Stupid Fans

#1 Strategy

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Posted 22 July 2011 - 10:09 PM

What's up with the fans this year?

It starts with fans booing at Contador at the team presentation. Then a few stages in one the race, someone or some people throw beefsteaks at the Saxobank team car.

And today again, the fans on the Alpe who are witness to one of the great Tour stages in history boo and hassle Contador. One of the resulting pictures is going to be legendary.

Posted Image

But not only that, they also boo at Andy Schleck and also Thomas Voeckler as he passed through the "Dutch corner" (TV shows that Voeckler got extremely annoyed at that point). Voeckler apparently explained that he knows why the fans booed - because he did not wait for Johnny Hoogerland when the latter crashed into the barbed wire. Which strikes me as absurd. Also makes me wonder why these people go to such great efforts to watch the sport if they hate the leading protagonists so much.

This post has been edited by Strategy: 23 July 2011 - 12:37 AM

#2 il_hombre

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Posted 22 July 2011 - 10:13 PM

Strategy, on 22 July 2011 - 10:09 PM, said:

Strat ... don't try to make sense of drunken Dutch fans ... or Dutch in general (Rabo@2007)

#3 Burkni

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Posted 22 July 2011 - 10:28 PM

il_hombre, on 22 July 2011 - 10:13 PM, said:

Strat ... don't try to make sense of drunken Dutch fans ... or Dutch in general (Rabo@2007)

Don't think Rabo's handling of the Rasmussen case was in any way particularly Dutch, just a case of really poor crisis management. The same applies to the Danish Cycling Union in the same case.

As for the fans this year, I am quite partial to the MASK

http://uk.eurosport....s/article/2468/

In Vino veritas, 1998-2011.

#4 VdB

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Posted 22 July 2011 - 10:38 PM

I don't mind people booing riders, but they need to keep their grubby little paws off of them at all times. And the running-next-to-them-on-a-climb thing should be forbidden altogether.

As for the Dutch corner...eh, typical Dutch drunken buffoonry. At least they tend to be cycling-savvy enough not to touch the riders, in general.

War. War never changes. The end of the world occurred pretty much as we had predicted: Too many humans, not enough space or resources to go around. The details are trivial and pointless, the reasons, as always, purely human ones.

#5 il_hombre

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Posted 22 July 2011 - 11:30 PM

Burkni, on 22 July 2011 - 10:28 PM, said:

http://uk.eurosport....s/article/2468/

Did you ever fly KLM?

I did about 100 times ... as a platinum+ or platinum++ or plus plus plus or whatever ...

Trust me, it is about being Dutch and not about being a Dane.

#6 Jayhawk

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Posted 22 July 2011 - 11:56 PM

Sorry to get all philosophical & pessimistic, but the average person's capacity for hate & cruelty really frightens me. Civilization doesn't do such a good job of civilizing, I guess. Sports fans need to realize the flip side of their loyalties needn't degenerate into meanness. But given the nature of general cultural discourse these days, it's a losing battle to expect people to be respectful to those they deem the opposition.

#7 Strategy

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Posted 23 July 2011 - 12:43 AM

By the way, the idiot in the Doctor's outfit was trying to press a stethoscope to Contador's chest while he was riding Alpe d'Huez!

Posted Image

Methinks he deserved more than just a fist to the head.

#8 vaunTrevi

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Posted 23 July 2011 - 02:16 AM

Bizarre behavior! Always scary with guys running alongside riders ... always worries me.
Hell of a stage all around... should be close tomorrow.
V

#9 Double R

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Posted 23 July 2011 - 08:04 AM

Not surprised at all! If you read some of the different cyclingforums, I expect it to be much worse in the years to come...

Calexico

#10 Chris E

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Posted 23 July 2011 - 01:36 PM

The horror! Let's not get all PO'd when a clown with a doping message jams AC, and applaud when AC clocks him. Everybody thought it was funny in 2009 when the idiot with the syringe was on LA, and we were all outraged when LA pushed him into the snow.

I think it would be great if somebody clothes-lined these idiots. All of them. I don't discriminate.

This post has been edited by Chris E: 23 July 2011 - 01:37 PM

#11 VdB

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Posted 23 July 2011 - 01:39 PM

Chris E, on 23 July 2011 - 01:36 PM, said:

To be fair though, the syringe idiot didn't try to touch Armstrong in mid-Alpe d'Huez.

#12 Chris E

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Posted 23 July 2011 - 01:47 PM

VdB, on 23 July 2011 - 01:39 PM, said:

To be fair though, the syringe idiot didn't try to touch Armstrong in mid-Alpe d'Huez.

Fair enough. But the fact remains these clowns just want to draw attention to themselves, and stick doping in the public without respect for the sport IMO. I mean, what do they think they will accomplish?

I have much disdain for the clowns in the underwear and thongs, except for the guy a few years ago in the Borat lime green thing. I thought that was pretty funny.

#13 Strategy

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Posted 23 July 2011 - 03:36 PM

Chris E, on 23 July 2011 - 01:36 PM, said:

I don't think "everybody" thought that was funny. I don't recall ever having been amused by those guys running alongside the cyclists - all it takes is a stumble and/or swerve for an accident. Touching the riders and directly impeding them is crossing a line, though (and I doubt Contador would have reacted if all this idiot had done was run alongside for a while).