Tour de France - weird/funny things seen in the tour

Well first off I have no pictures so sorry.....

I am watching the recap of le tour on TV. I can only watch video with no sound at work so I make up for it now. So far in this stage I have seen 2 cars which were burnt to a crisp on the tour route and also a rider passing a coke to a guy on a moto bike (now thats sportsmenship).

besides the usual costumes (please no borat) what other moments in this years tour did you laugh at or just say "wtf was that??" ??

saw a dropped motorbike in one frame

Two days ago, a few boys mooned the cameras.

ONe of the break away riders today, the guy in blue. Flipped the bird to a fan after the fan splashed him with water.

ONe of the break away riders today, the guy in blue. Flipped the bird to a fan after the fan splashed him with water.

That was Terpstra; I saw it, too. Very funny.

Nothing specific, but I like watching the spectators diving for the ejected water bottles and musette bags. I can just picture myself there at the Tour, in a wrestling match over a $3 water bottle.

Today, with about 15K to go Ciolek decides to stretch his right leg out - unclips, twists leg and rests top of foot on saddle. More amazing was that he did this at about 35 MPH, IIRC.

It wasn't this year's tour, but about three years ago I saw the cameraman on the back of a motorbike smack a fan around. The fan had gotten in the road to get close to the cyclists and had not seen the motorbike which managed to run into the fan and nearly fall over. The camerman popped him in the head a couple of times really hard. I wish there had been sound!

Az

Saw charred burned vehicles on side of road as riders were climbing. Most of the rescue workers were motioning for the riders to stop or pull over. Uhhh...pull over in the TDF.

It wasn't this year's tour, but about three years ago I saw the cameraman on the back of a motorbike smack a fan around. The fan had gotten in the road to get close to the cyclists and had not seen the motorbike which managed to run into the fan and nearly fall over. The camerman popped him in the head a couple of times really hard. I wish there had been sound!

Az

How's this........BOOF..BAASH...THUMP THUMP.

After a number of days in the yellow jersey, Cadel Evans still doesn't know which side of the podium girl to kiss first.

A couple years ago, possibly on one of the major climbs, one of the riders got behind and then next to one of the genius fans that think running in front of a cyclist is grand. The rider got close and stiff armed him in the back and he fell flat on his face. Good move. :) The next stage, same crap. The really dumb ones never learn.

How's this........BOOF..BAASH...THUMP THUMP.

Let me guess, you've been watching Batman reruns today? :D

I wanted to hear what the cameraman said, it was very obvious the wayward fan was getting a tongue lashing to go with his head bashing.

Az

Last year someone hit a golden retreiver and taco'd their front wheel.

Hmmm...Cadel swatting a cop comes to mind as weird/funny.

But that is just me.

Couple times have seen a riderless horse running in the road with the peloton. Probably was one of those doping french horses.

Couple times have seen a riderless horse running in the road with the peloton. Probably was one of those doping french horses.

Yeah, EPO in the hay. It is rough.


I have had horses run next to me while I ride before. It is actually kind of cool.

The boys in the peloton having fun yesterday... namely Jens Voight pretending to do a hard sprint in front of the camera, then putting out a big grin for us all. What a guy.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/21/27698170_3e231e7fbf_o.jpg

http://blogs.active.com/dugard/TDF_motorcycle.jpg

The year Landis sort of won the tour, a dude was clapping along side the road as the peloton flew by and someone tossed a water bottle and hit him in the nuts. he went down like the titanic. I laughed till i nearly went into convulsions. i must have rewound that 20 times.

This is my first year with VS, so I'm enjoying things I'd never seen before:
* The elbow flick - I know it's standard but it's interesting whatching some of the different styles. I also like seeing the flick and the next guy in line looking at the guy like "what...I'm not pulling".
* Race Doctor - LOVED that segment with him working on Cadel, especially as they reached the roundabout, parted ways and then were back together almost immediately afterwards.
* "Road Furniture" - The traffic splits, roundabouts and all the other stuff these guys have to go around...and most of them towards the rear don't see coming. You'd think they could put extensions on those little two-foot signs at the front of the islands to the guys could see them coming!
* Bunny hops - Yesterday as the peleton went around a roundabout, several of the guys cut really close and had to bunny hop onto and off of the inner circle. Smooth as silk.
* The human side - Every stage winner's expression as he crosses the line. Good natured conversations within the peleton. Suffering. Not many places for these guys to hide during a stage.

Nice pics Devil, thanks!! :thumb: Gawd, some of those fans are really dumb mofos... :lol:

i saw some guys mooning the peloton, a couple of days ago.
There was a stage early on where a bunch of guys were having a 'nature break' and it actually caught one of valverde's teammates with his shlong out and spraying!

some guy on the roof of a castle (in narbonne?0 riding around on a horse with a flag, like a knight...goobers must love france.

Last year, the van carrying the Reuters photo crew to the end of the stage caught fire (http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=61231&videoChannel=45) and the smoke was so intense the Tour organizers quickly altered the route so the peloton could avoid riding through the noxious smoke.

Nothing specific, but I like watching the spectators diving for the ejected water bottles and musette bags. I can just picture myself there at the Tour, in a wrestling match over a $3 water bottle.

I watched the tour yesturday, and 60 year old women (http://prettyshady.com/1/media/08/july/letourdefrance/images/dsc_0141.jpg) do battle it out for key rings thrown from the caravans that passed two hours before the tour. When the free stuff (crap) had finished being thrown into the crowds. alot of the spectators went home! Unfortunatly the ejected water bottle (http://prettyshady.com/1/media/08/july/letourdefrance/images/dsc_0228.jpg) landed 2 meters away and I decided not to wrestle for it

The year Landis sort of won the tour, a dude was clapping along side the road as the peloton flew by and someone tossed a water bottle and hit him in the nuts. he went down like the titanic. I laughed till i nearly went into convulsions. i must have rewound that 20 times.

I was nailed this year right in the face by a water bottle while in the feedzone. It was my own teammate too! Last time I feed that man.

not to others, throw bottles at feet

The year Landis sort of won the tour, a dude was clapping along side the road as the peloton flew by and someone tossed a water bottle and hit him in the nuts. he went down like the titanic. I laughed till i nearly went into convulsions. i must have rewound that 20 times.

I really shouldn't find that as amusing as I do... Got a YouTube clip?

It is perfectly normal, but there was a lot of peeing going on during today's stage--- it usually doesn't make camera.

I've caught a couple of split second views of the funny advertising vehicles that precede the riders. The silliest was a ~15' by ~10' model of a cyclist in the yellow jersey covering an entire van.

Here's Abdoujaparov's crash in Paris, 1991:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oBtCaLYFKjo

Brutal.

Did anyone see todays stage, where about 4km from the finish there were two funny things written on the road almost next to eachother, one was "la fig" which in my limited Italian, translates to "Vagina" and a few feet up from that was "Free Sex" and an arrow pointing to a van.

I really shouldn't find that as amusing as I do... Got a YouTube clip?


i wish. Not sure why i didn't pull that off my tivo. I am still kicking myself.

Someone drew a penis and balls on the road of today's stage. My wife caught it. i guess had it been a vagina maybe I would have seen it.

Here is Paxtil( doper ) clowning around at last year's tour de france. i though this was pretty funny so I uploaded it to YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FECu5FcfQA8

i've seen those penises on on the pavement at other tours...once in the giro, someone painted an ejaculating penis going around a hairpin curve during a mountain stage....LOL!

* "Road Furniture" - The traffic splits, roundabouts and all the other stuff these guys have to go around...and most of them towards the rear don't see coming. You'd think they could put extensions on those little two-foot signs at the front of the islands to the guys could see them coming!

Watch Amstel Gold next year. Unbeleivable how good those guys are. Amstel looks like a mix of cyclocross and trials... at speed!
JB

I thought I saw someone dressed as Elvis running behind a rider on the last climb. I knew he was still alive.

I thought I saw someone dressed as Elvis running behind a rider on the last climb. I knew he was still alive.

Are you sure it wasn't one of the TapOut meatheads?

Someone drew a penis and balls on the road of today's stage. My wife caught it. i guess had it been a vagina maybe I would have seen it.

In 2004, they were all over the road at Alpe d'Huez. Sometimes they had names of specific riders associated with them.

Nice pics Devil, thanks!! :thumb: Gawd, some of those fans are really dumb mofos... :lol:

Speaking of the Devil, anyone have a pic of the time a couple of years ago where one of the Spanish (pretty sure) riders took his pitchfork and acted as if he was going to motivate one of the riders in his group in a pretty tough climb?

berghart hits dog pretzels wheel
http://youtube.com/watch?v=c0dzMp61G5w

casar hits dog
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8aBD1oLKpQ4

For this Tour...2 things:
1. One of the first 2-3 stages there was a rider holding up his hand in the back of the peloton to ask for his team car. As his hand is up in the air one of Valverde's teammates comes riding up from behind him and gives him a high-5 slap. Took the guy by surprise while Valverde's teammate just rides on and laughs.

2. A couple stages ago one of the riders went over a sign post not marked off and flew up in the air about 10 feet. Bike snapped in two. I think another rider went under him as he was thrown up in the air.

i've seen those penises on on the pavement at other tours...once in the giro, someone painted an ejaculating penis going around a hairpin curve during a mountain stage....LOL!

Hahaha Wabbit, I have the Giro video where that shows up. Dang, now I'm going to have to watch a half dozen old vids to try and find it. I'll report back in a couple months. :lol:

Watching Augustyn going off the side of the mountain today was pretty wild. What was funny was seeing him hanging on for grim death and clawing his way back to the road. It looked like a rope would have come in pretty handy!

Watching Augustyn going off the side of the mountain today was pretty wild. What was funny was seeing him hanging on for grim death and clawing his way back to the road. It looked like a rope would have come in pretty handy!

I liked the superman slide the best. His interviews after were pretty funny. Thought it was nice that the Mavic neutral service vehicle drove right by without stopping for him. I hope the guy that helped him back up the hill at least got a water bottle.

suzie...i think it may have been the giro 2003 or 04 but i can't remember the stage...i know it was in the mountains.

Sometimes you see neat things in other grand tours. I think it was the 2005 giro,people were dropping pink petals onto the riders from windows, when they passed through some small village. it was so pretty...you only woudl see that in italy.

Once in the vuelta, the peleton passed by a truck that had had an accident and lost a shipment of grapes all over the road. Some of them stopped and picked up bunches of grapes. It wasn't a deadly accident but the grapes were everywhere!

That augustyn crash yikes...it was like freeriding or something! he wasn't too happy about his bike plummeting down i am sure...lucky he wasn't hurt, but i wonder if he'll continue! ouch...

and i saw the elvis guy running as well...LOL.

After a number of days in the yellow jersey, Cadel Evans still doesn't know which side of the podium girl to kiss first.

For the sake of decorum, the top side is preferred. at least on camera..

The year Landis sort of won the tour, a dude was clapping along side the road as the peloton flew by and someone tossed a water bottle and hit him in the nuts. he went down like the titanic. I laughed till i nearly went into convulsions. i must have rewound that 20 times.

YouTube awaits, dude.

Today, with about 15K to go Ciolek decides to stretch his right leg out - unclips, twists leg and rests top of foot on saddle. More amazing was that he did this at about 35 MPH, IIRC.

Well I wasnt doing 35 mph but I desided to try this yesterday. Its actually not that hard to do and its a good stretch. I suspect that the faster you go the more stable you would be.

Dd anyone see the 5 dudes dressed as wizards running up Alpe d'Huez today in sync?