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TdF idiot spectators

Old 07-17-23, 08:26 AM
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TdF idiot spectators

How many times will spectators with banners, signs, and phones cause crashes and injury to riders before they are found liable for injuries and damages to equipment?
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Old 07-17-23, 11:30 AM
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The woman with the sign last year (allez omi opi) ended up in court and got fined 1200 euro. That's almost five Walmart bikes, partially assembled. Ask Tony Martin if he thought that was "equitable."
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Old 07-18-23, 11:01 AM
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Terrible.
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Old 07-18-23, 11:29 AM
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Seems like it's now part of the sport - random obstacles that pop out unexpectedly.
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Old 07-18-23, 11:33 AM
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Originally Posted by blacknbluebikes
The woman with the sign last year (allez omi opi) ended up in court and got fined 1200 euro. That's almost five Walmart bikes, partially assembled. Ask Tony Martin if he thought that was "equitable."
Bike repairs from that crash would be way beyond 1200.
Since she was found guilty of something, she could have been successfully sued for property damage and physical injuries.
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Old 07-18-23, 12:42 PM
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The guy who punched Merckx was fined one franc.
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Old 07-18-23, 12:43 PM
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The race organizers and the towns on the tour do not want to discourage large crowds and so they expect a few crashes during each tour. The riders are expendible as with athletes in every sport in every nation.
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Old 07-18-23, 12:50 PM
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"I'm going to take my dog to the edge of the pavement and watch the Tour" said no sane person, ever.
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Old 07-19-23, 08:08 AM
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Originally Posted by Calsun
The race organizers and the towns on the tour do not want to discourage large crowds and so they expect a few crashes during each tour. The riders are expendible as with athletes in every sport in every nation.
While that may be true, most athletes accept the risks involved that are caused by injuries due to the nature of the sport. Pro cyclists know that there is a chance they could crash (just watch the first corner of today's time trial!) but having someone in the crowd unexpectedly grab your handlebar, or do something to knock you off your bike at speed and cause a massive multi-bike crash, is, IMHO, unacceptable.

It's bad enough when a motorbike gets in the way and thwarts an attack by a competitor. I wonder how many attacks are discouraged, especially on climbs, by the crowds that basically block the road ahead of the riders, and only part enough to allow one bike to pass? Imagine if a rider decided to just go for it? If he crashed into a spectator and caused injury, I bet there would be more serious repercussions.
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Old 07-20-23, 08:07 AM
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Originally Posted by Thulsadoom
The guy who punched Merckx was fined one franc.
Eddy was Belgian.

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Old 07-20-23, 08:18 AM
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The TdF crowds in Spain this year were better behaved than the French, although some unknown SoB salted the road with tacks and nails.
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Old 07-20-23, 09:09 AM
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Put a "sweeper" vehicle in front of the riders that has those rotating knives on the wheels. Kind of like I saw in Ben Hur. That'll move the idiots out of the way.

Read about what happened to Lance Armstrong when he rode up Alp d'Huez when it was an individual time trial. Unreal.
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Old 07-20-23, 10:47 AM
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Originally Posted by Shadco
Eddy was Belgian.

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I don't think anyone said Merckx was anything but Belgian. The guy punched Eddy was French

How Bernard Thévenet dethroned Eddy Merckx at the 1975 Tour | Cyclist

On another note, anybody who pops a smoke canister near a bike race should be hit with an aluminum bat.
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Old 07-20-23, 11:04 AM
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Originally Posted by nomadmax
On another note, anybody who pops a smoke canister near a bike race should be hit with an aluminum bat.
Steel is real, CF fails catastrophically, red is faster. Aluminum, kinda stiff but good value.
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Old 07-20-23, 01:00 PM
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Originally Posted by nomadmax
I don't think anyone said Merckx was anything but Belgian. The guy punched Eddy was French

How Bernard Thévenet dethroned Eddy Merckx at the 1975 Tour | Cyclist

On another note, anybody who pops a smoke canister near a bike race should be hit with an aluminum bat.
The fine was based on Eddy’s nationality.

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Old 07-20-23, 01:11 PM
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Originally Posted by Bald Paul
How many times will spectators with banners, signs, and phones cause crashes and injury to riders before they are found liable for injuries and damages to equipment?
When Hell freezes over, I suspect. There's little stomach for it, sadly.

IMO, it's little different than, say, causing a crash on a motor highway. People should be fully accountable for every nickel of lost equipment, gear, medical expenses, etc. That'd begin to get people to think about the lunacy of being a schmuck at such events. (Of course, it won't faze many such people, though perhaps the $penalties might.) Be on tap to personally cover tens of thousands of sheckels for a single act, then perhaps the frequency will shrink.
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