Fan with sign causes pile-up at Tour de France

[Innula Zenovka]

Tour de France: Julian Alaphilippe takes opening stage marred by big crashes

Julian Alaphilippe has taken the yellow jersey after winning an opening stage marred by two heavy crashes in the pack

www.theguardian.com

So bad were the pair of mass crashes that footage soon emerged of spectators running for cover as riders careered off the tarmac towards them, including one panicking mother yanking her toddler into nearby woods as riders tumbled headlong into the verge.

There was no doubt that the first crash, 44km from the finish, was caused by a fan holding out a banner aimed at greeting her family watching on TV, that protruded into the road. As she focused on the passing TV motorbikes, it blocked the path of Jumbo-Visma’s Tony Martin and took down most of the peloton. The Tour organiser, ASO was reported to have said it would sue the spectator concerned.

Evernote link because why not

 

[Sid]

It is totally impossible to secure a whole stage.
Every year more idiots find it more important that they get their 5 seconds on the TV screens during a stage, then the well being of the riders.
When it goes uphill you have those idiots who think they have to run along with the riders, wave national flags over their heads, total madness at times.

Almost all stages are 100 miles or more in length, so secure it all with crush barriers or a police officer every 10 meters or so is out of the question.
The growing self importance among 'fans' and spectators might kill this sport in the future.
Good thing that the ASO will sue that person.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

‘It’s not a circus’: Tour de France crash caused by fan is latest on long list

Incidents like Saturday’s have plagued the Tour down the years, and aside from calling for caution little can be done about it

www.theguardian.com

 

[Khamon]

It is a circus. It's a dangerous sporting event, because of idiotic fans, and a myriad of other reasons. It's disingenuous to publicize a spectacle, sell advertising, then claim that it's not a public entertainment event that will draw idiotic fans.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

Almost all stages are 100 miles or more in length, so secure it all with crush barriers or a police officer every 10 meters or so is out of the question.

I'd even say we are kind of lucky this was just a stupid fan and not a terrorist.. because as you said, this kind of event can't possibly be secured.

 

[Sid]

And if it is not the public, it is the organization.
The last 18 kilometers of todays stage where totally unsuitable for a Tour arrival in the first week, where every team is looking for its first success in this years course.
Result: several larger crashes in the last kilometers. As foreseeable. But the show must go on.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Tour de France spectator arrested over sign crash

The woman's sign brought down dozens of cyclists during the first stage of the race on Saturday.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Stora]

Tour de France withdraws lawsuit against spectator who caused crash

Tour de France officials have withdrawn a lawsuit against a spectator who caused a mass crash during the opening stage of the race.
The spectator, a 30-year-old French woman, was in custody at a police station in Landerneau, Brittany, the northwest French region where the world’s biggest cycling event held its first four stages. She was holding a cardboard sign and facing away from the cyclists towards a television camera as they passed. German Tony Martin, from the Jumbo–Visma team, was sent tumbling when he rode straight into the sign, and a large number of other riders also fell.

Tour de France withdraws lawsuit against spectator who caused crash

 

[Isabeau]

Tour de France withdraws lawsuit against spectator who caused crash



Tour de France withdraws lawsuit against spectator who caused crash

I’m guessing they realize since they are the ones hosting the event, if they went to court, they would be held (at the very least partly) responsible for not securing the surroundings, no?

 

[Free]

I’m guessing they realize since they are the ones hosting the event, if they went to court, they would be held (at the very least partly) responsible for not securing the surroundings, no?

 

[Grandma Bates]

The officials running the tour failed to provide cyclists with a warning about poor road conditions in a recent stage. It has prompted more outrage from the riders about the poor job officials are doing to manage the safety of the event. Here is what one of these massive wrecks look like from the point of view of a mechanic.

 

[Grandma Bates]

Tour de France withdraws lawsuit against spectator who caused crash



Tour de France withdraws lawsuit against spectator who caused crash

It is being reported that the person who held up the sign will likely face criminal charges:

'Opi-Omi' spectator who caused Tour de France crash to be tried in criminal court Thursday

Spectator prosecuted for 'endangering others' and 'involuntary injuries'

www.cyclingnews.com

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

It is being reported that the person who held up the sign will likely face criminal charges:

'Opi-Omi' spectator who caused Tour de France crash to be tried in criminal court Thursday

Spectator prosecuted for 'endangering others' and 'involuntary injuries'

www.cyclingnews.com

Totally justified, but I still feel kind of bad for them... I'm sure they are deeply humiliated. It was an impulsive mistake that will probably follow them forever.

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

Second turn, during today's Stage 15, where a fan taking a video with his cell phone reaches out just in time to smack a rider and cause a pileup:


Only aerial views of the situation this time, and on the other hand not quite as many riders were injured and not as badly.

I also can't tell for sure but it looks like the phone gets knocked out of the spectator's hand and far up the road. I hope he was never able to retrieve it.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Here's one available in my country:

 

[Sid]

Smartphones are really a problem.
People have so much self importance these days. They MUST have themselves on picture while the cyclists pass by.
They don't come to the Tour to see it, (which is quite boring to be honest the peloton has passed your spot in seconds), but to show themselves there. Collecting bragging rights.

At least half of the spectators watches the tour through their smartphone camera these days.
And overcrowded mountain roads are still a problem too.

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

They shouldn't allow fans within reach of the cyclists.

 

[Sid]

They shouldn't allow fans within reach of the cyclists.

Impossible to achieve I guess.
Almost every stage is at a minimum of 100 miles, often even a bit longer, all on public roads.
It is impossible to control every visitor along such huge trail every day.

As the situation is right now it takes hundreds of volunteers and police officers every single day to secure the road crossings for sometimes several hours to keep the trail traffic free long enough. The organization of the Tour is simply huge and takes a few days for a lot of locals too in every village, town and hamlet the Tour passes through.

Multi-day courses like the Tour de France, the Vuelta, the Giro d' Italia and all the one day classics like Paris-Roubaix, Tour The Flanders, Milan - San Remo, The Amstel Gold Race and, and, and, that attract hundreds of thousands visitors every day, are only possible if everybody uses their common sense. If that stops, it is the end of professional road cycling.

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

"everybody uses their common sense"

Yeh, that's the problem all right.

 

[Essence Lumin]

Impossible to achieve I guess.
Almost every stage is at a minimum of 100 miles, often even a bit longer, all on public roads.
It is impossible to control every visitor along such huge trail every day.

They should ban signs and let it be widely known so if anyone has one the people around them will tell them to get rid of it.