Good video to see what it is really like to be on the roadside. It seems that the fans get the blame on TV but maybe it is the number of cars. You need cameras on the motobikes and I guess team cars to support the riders, but there was a lot more it seems. It was good to see a fan pull a runner off the road.
Totally agree with your summing up, Ed. Tbh as well as far too many cars many of the key summits were unpleasant to watch on TV due to spectator stupidity with total lack of respect for the riders. I can’t believe any rider enjoys fighting through crazed masses & getting pushed. Needs to be less cars on these mountain routes &.longer barriers inc. summits where there are points up for grabs. Vuelta is much better run.
Hey Ed, I followed the Tour all through the 80’s and early 90’s with my dad and his friends. It has always been chaos in the mountains but this was a particularly bad day.
Great job always sporting the riders and also the legends that are in the motorcade. There's many martials that need to be going ahead and behind the race as well. Glad I saw your video 🇺🇲
To play devil's advocate, I'll try to explain *why* there *has* to be that many vehicles. This is not to defend the bad experience, just to try to be on the organizers' shoes, so don't berate me. You have to consider at least 3 motos for each big group of riders: broadcast camera, commisaire, and neutral mechanic support, which are intermittently joined by a photographer (not the same as the broadcast camera), time reference, broadcast commentator (e.g. Adam Blythe), neutral water. On a regular flat stage, this would be 3+ motos for breakaway and 3+ for peloton, but with several backups at the front and the back in case of splits. This is before we talk about team cars, commissaire cars, neutral bikes car, medic car, and certain fixed vehicles (for example, there's always a broadcast moto with the yellow jersey group, etc.). To this you have to add the time reference vehicles that pass before the riders at specific times (which increase in number as the race gets close) and other vehicles that are required everywhere, such as police/gendarmerie (especially important on mountain stages). Now multiply that by at least 5 on a tough mountain stage: breakaway, yellow jersey group which *will* split (so at least 2), back of the peloton (which is fluid, but it's there), and groupetto, and multiply team cars by 2, as they usually have important riders in multiple groups (e.g. Jayco Alula with Yates at the front and Groenewegen at the back). If you think that's too many, please do the exercise of determining which vehicles to remove. Here's where whatever you decide, there will be cases where the lack of those vehicles would produce similar outrage and opinions of how bad the organization is, for example if there's a puncture but no replacement wheels and a rider loses too much time, if there are no commissaire to witness a cheating move or cameras to witness the winning attack, etc. The temptation might be around removing the *many* media vehicles for non-broadcast media outlets (such as AP), but as we're talking about the third largest sporting event in the world in terms of coverage and exposure, that makes it a big no-no from a monetary and political point of view. Then you remove the VIP cars, but those are a minority, there will still be plenty of traffic. You saw this particular instance really close, but think of how many times you've watched mountain stages over the years, and how many of those were affected by a car that was stuck. I'm sure there are more cases, but again think of how often it happens, because there are also hundreds and hundreds of kilometers ridden without incident, which don't get any video titled "THE RACE PASSED THROUGH HERE AND NOTHING HAPPENED". I saw the full climb on TV and the yellow jersey was blocked only there. You were just unlucky. This was an exception, not the rule.
A fair few riders were blocked there, the TV footage just only showed Jonas. There are more VIP cars than you could imagine sadly, and then the cars with only a driver in them. I do appreciate and understand how the bubble works of course, racing Tour of Britain and other events with high level security and media coverage. Hopefully they change how they operate and review each stage ahead of time to ensure they only use the bare minimum to support riders and get the best coverage, best of both worlds.
@@edlaverack I'm not convinced 'bare minimum to support riders' would be the best of all worlds, as you'd end up with potentially fringe issues not covered & potentially influence the race another way. We saw what can happen if riders are left to rely on neutral service a couple days later with the comedy moment of that giant chap in the breakway ending up on what looked like a childs bike for him & a bike with wrong pedals. Also - considering the VIP cars not 'essential' and disposable, ignores the fact the organisations need to make money, I assume a bunch of these front row seats are paid for (but maybe not?). Going up steep mountain passes is what we want to see its what makes the race insane & separates the riders. BUT - it is also where the cars/race vehicles will have most logistical problems, it's where fans can cause most issues with crowding & blocking riders and it's also where the time gaps & race impact would be huge if riders weren't sufficiently supported in event of mechanicals etc --- a very very difficult situation to manage, but by and large it goes off without major hitches each year so I reckon they _usually_ do a pretty good job. It always seems like theres too many vehicles for the race (just from heli shots), but as original poster said once you run through it, hard to identify many you can remove without potential other issues - and if you're only finding a handful, it's making no tangible difference.
Always been crazy in the mountains .. Good atmosphere though you could feel the energy . Even in the modern world it still has that old school bike race buzz from all the madness around the event.
Thanks for sharing your experience and your insights. It was a bad day, no way around it. The organization made a bad call allowing so many cars and motorbikes up the hill. You can't really say that it was not for seen either. The previous days showed them that people were coming out in large numbers, which is great for the race. They should have taken more steps to make sure that the path for the cyclists were as clear as possible. But thanks for showing a unique perspective of that stage.
This year was to crazy. When i Walked Down from Grand colombier some danish and Slovenian fans Got arrested because they Got into a fight over pogacar and Jonas. To many drunk people that dosent come to Watch the tour de france But comming to party like a maniac on the mountains for 3 days straight. Not even seems to be cycling fans when. THE ROAD IS FOR THE RIDERS NOT THE SPECTATORS Riders who have been training up to the tour de france and the worlds for months got knocked Down because people wanted a selfie while they rode past Them they only look trough the phone not even watching and enjoy when they comes by
The way the curve was blocked is as follows: there are too many fans, so vehicles slow down, so some vehicles stop and can't start again on such a steep part of the course. There are some ways to avoid this: 1. reduce the number of vehicles. They (the organiser) promised to work on this. 2. fence of the road. They (the organiser) could do more. Even if only it means to install some ropes, or make sure there are more stewards / cops. 3. have more responsible fans not blocking the road for vehicles so vehicles can drive without obstacles. That's probably too much asked, so back to number 2. To blame the vehicles while it's clear they have to slow down because fans are all over the road... Sorry, not enough introspection.
See what you’re saying but it’s always been part of the tour madness, it’s kind of what makes it, my father went over to watch the tour in the 70s and he couldn’t believe the craziness 🤣 fans pushing their heroes up the steep hairpins only to be viciously dragged away by rival fans 🤣
Despite there was a lot of cars and motorbikes, the real problem is people getting in the middle of the road, people running behind or aside riders, touching them, getting drunk, and a long etc. I never understood why people does those kind of things because it's dangerous and that was said by the riders too, but they have to be polite as in the end the public is the public and they are needed, but with respect as you and yours did there (cheering, applauding, enjoying, having an amazing day and experience from a respectful perspective)... Even when Marc Soler and Tadej Pogacar passed at the 8:00 min mark, Marc Soler was raising his arm and there's one idiot in red shirt that even though there's a huge jam in there, crosses the road, get into the little space between the stuck car and the side of the road with his phone and the motorbikes has to blow the horn at him...🫣 I go to La Vuelta each year that passes here in my city (Madrid) and I never did such things... So even though there were lots of cars and motorbikes and the organization managed so badly the situation that you perfectly explained, there's also a lack of respect from lots of people there🙂
Well said Ed. It’s a bit of an embarrassment really - like many things in the sport we love.
respect for the woman @ 6:24.
road should be just clear, also all other people could stand on the grass
Best video of that segment of Stage 17 I have seen. Too many cars could have decided the race on that day. That would have been a tragedy.😑
Good video to see what it is really like to be on the roadside. It seems that the fans get the blame on TV but maybe it is the number of cars. You need cameras on the motobikes and I guess team cars to support the riders, but there was a lot more it seems. It was good to see a fan pull a runner off the road.
agreed, the tour has WAY too many vehicles
Thanks for this Ed, I've never experienced a bike race from the fan's perspective!
Totally agree with your summing up, Ed. Tbh as well as far too many cars many of the key summits were unpleasant to watch on TV due to spectator stupidity with total lack of respect for the riders. I can’t believe any rider enjoys fighting through crazed masses & getting pushed. Needs to be less cars on these mountain routes &.longer barriers inc. summits where there are points up for grabs. Vuelta is much better run.
Need to keep the road clear. So much extra traffic!
Hey Ed, I followed the Tour all through the 80’s and early 90’s with my dad and his friends. It has always been chaos in the mountains but this was a particularly bad day.
Great job always sporting the riders and also the legends that are in the motorcade. There's many martials that need to be going ahead and behind the race as well. Glad I saw your video 🇺🇲
To play devil's advocate, I'll try to explain *why* there *has* to be that many vehicles. This is not to defend the bad experience, just to try to be on the organizers' shoes, so don't berate me.
You have to consider at least 3 motos for each big group of riders: broadcast camera, commisaire, and neutral mechanic support, which are intermittently joined by a photographer (not the same as the broadcast camera), time reference, broadcast commentator (e.g. Adam Blythe), neutral water. On a regular flat stage, this would be 3+ motos for breakaway and 3+ for peloton, but with several backups at the front and the back in case of splits. This is before we talk about team cars, commissaire cars, neutral bikes car, medic car, and certain fixed vehicles (for example, there's always a broadcast moto with the yellow jersey group, etc.). To this you have to add the time reference vehicles that pass before the riders at specific times (which increase in number as the race gets close) and other vehicles that are required everywhere, such as police/gendarmerie (especially important on mountain stages).
Now multiply that by at least 5 on a tough mountain stage: breakaway, yellow jersey group which *will* split (so at least 2), back of the peloton (which is fluid, but it's there), and groupetto, and multiply team cars by 2, as they usually have important riders in multiple groups (e.g. Jayco Alula with Yates at the front and Groenewegen at the back).
If you think that's too many, please do the exercise of determining which vehicles to remove. Here's where whatever you decide, there will be cases where the lack of those vehicles would produce similar outrage and opinions of how bad the organization is, for example if there's a puncture but no replacement wheels and a rider loses too much time, if there are no commissaire to witness a cheating move or cameras to witness the winning attack, etc. The temptation might be around removing the *many* media vehicles for non-broadcast media outlets (such as AP), but as we're talking about the third largest sporting event in the world in terms of coverage and exposure, that makes it a big no-no from a monetary and political point of view. Then you remove the VIP cars, but those are a minority, there will still be plenty of traffic.
You saw this particular instance really close, but think of how many times you've watched mountain stages over the years, and how many of those were affected by a car that was stuck. I'm sure there are more cases, but again think of how often it happens, because there are also hundreds and hundreds of kilometers ridden without incident, which don't get any video titled "THE RACE PASSED THROUGH HERE AND NOTHING HAPPENED". I saw the full climb on TV and the yellow jersey was blocked only there. You were just unlucky. This was an exception, not the rule.
A fair few riders were blocked there, the TV footage just only showed Jonas. There are more VIP cars than you could imagine sadly, and then the cars with only a driver in them. I do appreciate and understand how the bubble works of course, racing Tour of Britain and other events with high level security and media coverage. Hopefully they change how they operate and review each stage ahead of time to ensure they only use the bare minimum to support riders and get the best coverage, best of both worlds.
@@edlaverack I'm not convinced 'bare minimum to support riders' would be the best of all worlds, as you'd end up with potentially fringe issues not covered & potentially influence the race another way. We saw what can happen if riders are left to rely on neutral service a couple days later with the comedy moment of that giant chap in the breakway ending up on what looked like a childs bike for him & a bike with wrong pedals. Also - considering the VIP cars not 'essential' and disposable, ignores the fact the organisations need to make money, I assume a bunch of these front row seats are paid for (but maybe not?).
Going up steep mountain passes is what we want to see its what makes the race insane & separates the riders. BUT - it is also where the cars/race vehicles will have most logistical problems, it's where fans can cause most issues with crowding & blocking riders and it's also where the time gaps & race impact would be huge if riders weren't sufficiently supported in event of mechanicals etc --- a very very difficult situation to manage, but by and large it goes off without major hitches each year so I reckon they _usually_ do a pretty good job.
It always seems like theres too many vehicles for the race (just from heli shots), but as original poster said once you run through it, hard to identify many you can remove without potential other issues - and if you're only finding a handful, it's making no tangible difference.
Brilliant content Ed i got to get back to the Alps to watch the tour again 😂.
You are 100 percent right to many cars and bikes on the road . It does spoil the bike racing. Great video.
Thanks 👍
Always been crazy in the mountains .. Good atmosphere though you could feel the energy . Even in the modern world it still has that old school bike race buzz from all the madness around the event.
Well said Charlie
Well said Ed!
Thanks for sharing your experience and your insights. It was a bad day, no way around it. The organization made a bad call allowing so many cars and motorbikes up the hill. You can't really say that it was not for seen either. The previous days showed them that people were coming out in large numbers, which is great for the race. They should have taken more steps to make sure that the path for the cyclists were as clear as possible. But thanks for showing a unique perspective of that stage.
This year was to crazy. When i Walked Down from Grand colombier some danish and Slovenian fans Got arrested because they Got into a fight over pogacar and Jonas. To many drunk people that dosent come to Watch the tour de france But comming to party like a maniac on the mountains for 3 days straight. Not even seems to be cycling fans when.
THE ROAD IS FOR THE RIDERS NOT THE SPECTATORS
Riders who have been training up to the tour de france and the worlds for months got knocked Down because people wanted a selfie while they rode past Them they only look trough the phone not even watching and enjoy when they comes by
Alberto clossing the window has got to be one of the funniest moments 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Well said 😊
The way the curve was blocked is as follows: there are too many fans, so vehicles slow down, so some vehicles stop and can't start again on such a steep part of the course.
There are some ways to avoid this:
1. reduce the number of vehicles. They (the organiser) promised to work on this.
2. fence of the road. They (the organiser) could do more. Even if only it means to install some ropes, or make sure there are more stewards / cops.
3. have more responsible fans not blocking the road for vehicles so vehicles can drive without obstacles. That's probably too much asked, so back to number 2.
To blame the vehicles while it's clear they have to slow down because fans are all over the road... Sorry, not enough introspection.
💯 Excess of vehicles and stupid spectators on the roads are ruining races. Frustrating to watch, I can’t imagine how the riders feel.
I'm old enough to remembering when riders put newspapers down their jerseys at the top of mountains because it was.... cold
Think they will to stop spectators running in the road to
That stage was pure carnage both on and off the bike.
News just in.. Apparently, Alberto has apologised to fans, for not acknowledging them. Turns out he was busy ordering a steak for his dinner.
A low fuel tank was probably what caused the motorbike to stop.
Its more like a traffic jam with riders squeezing by...
I feel so sorry for the riders blocked roads it needs sorting out otherwise what's the point of Racing
See what you’re saying but it’s always been part of the tour madness, it’s kind of what makes it, my father went over to watch the tour in the 70s and he couldn’t believe the craziness 🤣 fans pushing their heroes up the steep hairpins only to be viciously dragged away by rival fans 🤣
On a Mathieu Begaudau!!!!!!!
Shambles. Could have lost the race for someone if it was still down to seconds.
Since when has common sense reigned on the Tour? Its French - what more can one say.....
maybe it was rigged
Despite there was a lot of cars and motorbikes, the real problem is people getting in the middle of the road, people running behind or aside riders, touching them, getting drunk, and a long etc. I never understood why people does those kind of things because it's dangerous and that was said by the riders too, but they have to be polite as in the end the public is the public and they are needed, but with respect as you and yours did there (cheering, applauding, enjoying, having an amazing day and experience from a respectful perspective)... Even when Marc Soler and Tadej Pogacar passed at the 8:00 min mark, Marc Soler was raising his arm and there's one idiot in red shirt that even though there's a huge jam in there, crosses the road, get into the little space between the stuck car and the side of the road with his phone and the motorbikes has to blow the horn at him...🫣
I go to La Vuelta each year that passes here in my city (Madrid) and I never did such things... So even though there were lots of cars and motorbikes and the organization managed so badly the situation that you perfectly explained, there's also a lack of respect from lots of people there🙂