was only a matter of time before one of these specatators was run over, … what, they think they are running with the bulls? http://velonews.com/tour2005/details/articles/8527.0.html
is it me or does it seem that the number of chuckleheads on the roads is almost directly proportional to the number of basque (sp?) flags you see?? Looks like the dude in disco kit was about to drop some scunion on freak-boy
Gary, please put SPOILER (stage 15) on this title. I have studiously avoided all tdf news today so that I can see the highlights in 30 minutes, and having opened the velonews link the result has been revealed! Damn!!
Julian in England.
“Slowtwitch Cervelo Mafia Member”.
I saw it live… I was just worried that the guys on the motorcycle were OK and that the camera was working, so that they could continue to broadcast. Also the driver did it on purpose, his bad… 
If you don’t want to see the results, why read slowtwitch?
To read about triathlon, running with bulls in Pamplona and other interesting things.
Maybe next year we can talk Dan into a TdF room ala the Lavender room…just a temporary place where all TdF posts can go so that those hoping to avoid spoilers can do so without risk…even when it isn’t intended, things like this trip up folks…
More to the point, why would he read VELONEWS???
I hope the jackass fan got hurt, geez, lets not be smart enough to stand back so I don’t interfere with the race or official vehicles…
^if so he probably didn’t feel the pain
.
More to the point, why would he read VELONEWS???
Yea I am pretty mad. I was listening to ESPN Radio on my way into the office, and they gave the TDF Results w/o saying “spoiler alert”
probably too drunk
.
Perhaps to see what the link said about the picture. Cetainly not to se the result, which one could not expect from the thread thus far.
Anyway what is it, National Be Obtuse Day?
That sounds a very sensible solution, Brian. I realise that wasn’t Gary’s intention, that’s not his style.
The live German coverage showed him getting up and he looked pretty unhurt to me. That said, he may feel a lot worse when the alcohol wears off…
I love it when those idiots get hurt.
Gary, a TdF mtn top finish is like a giant 15 mile long tailgate party. Cycling fans in Europe are largely not cyclists themselves. They are like football fans in the US. This means that they are drunk and partying for 6 hours before the race shows up at the side of the mtn. Now imagine the AFC finals at Foxboro with the fans actually on the field as Brady drops back to make a pass on 4th and goal with 10 seconds left and down by 6 pts. This is what it is like. Realistically, the first step would be to have a TdF organzers “tete de course” type car travelling 15 ft in front of the leaders, so the car “opens” a wider gap in front of the race, rather than a motorbike. Of course, the drawback is that the car would hit a fan and you’d likely have a fan killed each year.
I was on Alpe d’Huez last year for the TT and the “bratwurst club” were in full force. It was a blast. You could not even tell where the road was until the fans parted for a rider and then it would close right back into a huge gaggle. By the way, at least 2 drunken fans died on Alpe d’Huez last year as they lost footing on the edge of the mountain and fell off. I am sure this happens most years somewhere along the course. I am not surprised that the fans had more of a disruptive effect on race results (ie Olympic marathon, or Lance on Luz-Ardiden…although you might argue that crashing actually helped him win).
Dev
Perhaps to see what the link said about the picture. Cetainly not to se the result, which one could not expect from the thread thus far.
Anyway what is it, National Be Obtuse Day?
OK, let’s walk through this.
velonews link the result has been revealed! <<
You say you opened velonews.
Velonews is a CYCLING website.
Wouldn’t you think that the results of the biggest race in cycling just might be on the velonews homepage?
obtuse r us
I think TdF riders (and the motorbikes and the cars) should have Samurai Swords projecting sideways from their head tubes, to keep those moronic fans at bay. Maybe if the fans had something to lose, they wouldn’t be such idiots. At worst it would cull the herd! At best it would be even more fun to watch. There are thousands of those idiots on those roads so it would take years to deli-slice them all!
(BTW, my daughters boyfriend ran with the Bulls this year. Said it was “heaps good fun”)
It was not a spoiler, dont click into Velonews if you dont want to get the results!
Geez …