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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:
iklboo · 30/06/2021 18:11

She can't not have known they were coming. Watch the footage - they were practically on her shoulder when she started wafting the sign round, sticking it out into the road.

notimagain · 30/06/2021 20:56

@iklboo

She can't not have known they were coming. Watch the footage - they were practically on her shoulder when she started wafting the sign round, sticking it out into the road.
I agree it’s hard to see how she cannot have known..

The peloton doesn’t arrive out of the blue, as I’m sure many know there’s usually the police bikes, then the Tour directors and/or “umpires car and then the last TV bike in convoy running just ahead of the main bunch….From the overhead view of the accident that’s at the back end of the YouTube video linked below you can initially just see the last motor bike, the TV camera bike about 100 meters ahead of the peloton and that the now infamous spectator is visible looking in the direction of that bike, utterly oblivious to what’s approaching from behind…

(Warning, “violent” content)

MissLucyEyelesbarrow · 30/06/2021 21:11

She doesn't actually step out. If you watch the video for 5-10 seconds after the peloton hit her sign, you'll see there are lots of other spectators standing at the very front of the grass verge, as she is.

The problem is the sign.

UsedUpUsername · 30/06/2021 21:28

@OffRampHilton

Honestly, I think I would kill my self.

Not saying that that is what she should do, but I think the idea of being in the public spotlight like that and so ridiculed and lambasted would be more than I could personally take.

She did an idiotic thing and, ultimately, my empathy lies with those who were injured and had their careers impacted, but I think she must be in a bad place.

Been a few stories where the person kills themselves after a big media blowup. Remember that drunk Northern Irish NGO worker that racially abused airline staff? I think she literally jumped off a cliff.
BlaBlaSmthSmth · 30/06/2021 22:06

Been a few stories where the person kills themselves after a big media blowup. Remember that drunk Northern Irish NGO worker that racially abused airline staff? I think she literally jumped off a cliff.

That's true @UsedUpUsername and wasn't there a woman who had been online trolling (or something, I don't remember the details) who's identity was revealed and she was hounded by the media. I think she killed herself in a hotel or something.
Anyway I don't think hounding this woman is acceptable or helpful in any way, let the authorities deal with her and then let her get on with her life. I hope her identity is not revealed.

SouthOfFrance · 30/06/2021 23:52

This whole thing kinda reminds me of Jon Ronson's podcast 'So you've been publicly shamed' - it's interesting listening for anyone who likes that kind of thing.

I hope the person who did this has supportive friends etc, it must be horrible being in her situation, however silly her actions were.

TheRosesOfSuccess · 01/07/2021 09:13

The peloton doesn’t arrive out of the blue, as I’m sure many know there’s usually the police bikes, then the Tour directors and/or “umpires car and then the last TV bike in convoy running just ahead of the main bunch

But you only know all this if you regularly watch it on TV or in the flesh. We went last year as it was nearby. We stood at the side of a road for hours, with assorted vehicles passing endlessly. We had no idea what each vehicle was and whether it signalled the imminent arrival of the riders. As we were round a bend, they just suddenly appeared, whooshed past and were gone. I couldn't tell you now which vehicles were just in front of them - to be frank we'd stopped taking notice because so many had gone past and nothing had happened afterwards.

Not everyone who watches is an avid fan and understands the order of everything happening.

SallyCinnabon · 01/07/2021 09:20

@TheRosesOfSuccess

The peloton doesn’t arrive out of the blue, as I’m sure many know there’s usually the police bikes, then the Tour directors and/or “umpires car and then the last TV bike in convoy running just ahead of the main bunch

But you only know all this if you regularly watch it on TV or in the flesh. We went last year as it was nearby. We stood at the side of a road for hours, with assorted vehicles passing endlessly. We had no idea what each vehicle was and whether it signalled the imminent arrival of the riders. As we were round a bend, they just suddenly appeared, whooshed past and were gone. I couldn't tell you now which vehicles were just in front of them - to be frank we'd stopped taking notice because so many had gone past and nothing had happened afterwards.

Not everyone who watches is an avid fan and understands the order of everything happening.

I agree with this because I’ve been there too and thought exactly the same thing!

I’m not trying to shift blame at all but the fact they ride so close together means that one person going down for any reason makes a domino effect. I know the rider couldn’t swerve out the way but at the same time I can understand why the woman might not have been aware the bikes were coming. It was reckless but not sure she’s deserved the witch hunt tbh.

notimagain · 01/07/2021 10:15

I know the rider couldn’t swerve out the way but at the same time I can understand why the woman might not have been aware the bikes were coming. It was reckless but not sure she’s deserved the witch hunt tbh.

Um, OK….given we now understand the lady was a local it’s even harder to believe she won’t have had at least some insight into how it all works, on the day, but we are and there she is.

As for a “witch-hunt”, well if your actions, seen live on TV,mean a pro-tour team lose the services of one of their core employees for several weeks or months you can at the very least expect questions to be asked..(and I’m not even going guess at the cost of that accident in terms of bikes and components ).

FWIW were certainly rumours (French media) that if the Tour organisers didn’t take action then individual teams might decide to pursue this independently.

Personally I kind of hope the s**storm and publicity that has surrounded all this will be enough to get the message across and the spectator doesn’t take a hammering in the courts, but the French legal system being what it is I wouldn’t bet against a fairly substantial penalty being handed out.

TheRosesOfSuccess · 01/07/2021 11:28

Um, OK….given we now understand the lady was a local it’s even harder to believe she won’t have had at least some insight into how it all works, on the day, but we are and there she is

We were living locally to where we watched it. Still didn't have any insight into how it all works, why would I unless I was a fan of cycling?

notimagain · 01/07/2021 12:38

@TheRosesOfSuccess

Um, OK….given we now understand the lady was a local it’s even harder to believe she won’t have had at least some insight into how it all works, on the day, but we are and there she is

We were living locally to where we watched it. Still didn't have any insight into how it all works, why would I unless I was a fan of cycling?

fair enough in your case,,

As far as this accident goes this spectator was equipped with a sizeable sign and certainly seemed to know enough about the motos to be looking squarely at the camera when Tony Martin hit her, so I don’t think she’s going to be able to claim “I didn’t’ have any idea how it worked”…

It does appear she was intent on getting on TV to the exclusion on any other consideration.

CovidCorvid · 01/07/2021 12:44

I think she probably misjudged how much time she had, if you're used to "normal" cyclists at a "normal" speed you'd think you have time. They've tracked her down and arrested her now haven't they?

EKGEMS · 01/07/2021 13:03

She's been identified and arrested

iklboo · 01/07/2021 16:33

Not everyone who watches is an avid fan and understands the order of everything happening.

So she wasn't a fan then. And went purely to mug at the camera with a shout out to granny & grandad. Which is probably worse than knowing what was going on.

iklboo · 01/07/2021 22:28

The lawsuit has been dropped.

user1745 · 01/07/2021 23:21

More than anything, this highlights a security failing. A certain proportion of the public are going to do foolish things, and a tiny proportion of the public are going to do malicious things (from the video, I can't tell which this was) With big events like these, you need to limit the ability of those proportions of the public to cause harm, not just let people with big signs stand right by the road and hope they exercise common sense.

If it was unintentional, I do feel sorry for her as she must feel so humiliated. The world of social media can be so cruel because every mistake is amplified across the world for the public to comment on.

CovidCorvid · 02/07/2021 06:17

@iklboo

The lawsuit has been dropped.
By the tour it has. But public prosecutors are still chasing a prosecution.
wjg65ka · 02/07/2021 06:31

I would be mortified. I'd hand myself in, own up but I would genuinely be so embarrassed and sorry

Honeyroar · 02/07/2021 20:32

Yes it does highlight how little security there is on the tour. It’s a public road. There isn’t any legislation on banner waving. I don’t see how they could actually get a successful conviction anyway.

Dustyhedge · 02/07/2021 20:54

I actually do wonder if the liability should be with the tour organisers. It is inevitable that there will be some idiots among the spectators and there probably does need to be more mechanisms for controlling the crowd. I take the point that it’s too great a distance but maybe then spectators should only be allowed in designated spots.

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