That any cyclist can enter the same arena with the same equipment as the professional helps to make cycling an awesome sport. True, the same thing could be said for golf or tennis but as a fan you can’t stand a meter away from any of those pros and scream encouragement. “Come on Tiger, RIP THAT FUCKER!” And if you attempt entry into Wimbledon wearing a super-fat inflatable sumo wrestler outfit, good luck to you.
Just because you can does not mean you should. Fan behavior has spun out of control on the Grand Tours. I breath a sigh of relief when the riders make it to the protection of the barriers toward the top of each mountain stage. I swear it started with Americans, as usual, during the Tour of California. People were dressing up and acting obnoxious, in hopes of getting on tv. Obviously this has been going on long before the Tour of California but before it seemed these were spectators who were there to watch bike racers go by yet felt compelled to dress up like giant…somethings. At TOC it was all about themselves.
Now that behavior has spread to Europe, perhaps it is Americans on vacation but we can’t afford to travel anymore so I’m afraid the cat is out of the bag. Literally, I saw a giant cat pawing the air at the Giro.
Obviously I don’t understand any of this and I sound like a crank. So be it. I love watching a bike race from the side of the road and I am usually silent, mouth agape when riders go by, holy shiet, they are fast, they are skinny. I approve of yelling and cowbells. I don’t know what compels people to run along side a rider and scream into his or her face. Why?
I have huge respect for professional cyclists, maybe more than they deserve. They are the current embodiment of all the pros that have gone before them. I can’t cheer Fiorenzo Magni going by, and I wouldn’t ever want to get so close as to disturb his line. I afford any current pro the same respect and fully endorse any racer who stiff arms some drunken fan who gets too close.
Here is my starter list for fans that need to be held in small tents with drunk Dutch when the riders pass by. Oh, these people have had their chances and they have abused them.
Cheap bastards who use the tv coverage for their cheap motor home ads
Religious nuts who flash biblical verse toward the tv moto
That guy with the antler helmet
The human sized bike bottle fool
The devil, that’s right, he has had his run
The inflatable sumo people
The four year olds running unleashed
I think we should not crush the ambitions of the Borat-in-mono-kini crew, I don’t know what drives them but somehow, for some unknowable reason, I like them.
Some argue professional cycling is just entertainment, adults riding bikes, but I know there are many cyclists out there who see it as more than just entertainment, it’s, in some way, a reflection of life, and it deserves a little respect.
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Fan Gets Tripped chasing an US cyclist at Tour de...: http://youtu.be/bJm9sREf_kA
Well said, Gianni! But short of a cowcatcher on the lead moto I don't see a return to restrained and elegant spectatorship any time soon.
@KW
Surely you would be getting close to Adam so that you could marvel at his hand made home produced special shoes? If you could ever find him going slow enough!
This was my favourite from last years TdF. Self regulation! That's what we should be encouraging. Spectator on Spectator action is always the most entertaining...
Way back in 1910 everything was orderly. Single gear, unsealed roads, the fans gave room for Octave Lapize on the Col du Tourmalet.
Great call for respect and decency, Gianni. I fail to understand why people do this. I guess, mainly, the want to feel special for a few seconds. There was a funny recent New Yorker cartoon showing two people playing with their phones. One is saying to the other, "I want my 15 seconds of fame, then I want it to disappear." I thought that was an amusing, but ultimately depressing, commentary on the lust for fame these days.
I went to the CX WC's in Louisville and all I did was cheer like mad. I could never, ever imagine running or throwing or disturbing a PRO as they undertake their profession. How terrible.
wiscot - WOW! That is strong work! Really enjoyed those.
@sthilzy
I think you will find that as a frenchman Octave Lapize was probably benefitting from thefrench crowd giving him a little "help" rather in a similar fashion to the Tifosi. They are also blocking the road (although back then with far less riders and much more time gaps this may have had little effect).
However if I recall (A race for madmen is a great read) back in the day the french supporters used to tear the Belgians off their bikes, beat the crap out of them and then send them on their way. I am not so sure whether it was quite as glorious as you imagine back then, although the re-occurance of tacks in the road last year was a definite nod to the past.
The absolute worst is when they impact the outcome of a race or a stage. It's one thing to make an ass of yourself on international tele but another to effect another man's livelihood and the experience of fans worldwide just so you can prove what an ass you are.
@Deakus
Yes, probably not add glorious, but at least the pictures look classier.
@therealpeel
That photo is fine. People are crowding the rider and running along next to him. At least no one is is wearing a multi-colored wig or wearing a chicken outfit. But I bet someone is a little drunk in that photo too. It's good to be reminded how far back this whole thing goes.