Banter: ******* Olympic Cycling

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******* Olympic Cycling

Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: General
Forum Name: Banter
Forum Discription: For all those non-sailing related discussions
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=8016
Printed Date: 29 Jun 25 at 9:10am
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Topic: ******* Olympic Cycling

Posted By: JimC
Subject: ******* Olympic Cycling
Date Posted: 08 Jul 11 at 11:19am

They've got a test event on August 14th, and it seems that about half of Surrey is going to be cut off from the rest of the world from around 6am to after 2pm... Island Barn is within the route Papercourt Sailing club is about 100 yards outside so a good half of our sailors will be on the outside.. Though this damn games was suppose to encourage sport, not prevent it...

Replies:

Posted By: SoggyBadger
Date Posted: 08 Jul 11 at 2:52pm

Just jump on your bike and tag along.

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Best wishes from deep in the woods

SB

Posted By: jeffers
Date Posted: 12 Jul 11 at 11:06am

Or stick some french TV stickers on your car and just drive on through.....

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Paul
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D-Zero GBR 74

Posted By: Andymac
Date Posted: 12 Jul 11 at 12:33pm

Originally posted by jeffers

Or stick some french TV stickers on your car and just drive on through.....

Like this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qEN35sVXqY - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qEN35sVXqY

Posted By: jeffers
Date Posted: 12 Jul 11 at 4:26pm

Thats the one.....what was the muppet doing I wonder!......

He has been thrown off now though so he can;t do it again.

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Paul
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D-Zero GBR 74

Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 12 Jul 11 at 6:20pm

Can't get the video to play properly, but assuming it is the camera car knocking the bike over, the driver is dodging a tree. The organizers give the camera cars and bikes full access in order to maximize revenues from TV, and encourage sponsors to pay the riders. Yes, the driver is a muppet, but he is paid to get as close as possible. If the Tour want a safer race, then they need to ban cars and bikes from the peleton, but I'm pretty sure greed will win out.

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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686

Posted By: Andymac
Date Posted: 12 Jul 11 at 6:38pm

There are always going to be vehicles following a large race like the TDF.

The team cars and camera bikes are well experienced in manouvering around the racing cyclist. Virtually all the team car occupants were riders in there own right, and know what to expect from a group of cyclists. I think the problem is that many of the media vehicles 'following' the TDF are driven by less experienced drivers/riders. The organisers will surely review the situation for next year and try to get a sensible balance between the riders safety and accessibility for the media.

Posted By: Foiling_Toff
Date Posted: 14 Jul 11 at 9:27am

Originally posted by JimC

Though this damn games was suppose to encourage sport, not prevent it...

...and there was me thinking that the idea of "the games" was to spend all the money so that there was none left for encouraging participation in sport and fitness activities.

Posted By: alstorer
Date Posted: 14 Jul 11 at 12:49pm

Why does it need to be shut off for so long? Pretty sure the TdF works on a "rolling closure" basis?

of course, if you're that annoyed, you could try the etape Caledonia method of protest (an event which does use a rolling closure of really, really, quiet roads in the Scottish highlands and brings in tourists) and scatter drawing pins around- you would of course have to be an utter a***hole to do so.

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-_
Al

Posted By: getafix
Date Posted: 15 Jul 11 at 9:38am

Originally posted by Andymac

There are always going to be vehicles following a large race like the TDF.

All motorbike and car drivers following the TDF have to be accredited by the TDF organisers. You can't just rock up and start driving/riding around the cyclists with no prior training or briefing.

I believe the problem in this case was that the car in question was actually being driven by a muppet who had not passed the TDF drivers accreditation* as it was on-hire to the French media oufit rather than one of 'their' vehicles. Apparently, the driver was told on race radio to clear the bunch of riders they were near, unfortunately he/she interpreted that as 'get past' with not-good consequences for Flecha and Hoogerland.

Still Hoogerland's post-race interview must go down as one of the best examples of chilled out Dutch thinking ever, and forgiveness - brilliant fella. He also climbed really well yesterday, with 50+ stitches in his backside, total legend or total nutta - the line is pretty thin in the TDF I guess!

*the motorbike rider binned 2 days previous for hooking up one cyclists bars & bringing him off, had passed!