What's the story with throwing rubbish?
#26
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Returning to the OP's post.
Just about everything thrown away by riders is snapped up by the fans as souvenirs (sp?). Drink bottles, mussettes and the like are highly prized. I guess exceptions would be gel wrappers and other food scraps though maybe I'm wrong there.
The Tour Down Under occurs around my home area and there is never any apparent litter left after the race has finished so even here, the collecting urge is strong. Mind you, the TDU is pretty well organised so maybe I just haven't noticed the cleanup happening.
On this year's telecast, I have seen several riders gulping gels and sticking the packet back in their pocket. Maybe there was some left (cue revolting ooze into your back pocket) or some other motive operating but I remember thinking at the time that it was mere tidiness rather than just discarding the wrapper.
Richard
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The roadie set are notorious for littering - gel packets, powerbar wrappers, tubes, miscellaneous expensive bits of carbon fibre bikes (actually, I just made that last bit up) - and yes, I think it has a lot to do with pretentions of elite status brought on by the wearing of silly clothes and riding expensive bikes. The attitudes of some of these wankers is laughable. Fortuntely, these idiots are a minority in the roadie set (though their actions colour everyone's reputation) but yeah, the littering does happen.
I carry all of my trash with me. But then, I'm not racing either. In a race, tucking a Gu packet in a jersey pocket could cost you enough time to make it second instead of first. I'm a tree-hugger, but I don't see how Tour riders tossing Gu packets or water bottles is that urgent of an environmental issue.
#28
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"Of course I litter the public highway. Every chance I get. After all, it's not the beer cans that are ugly; it's the highway that is ugly." ("The Second **** of the West," The Journey Home, 1977) - The great desert environmentalist Edward Abbey.
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I've always felt similarly about cigarette butts: they're certainly closer to nature and will be long gone well before all the concrete and asphalt we've placed over the land.
#31
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My pet peeve, batters dropping their bat on the ground when they get a hit? Would it kill them to put it back where they got it?
#32
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I have just returned from a recent cycling holiday around France and noticed the cleanliness and lack of litter around the place, the glaring exception being L'Alpe d'Huez where there were hundreds of gel, powerbar packets and a few drink bottles scattered on the side of the road. These were obviously cycle related products on one of the most popular cycling routes in France and was quite disapointing to see.
#33
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Thank you for your comments Falchoon.
Watching Lance yesterday begin his descent from the Tormalet he just ditches his wrapper over the side of the rail. He's not using the special rubbish motorbike.
Who guarantees that each piece of gel wrapper is picked up by the following 'cleaning party'? What happens when the wind blows it away?
Watching Lance yesterday begin his descent from the Tormalet he just ditches his wrapper over the side of the rail. He's not using the special rubbish motorbike.
Who guarantees that each piece of gel wrapper is picked up by the following 'cleaning party'? What happens when the wind blows it away?
#34
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Thank you for your comments Falchoon.
Watching Lance yesterday begin his descent from the Tormalet he just ditches his wrapper over the side of the rail. He's not using the special rubbish motorbike.
Who guarantees that each piece of gel wrapper is picked up by the following 'cleaning party'? What happens when the wind blows it away?
Watching Lance yesterday begin his descent from the Tormalet he just ditches his wrapper over the side of the rail. He's not using the special rubbish motorbike.
Who guarantees that each piece of gel wrapper is picked up by the following 'cleaning party'? What happens when the wind blows it away?
#35
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once again in this upside down world am wondering if this person is serious or not....he's not using the "special rubbish motorbike" He's fiercely competing in this major event and should be concerned with a "special rubbish motorbike" Like the one person asked earlier in this thread,you all just joking right ?
We might also include a jersey for the best personal hygene but that should go in a different thread.
#36
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Which brings up an interesting question. What exactly is the Carbon Footprint on a CF bike? If the frame weighs 1100g (for example), is the footprint 1100g?
#37
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Lance's next nike commercial:
"We can work together to find a cure for cancer. And, be sure not to litter!"
Seriously OP, you're worrying about something completely negligible. Until I opened this thread, I never even thought about what happens to the riders' trash.
If this is truly important to you, start a NPO who's mission is to "clean up the peleton" or fly yourself over to France and follow the tour around with a bag and a pointy stick.
"We can work together to find a cure for cancer. And, be sure not to litter!"
Seriously OP, you're worrying about something completely negligible. Until I opened this thread, I never even thought about what happens to the riders' trash.
If this is truly important to you, start a NPO who's mission is to "clean up the peleton" or fly yourself over to France and follow the tour around with a bag and a pointy stick.
#38
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So they should just carry the extra stuff around WHILE RACING?
Cause that makes sense. These riders have a few wrappers each day, thrown across a race that has been raced for a very long time. They have cleaners who pick up the mess, both the racers and the tourists (as i understand cleaners do both jobs), and so it's really not a big deal. Is there pollution? yes, but not an amount worthy being douchy over.
#39
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I'm thinking they should establish a different shade of green jersey that would go to the rider who left the smallest cabon foot print. The one who never misses the "special rubbish motorbike" and/or always makes sure his candy wrapper ends up in an approved waste basket. Also, this new "green" jersey would go to any rider who uses a bicycle that they pruches from Craigslist so that no new carbons had been created. We should reward riders who recycle bicycles by purchasing a used one from CL or Ebay instead of buying new. This would set a good example for kids (and quite possibly help my CL sales).
We might also include a jersey for the best personal hygene but that should go in a different thread.
We might also include a jersey for the best personal hygene but that should go in a different thread.
#40
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It is kind of funny when they're filming looking back at the peloton to and you see a bottle fly out every few seconds. I doubt that many get left behind since they would make an easy souvenier so I don't think I'll lose much sleep over this issue.
#43
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They should be prohibited from throwing trash into the country side. Instead, place all bottles, wrappers, and sacks onto the pavement and transform the race into an obstacle course. Versus could show more crashes, which is always good for ratings.
#44
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funny you say this...during one stage the peloton was moving along a natural wall barrier to one side I saw a rider toss his bottle which then bounced off the wall and back into the middle of the peloton...I thought "that can't be good to hit at full speed"....I also saw the same thing happen when the group was riding through one of the towns...a bottle bouncing of a wall and back into the street.
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#45
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funny you say this...during one stage the peloton was moving along a natural wall barrier to one side I saw a rider toss his bottle which then bounced off the wall and back into the middle of the peloton...I thought "that can't be good to hit at full speed"....I also saw the same thing happen when the group was riding through own of the towns...a bottle bouncing of a wall and back into the street.
Brilliant attack move.
#47
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Maybe they should make the water bottles using edible materials. So after they drink, they can just EAT the bottle.
YUM!
YUM!
#49
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People who have brains understand that this is not the type of behavior these people follow in their normal lives. Because they dont have people cleaning up for them after training runs. So, chill out already.
Last edited by Little Darwin; 07-14-09 at 08:38 AM. Reason: Edited to remove insult
#50
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Again, just chill. We're not going to have an appreciable amount of people become litterbugs from watching the tour. Will some kid throw his wrapper because he saw a pro do it? maybe. But then it's up to his parents who should be responsible for being his real role models to take him in line for it.
Last edited by Little Darwin; 07-14-09 at 09:23 AM. Reason: Remove quote and snipe