Nice shouldercheck on a spectator from the TdF

[spartanKid]

http://gfycat.com/GratefulLongKittiwake

:bike:

IMO the spectator got what he deserved. The tarmac is these guys' office.

[Shortsocks]

LOL. If I had done that it would have removed my shoulder. Holy crap, I had no clue a Person could do that! HA! That guy got the crap knocked out of him!

[jmoore]

More people standing in the road need to get shoulder checked. Or punched in the face.

[fiamme red]

The Badger would approve! :hello:

http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2010/03/Hinault-Paris-NiceSmall-1024x674.jpg

[tiretrax]

I saw another one that looked like the rider went out of his way to take out the spectator. Yes, the selfies are ridiculous, but they crowds are much worse in the Alps and Pyrenees, especially when the spectators have been drinking and camping for days before the race arrives.

[torquer]

The second Giant-Shimano rider was even closer to the curb than his "lead blocker." He might have hit the spectator straight-on, rather than with a glancing blow.

Surprised not to see similar action on local bike lanes; pedestrians around here are at least as oblivious as some of these Brits.

[ShaneAtSilca]

Doesnt show it in this GIF, but in the TV coverage the spectator was still on the ground some time later. Not rooting for anyone to get hurt, but he wont be standing that close again anytime soon.

[brockd15]

Doesnt show it in this GIF, but in the TV coverage the spectator was still on the ground some time later. Not rooting for anyone to get hurt, but he wont be standing that close again anytime soon.

Yeah, it looked like a seriously hard hit.

[dbrown]

The second Giant-Shimano rider was even closer to the curb than his "lead blocker." He might have hit the spectator straight-on, rather than with a glancing blow.

Surprised not to see similar action on local bike lanes; pedestrians around here are at least as oblivious as some of these Brits.

The shoulder posture of the second Giant-Shimano rider looks like he was prepared to deliver a shoulder block too. Left shoulder looks like it is raised and ready to deliver a blow, too.

[skijoring]

Fullback just doing his job.

[DoubleButted]

I saw another one that looked like the rider went out of his way to take out the spectator. Yes, the selfies are ridiculous, but they crowds are much worse in the Alps and Pyrenees, especially when the spectators have been drinking and camping for days before the race arrives.
I agree, the crowds in the mountains are just as bad, but the riders aren't coming at them over 25mph.....

[FastforaSlowGuy]

The shoulder posture of the second Giant-Shimano rider looks like he was prepared to deliver a shoulder block too. Left shoulder looks like it is raised and ready to deliver a blow, too.

I think if you're on the curb-side of the peloton in those crowds, you'd be silly not to be prepared, especially after you just watched your teammate wallop somebody. It's not like they have a lot of space to move laterally. I'm amazed the rider stayed upright - I'd be splayed on the tarmac.

I don't like watching people get hurt, but you wouldn't blame a driver for hitting a spectator if s/he stepped into the apex of a F-1 course.

[teleguy57]

I agree that spectators, whether by being clueless or intentionally, are putting themselves and riders at risk. However, if I was hemmed in on the bike I'd put a shoulder down too more as self-preservation than in aggression. Not sure the shoulder blocks can be categorized as either without knowing what's in the riders head.

But again, spectators in the roadway are an issue.... But that's not new. Ask Eddy about Puy de Dome in the '75 Tour....

[tiretrax]

[QUOTE=teleguy57;1579745]However, if I was hemmed in on the bike I'd put a shoulder down too more as self-preservation than in aggression. QUOTE]

They were hemmed in while in Yorkshire. I've driven there, and the roads are narrow with little shoulder before the stone walls.

These shoulder checks were delivered on wide boulevards. I think I saw a replay of David Lopez (Sky) veering over to take out a spectator/photographer. It was totally abusive on his part.

Yes, the pace in the mountains is not as high, but the blocking and touching by the spectators is a lot worse.

[MattTuck]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dBvJkqv0DM&feature=player_detailpage#t=283


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls3NxXSb1K0


yeah, people need to have some common sense. I've heard that a common injury to spectators is broken feet. They crowd in as the riders pass and then as the cars come by, they get there feet run over.

Bottom line, spectators need to be further back. The question then becomes how to accomplish this. I'd rather see the race organizers figure out a way to do this than see riders taking it into their own hands.

[Hank Scorpio]

What rider swatted a camera/phone out of a spectators hand yesterday? That was great!

[nooneline]

However, if I was hemmed in on the bike I'd put a shoulder down too more as self-preservation than in aggression. Not sure the shoulder blocks can be categorized as either without knowing what's in the riders head.

Yup. All the G-S rider did was hold his line & brace himself for the inevitable impact that was caused by a spectator being where he ought not be.

These shoulder checks were delivered on wide boulevards.

The width of the road doesn't have any bearing on what happens on one edge of the road. In the gif linked in the OP, the Giant-Shimano rider clearly doesn't have any room between the spectator in the road and the rider to his right. How do I know? There's a chain reaction that's visible - the G-S rider hits the spectator and veers to his right, as a result bumping into the last Cannondale rider in the line, who bumps over and causes the Europcar rider to swerve.

[christian]

Looks like assault to me. I get it, you can't stand in the road, but it looks to me like the G-S rider swings purposefully wide.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

He certainly moved over before the hit, but I wouldn't be so quick to call it intentional. We can't see to the rider's right, so we can't know why he moved over. There is an awful lot of shoving going on in those groups. It's easy enough to think that he got pushed out, and lowered his shoulder to absorb the hit. That hit could have easily taken him and his teammate down, and, I'd be pretty shocked if he would risk ending his Tour just to put a hit on a spectator.

[OtayBW]

Yup. All the G-S rider did was hold his line & brace himself for the inevitable impact that was caused by a spectator being where he ought not be.


Looks like assault to me. I get it, you can't stand in the road, but it looks to me like the G-S rider swings purposefully wide.

I will choose to invoke the former....:banana:

[spartanKid]

He certainly moved over before the hit, but I wouldn't be so quick to call it intentional. We can't see to the rider's right, so we can't know why he moved over. There is an awful lot of shoving going on in those groups. It's easy enough to think that he got pushed out, and lowered his shoulder to absorb the hit. That hit could have easily taken him and his teammate down, and, I'd be pretty shocked if he would risk ending his Tour just to put a hit on a spectator.

You can actively see the Stinkoff-Saxo rider jostle slightly and cause the giant-shimano rider to swing a bit wide


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[Fatty]

I wonder if he got his picture ?:rolleyes:

[wallymann]

Looks like assault to me. I get it, you can't stand in the road, but it looks to me like the G-S rider swings purposefully wide.

the riders are racing on the roads and can do as they need within those boundaries. riders are racing and cannot be worried about some jackass that wanders onto the field of play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC3xNSiRTDc

[estuche]

Hard not to be exposed to any harm at all these days, even as a spectator!

[StephenBoynton]

I will choose to invoke the former....:banana:

I highly doubt the rider would purposly move over to hit the spectator. No rider at the Tour stage would take that type of chance of getting hurt. That was a hard hit. He was bracing for impact. If he hadn't he would have been thrown off the bike.

[parris]

I'm reminded of seveal group b rally vids I've seen...

[Admiral Ackbar]

I'm reminded of seveal group b rally vids I've seen...

http://38.media.tumblr.com/186674a4bc6a67daf754ed47f8bd29ea/tumblr_n13fnp6p2G1trlc0zo1_400.gif

[MrCannonCam]

owned. seems like this year many spectators have had the crap end of the stick with riders plowing into them as well (talansky and van den broek on the cobbled stage, westra or fuglslang got one when they overshot a bend on a descent the other day too)

[mistermo]

Yeah, it's hard to compare the peril of a TdF spectator with that of a rallye spectator or IOM TT spectator.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRWp9rhfS_0#t=02m00s

[rwsaunders]

Looks like assault to me. I get it, you can't stand in the road, but it looks to me like the G-S rider swings purposefully wide.

If you watch his wheel it certainly looks like it.

[moose8]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dBvJkqv0DM&feature=player_detailpage#t=283


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls3NxXSb1K0


yeah, people need to have some common sense. I've heard that a common injury to spectators is broken feet. They crowd in as the riders pass and then as the cars come by, they get there feet run over.


That first crash in the German video is brutal. I don't think the crash originally posted was intentional - no way a pro would risk the race by hitting someone. I'm guessing he decided it was safer than swerving but that's only a guess from thinking that holding your line in that situation might be pretty important. It's also amazing that spectators can't understand that they are supposed to stay outside the white lines in a bike race like that.

[nm87710]

The video is of Curvers and de Kort(?) leading out Kittel for an intermediate sprint.

[11.4]

The video is of Curvers and de Kort(?) leading out Kittel for an intermediate sprint. Curvers did what he's paid to do and had no other options outside of crashing and taking out his teammates(probably Cannondale riders too) - including one of the best sprinters in the world. Shoulder checking the spectator was what the situation called for to clear out a path for Kittel. Curvers did it well - damn well. I bet he was high-fived by most of the peloton the next day. Cycling fans (not just TDF ones) have no idea how close they are to receiving serious injury.

Exactly. He was protecting his team leader the only way one could. This wasn't assault. And he swung wide because he was going to be applying a lot of speed to an inert heavy mass of a spectator -- he knew he'd be thrown back inwards and didn't want to bring down the peloton. He probably did it a couple dozen times that day, and the masseur had to give him an extra 30 minutes on his shoulder that evening.