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what would you do if you caused a huge crash in the Tour de France

170 replies

AbsolutelyPatsy · 28/06/2021 18:25

www.independent.co.uk/sport/cycling/tour-de-france-crash-fan-sign-sue-b1873499.html
i know i know it is old news now,

but i think i would flee the country also

OP posts:
MistySkiesAfterRain · 28/06/2021 23:55

My god just watched that. The stupidity. I didn't realise the whole peloton came down. That could have been a tragedy.

Amazed there isn't more to stop this kind of thing.

Zzelda · 28/06/2021 23:57

When you think about it, the whole peloton thing is a bad accident waiting to happen. In fact they had an even worse peloton crash a bit later on in the same race.

Justanotherlurker · 29/06/2021 00:00

It is stupid but no one died. Not sure it warrants a criminal record.

Thats an extreme take that shows a total lack of understanding.

Its all about sodding money.

As is all sport, to look past that, you obviously don't appreciate the sport and lack of money in it, she acted irresponsibly, she wasn't actually there for the sport but for her own 5 seconds of fame and instagram likes.

AfterSchoolWorry · 29/06/2021 00:11

@lljkk

separated shoulder, it's somewhat better than a dislocated shoulder (unless you're Geraint Thomas & expect to ride the whole thing with a fractured pelvis anyway)

There are pictures of the crash-causing spectator standing around gormlessly a minute or 2 afterwards. She wasn't injured by the crash she caused.

Any chance of a link, I haven't seen those!
ChateauMargaux · 29/06/2021 07:58

The thing is that it is indeed 'Tour De Twatty Spectator'

There are loads of them, famous ones who run along side the cyclists, ones who sit round all day and drink, one who pushed Froome, the one who threw piss at him, the one who had a flag round his shoulders which threatened to get caught in Froome's bike.

Yes she was an idiot... yes she caused a crash, but the second crash of the day injured more people. Back before the internet, it would have been a few photos in the paper and a few stills on the TV and that would have been it. Now we get to hound this lady loudly from all over the world and view the clip literally millions of times.

Blueeyedgirl21 · 29/06/2021 08:04

A jail sentence is a joke
Coz some men fell of their bikes come on

Blueeyedgirl21 · 29/06/2021 08:05

And no I cannot appreciate cycling as a sport it’s a misogynistic boring attempt at giving the French something to be good at

OytheBumbler · 29/06/2021 08:13

Imagine the 3am cringing she's doing. I'd like to think I'd turn myself in but like a pp said I'm not sure I could ever get out of my wardrobe again!

PineappleTart · 29/06/2021 08:28

What she did was stupid. If she wanted to say hello to her grandparents perhaps she'll just telephone next time.

AlGorithim · 29/06/2021 08:34

We watched a section of the TdF a few years ago in the UK and some of the spectator behaviour was ridiculous. One man put his chair right in the road and had to be shouted at repeatedly before he would move it. People were hanging into the road with signs, sticking their arms out trying to high five riders. It's so dangerous for them and appalling behaviour.

stillcrazyafterall · 29/06/2021 08:35

@wisteriaandwhine

I think most people would panic too tbh. Some would freeze (and therefore face the music by default rather than superiority of morals), some would take flight. It's human.

People talk with such confidence about how they would do x, y or z if they were in the shoes of somebody they think did something wrong but the truth is we rarely respond how we expect or pronounce in high stress situations. You don't know how you respond to a hypothetical situation until you actually experience it and it ceases to be hypothetical.

You see it all the time with women saying they wouldn't be raped like the victim in a news case because they wouldn't have gone there or would have fought or screamed or done whatever.

Except the most common threat response activated by the brain during a sexual assault is actually freeze. And you can't control your primitive threat responses when your brain perceives imminent danger to your life. Freeze, flight, fawn, fight.

In both scenarios all the confident "I would do x if it was me" are about people trying to make themselves feel better and safer, not reality.

Most definitely this...
coogee · 29/06/2021 08:45

Why are they planning on suing her for what?

Compensation for their injuries?

toffeebutterpopcorn · 29/06/2021 08:47

I’m amazed noone was killed.

TheRosesOfSuccess · 29/06/2021 09:08

I suspect most people commenting have probably never been to The Tour. There is no single 'truck' that comes through. There are many support vehicles, advertising vehicles, cars carrying dignitaries, police cars, police motor bikes and so on for absolutely ages before the cyclists arrive. If you haven't watched before, it's impossible to know when to expect the race to pass you. If you are standing round a bend or beyond a dip, there would be no clue that the cyclists are imminent. They just appear. There may be marshalls at points where the roads are closed, and the odd one elsewhere, but overall there is minimal crowd control other than at the start and finish each day.

The other thing is the phenomenal speed they travel at; it's impossible to grasp that unless you are there, and it's so unexpected. One minute there's nothing, then this enormous group pass you briefly, then they are gone in a flash.

The person made a mistake in the excitement of the moment, they clearly didn't mean to cause a crash, they just did something thoughtless with an entirely unexpected (by them) outcome. Yes they shouldnt have done it, but I can easily see how it might have come about.

fluffiphlox · 29/06/2021 09:33

There is a gap between the ‘caravane’ and the riders yes. But the riders are always preceded by motorcycles. And radio coverage always tells you where they are. And the helicopters too. I think we can all agree that this woman was a particular type of self-centred idiot with no real idea of the risk she was posing.

Whinginadeville · 29/06/2021 09:39

It wasn't a mistake though wS it! She made a huge sign, took 8t to the race course, waited til the riders were close and thrust it between the riders and the cameras. If I was a rider who ended up in hospital I'd see a fair degree of intent and utter disregard for my safety there. She caused by her actions GBH and it was an entirely foreseeable consequences of her actions. A mistake would be losing her footing and falling onto the course not holding out her arm rigidly in front of the riders

MargaretThursday · 29/06/2021 09:41

@TheRosesOfSuccess

I suspect most people commenting have probably never been to The Tour. There is no single 'truck' that comes through. There are many support vehicles, advertising vehicles, cars carrying dignitaries, police cars, police motor bikes and so on for absolutely ages before the cyclists arrive. If you haven't watched before, it's impossible to know when to expect the race to pass you. If you are standing round a bend or beyond a dip, there would be no clue that the cyclists are imminent. They just appear. There may be marshalls at points where the roads are closed, and the odd one elsewhere, but overall there is minimal crowd control other than at the start and finish each day.

The other thing is the phenomenal speed they travel at; it's impossible to grasp that unless you are there, and it's so unexpected. One minute there's nothing, then this enormous group pass you briefly, then they are gone in a flash.

The person made a mistake in the excitement of the moment, they clearly didn't mean to cause a crash, they just did something thoughtless with an entirely unexpected (by them) outcome. Yes they shouldnt have done it, but I can easily see how it might have come about.

It's all very well to argue that she couldn't have known that they were coming at that point, which may be true- but surely if she had waved the sign at the TV cameras when the cyclists weren't going past, then it would not have got on TV so there wouldn't have been any point. She chose that time to try and get it on TV, didn't she? I doubt the TV cameras regularly choose to show random people standing in the track waving a sign with no cyclist around.

I guess she's got her wish for her sign to be seen by lots of people though.

lljkk · 29/06/2021 09:43

Here she is standing around just before the crash. Sure, whatever, poor thing "didn't know" the race was coming thru soon or that the road was narrow & crowded.

Macaronirabbit · 29/06/2021 09:44

The crash that the woman caused was of course dangerous, stupid, completely unavoidable and caused multiple injuries (and probably, less importantly, thousands of ££ of damage to the bikes!)
However why are they singling her out? I'm sure I've seen other crashes caused by throwing water bottles, cameramen getting in the way etc...that havent received nearly as much publicity.
I dont in any way condone any of the incidents but it's a pretty hazardous race even without idiotic spectators causing (more) crashes.

TheRosesOfSuccess · 29/06/2021 09:46

@fluffiphlox

There is a gap between the ‘caravane’ and the riders yes. But the riders are always preceded by motorcycles. And radio coverage always tells you where they are. And the helicopters too. I think we can all agree that this woman was a particular type of self-centred idiot with no real idea of the risk she was posing.
There were no announcements telling us the riders were imminent last year. And if it was a first time observer, they would have no idea that the motorcyclists indicated the riders were imminent.

She made a stupid and dangerous mistake yes, but as I said, I can easily see how it might happen.

sashh · 29/06/2021 10:11

FelicityBeedle

Causing a pile up may not have been deliberate but stepping into the road was.

We teach 5 year olds not to step out into traffic, it is common sense you don't just step out into oncoming traffic and turn your back.

However why are they singling her out? I'm sure I've seen other crashes caused by throwing water bottles, cameramen getting in the way etc...that havent received nearly as much publicity.

Because they were not intentionally standing in the way.

newnortherner111 · 29/06/2021 10:12

I want the person who caused this to face justice. There have been tin tacks on the road, urine thrown at Chris Froome, and other unsavoury incidents in the past. Quite rightly abuse and unacceptable behaviour in a football or other sports stadium is condemned, and just because it is roadside, should be no different.

TooManyPlatesInMotion · 29/06/2021 10:14

Utterly reckless and stupid behaviour. I don't know what I would do in her shoes. Realistically, I would probably hand myself in. Running and being hounded would make it worse.

YampyMommy · 29/06/2021 10:17

I don’t know what I’d do but I would like to think I’d turn myself in.

safariboot · 29/06/2021 10:31

I'll be honest, I would probably leave France and lie low. If the Tour organisers find me they intend to make me bankrupt. (Considering anyone short of a multi millionaire will not be able to pay for that many wrecked bikes and injured riders).

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