broncosteven
07-15-2012, 08:31 PM
I know most of you don't care about cycling and think they all dope up but today it was a idiot fan trying to skew the outcome of the Tour. Sad day to see fans who are that close to the action try to do stupid stuff that could impact the outcome of the race.
I have watched all but 2 days of the Tour, it has been fun to watch even with Andy Schleck (broken pelvis) and Alberto Contador (doping) out. The American TJ Van Garderen is having a great race and he could be a favorite to win in the next couple years. Cycling, like any sport, is more fun to watch the more you learn about it. Plus for me the biggest draw is the coverage and the travel-log showing all the great castles, chateaus, mountains, bridges and history of France.
I know this stuff has happened in the past (sounds like it is more common in Spain) but stupid behavior anywhere should be called out:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/bradley-wiggins-retains-tour-de-france-lead-as-peloton-enters-the-pyrenees/2012/07/15/gJQAYDWHmW_story.html
At least 30 riders were disrupted by tire punctures at the top of the final climb after tacks and small nails were tossed on the road. Tour officials asked police to investigate.
Defending champion Cadel Evans was caught in the havoc. He had to wait three times for assistance. He lost nearly two minutes at one point before teammates arrived and gave the former world champion a rear wheel.
But Wiggins honored cycling etiquette by not attempting to capitalize on Evans’ misfortune. He urged the peloton to slow down to allow Evans to return to the pack. Wiggins and Evans finished in the same time — 18 minutes, 15 seconds behind Luis Leon Sanchez of Spain, who won the 119-mile, 14th stage between Limoux and Foix.
...
“What can you do? It’s something we can’t control,” Wiggins said, referring to the sabotage that could have led to a reshuffle of the standings.
“There’s nothing stopping more of that sort of stuff happening. It’s sad. Those are the type of things we have to put up with as cyclists. I think people take that for granted sometimes, just how close they can get to us. If that happened in a football stadium, or wherever, you’d be arrested.”
From time to time, stray dogs or photograph-snapping fans get hit by speeding riders. On Friday, Wiggins was hit on the arm and received minor burns from a flare waved by a spectator. Three years ago, Oscar Freire and Julien Dean were hit by pellets from an air rifle.
“We’re out there, quite vulnerable at times, very close to the public on climbs,” Wiggins said. “We’re just the riders at the end of the day and we’re there to be shot at, literally.”
Speaking on French TV, race director Jean-Francois Pescheux commended Sky for encouraging the pack to not speed ahead. He said the search for the culprit would be difficult because thousands of fans were on the edge of the road.
“This could have had terrible consequences on a descent like that,” Tour director Christian Prudhomme said. “This is dangerous and stupid behavior.”
I have watched all but 2 days of the Tour, it has been fun to watch even with Andy Schleck (broken pelvis) and Alberto Contador (doping) out. The American TJ Van Garderen is having a great race and he could be a favorite to win in the next couple years. Cycling, like any sport, is more fun to watch the more you learn about it. Plus for me the biggest draw is the coverage and the travel-log showing all the great castles, chateaus, mountains, bridges and history of France.
I know this stuff has happened in the past (sounds like it is more common in Spain) but stupid behavior anywhere should be called out:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/bradley-wiggins-retains-tour-de-france-lead-as-peloton-enters-the-pyrenees/2012/07/15/gJQAYDWHmW_story.html
At least 30 riders were disrupted by tire punctures at the top of the final climb after tacks and small nails were tossed on the road. Tour officials asked police to investigate.
Defending champion Cadel Evans was caught in the havoc. He had to wait three times for assistance. He lost nearly two minutes at one point before teammates arrived and gave the former world champion a rear wheel.
But Wiggins honored cycling etiquette by not attempting to capitalize on Evans’ misfortune. He urged the peloton to slow down to allow Evans to return to the pack. Wiggins and Evans finished in the same time — 18 minutes, 15 seconds behind Luis Leon Sanchez of Spain, who won the 119-mile, 14th stage between Limoux and Foix.
...
“What can you do? It’s something we can’t control,” Wiggins said, referring to the sabotage that could have led to a reshuffle of the standings.
“There’s nothing stopping more of that sort of stuff happening. It’s sad. Those are the type of things we have to put up with as cyclists. I think people take that for granted sometimes, just how close they can get to us. If that happened in a football stadium, or wherever, you’d be arrested.”
From time to time, stray dogs or photograph-snapping fans get hit by speeding riders. On Friday, Wiggins was hit on the arm and received minor burns from a flare waved by a spectator. Three years ago, Oscar Freire and Julien Dean were hit by pellets from an air rifle.
“We’re out there, quite vulnerable at times, very close to the public on climbs,” Wiggins said. “We’re just the riders at the end of the day and we’re there to be shot at, literally.”
Speaking on French TV, race director Jean-Francois Pescheux commended Sky for encouraging the pack to not speed ahead. He said the search for the culprit would be difficult because thousands of fans were on the edge of the road.
“This could have had terrible consequences on a descent like that,” Tour director Christian Prudhomme said. “This is dangerous and stupid behavior.”