Tour de France: Stage 12 Live Thread (Friday, July 14, 2006)

VeloNews.com ^ | July 14, 2006 | VeloNews.com

[Steve_Seattle]

" . . . he was accidently struck in the head by an object being carried by some race fans. He was knocked from the bike and required 12 stitches to close a gash on his forehead."

This is the first Tour I've followed closely, and it is absurd the degree to which fans can walk out onto the road, or stick their arms out, and interfere with the riders. I know it's difficult to police 2300 kilometers of road, but they don't even seem to try. And there seems to be no fan ethic of keeping out of the goddamned way. I know most of this stuff is accidental, but there's also serious potential for deliberate sabotage of a rider by a fan.

[BaBaStooey]

Looming large....

[Eurotwit]

The finish today was very exciting. I loved seeing Popovuch keep on attacking.

Well deserved win, and it brings him somewhat back into GC contention, which is a bonus for Discovery.

Cheers.

[green iguana]

L'Aple d'Huez and the next day's stage into La Toussuire (where do they come up with all these French spellings???) 2 Hors climbs, a 2 and a mountain top 1 finish... These are two of the toughest back-to-back days I've ever seen.

[green iguana]

Oh yeah... WAY TO GO DISCO!

[green iguana]

I know most of this stuff is accidental, but there's also serious potential for deliberate sabotage of a rider by a fan.

Yes, Eddie Merckx knows all about that. Slugged in the gut by a French "fan" while climbing and wearing yellow when trying to win his 6th Tour. Lost tons of time that day, tho' he was still in Yellow. But he didn't recover well and lost it soon after.

[leilani]

there's also serious potential for deliberate sabotage of a rider by a fan.

This is what makes me so crazy. One false move by just one idiot on the side of the road, can put a rider who's trained his whole adult life for this tour out of contention forever. When the Iraq war started and anti-americanism was at such a fever-pitch in France, I was so very frightened for LA, my stomach was in knots the whole tour. But you don't even need a war to set off some of these nuts: ask Eddie Merckx.

[nutmeg]

I read something interesting about George that I didn't know before today...he married one of the Tour de France podium girls a few years back.

Do you mean George Hincapie? How interesting...

[nutmeg]

Good morning/afternoon/evening, Eurotwit! Yes, I was up far too late putting these threads together last night. I've got to learn to be a bit faster... ;-)

Nice results today, although I'm wondering why Team Discovery took so long to get going...

[PeteB570]

Agree.

Seeing the riders get near the tops of the mountain passes in some places and seeing the road almost blocked by fans? It looks like some just barely step out of the way in time.

[luv2ski]

Several years in the Alps I have feared for Lance's safety but last year the ITT on l'Alpe d'Huez, I was terrified. People were reaching for him, spitting in his face, running next to him, etc. I wasn't sure I could stand to watch!

[Ready4Freddy]

Now now, nutmeg, if you're going to insist on sleeping late, you're going to be missing LOTS of interesting stuff!! ;>)

Do you mean George Hincapie? How interesting...

[Ready4Freddy]

'tis a bizarre scene, isn't it, Steve?

Other posters have touched upon it, mentioning perhaps the most notorious incident of Eddy Merckx being assaulted by a spectator some 30 years ago, but the proximity of the fans to the course has always been one of the 'charms', as it were, of Le Tour.

I've been watching the Tour pretty religiously for well over 20 years now, and I can't really say if it's gotten worse - years ago all you saw was recaps at night, and a few hours on ABC?? on Sundays. Stages in the Pyrenees have always been total cluster f!*!ks, with their "...screaming, liquored-up, flag-draped Basques, who had poured in from Spain by the busload...", as that Breaking Away article on Floyd Landis so eloquently put it.

The Pyrennes stages have been the only ones that really concerned me, when the Basque separatist movement became quite violent in the late 80's / early 90's. I'm not sure that the stage sidelines have gotten more crowded - how could they, they've been packed for years! I think what has happened, with the advent of such great wall-to-wall coverage by OLN and, dare I say it, French TV, is that we're more aware of it. The closer coverage has its upside too, tho - I think deliberate acts of violence / sabotage are way down, due to the higher chances of being seen on film & thus caught.

What does seem to be on the rise is accidents, collisions w/ fans, being hit by signs or getting caught on handbags, as has happened more than once in recent years. My understanding about Paolo Savoldelli, who dropped out today, was that he was injured after the stage when he was descending, after deciding to ride back to the hotel rather than take the team bus. That could happen to anyone - barricades gone, spectators & vehicles all over the roads, etc. That's why they have the team buses, but a lot of times riders will ride down for a little 'quiet time' to reflect upon their performance, good or bad.

This is the first Tour I've followed closely, and it is absurd the degree to which fans can walk out onto the road, or stick their arms out, and interfere with the riders.

[BaBaStooey]

Salvodelli is also known as "Il Falco" (The falcon) in his native Italy because he has the ability and reputation to descend down mountains like a daredevil.

Perhaps there is a little more to the story, and he was being a little careless in his descent down the mountain as well?

Regardless this is probably the last time you'll see him in a Discovery uniform. His contract is up at the end of the racing season and he is rumored to be joining an Italian team as undisputed leader for both the Giro (where he was the Disco leader) and Le Tour.

[Ready4Freddy]

"I did not know that!" (in my best Ed McMahon imitation :) A "little more to the story", indeed...

Interesting news on Salvodelli, good for him if he can land a spot as team leader!

[alfa6]

Refresh my memory gents, wasn't it the alp d'huerz TT were Lance Armstrong passed 2 of the riders who started before him and almost caught the third.

And wasn't this pic from that as well :-)

Thanks

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[luv2ski]

I remember in the early days of OLN coverage that they only had a few sponsors. They would show the same 3 ads over and over and over for 3 frickin' weeks! I did not have TiVo in those days (although I did finally resort ot taping it) and nearly went out of my mind! Do you remember the year (96 or 97 maybe?) that one of the 3 ads was for some sort of energy bar and the ad was some female mtn bike star running into a tree to "psyche herself up". ARRRRRGGGHHH!
I think you are absolutely right about the chances of getting caught being so much higher now. My concern, however, is that the fans are so drunk from hanging out partying all day that their judgement goes out the window. I can picture some German having visions of himself as a national hero for knocking out Lance for his idol: Jan Ullrich in those days of the close Tours.

[Ready4Freddy]

LOL, like those 1st few months of MTV when there were only ~10 music videos in existence? Hey Mickey! / The Land Down Under / Girls on Film, ad nauseum, ad infinitum. ;>)

I remember in the early days of OLN coverage that they only had a few sponsors. They would show the same 3 ads over and over and over for 3 frickin' weeks!

[RichardW]

Not necessarily. Check out Stage 16. That thing is a monster.

[luv2ski]

Hey! I liked some of those old videos! ;-D
At least they still showed videos then. Now MTV is all "Real World", etc. Real garbage is closer...