# What happen to thrown water bottles?



## novetan (1 Sep 2014)

I wonder if anyone, team members, organiser or any govt agencies follow up to pick up thrown water bottle, esp along remote route where no spectators around to salvage it.

21 stages consisting 20+ teams will accumulate hell alot. Those are non degradable materials !


----------



## ianrauk (1 Sep 2014)

At the Tour Of Britain there was a cleaning wagon that followed behind the whole shebang picking up everything.


----------



## Dogtrousers (1 Sep 2014)

Sean Kelly was saying recently that pro teams use biodegradeable bottles.
How long they take to degrade, I have no idea.

Interesting article: http://theconversation.com/the-tour-de-france-race-of-beauty-or-environmental-hazard-26344


----------



## John the Monkey (1 Sep 2014)

A fair few of the bottles are biodegradable now.

Innrng has covered this a couple of times;
http://inrng.com/2013/02/trash-talk-racing-waste/


----------



## Beebo (1 Sep 2014)

A large percentage will be picked up by fans


----------



## Hacienda71 (1 Sep 2014)

I was cycling up a well known local climb in the Peak District a week or so ago and the guy in front of me finished his drink and casually lobbed an empty high 5 bidon over the fence into the farmers field. Not impressed.... I was going to say something as I passed him, but really didn't want a confrontation with anyone at that time.


----------



## Strathlubnaig (1 Sep 2014)

Hacienda71 said:


> I was cycling up a well known local climb in the Peak District a week or so ago and the guy in front of me finished his drink and casually lobbed an empty high 5 bidon over the fence into the farmers field. Not impressed.... I was going to say something as I passed him, but really didn't want a confrontation with anyone at that time.


What a knob. Must think he is a real pro.


----------



## Strathlubnaig (1 Sep 2014)

After the Dauphiné stage we saw in June part of the ride home covered a chunk of the days route, and there were numerous folks in cars and on bikes slowly cruising the road looking for tossed bidons. Don't think too many go uncollected.


----------



## slowmotion (1 Sep 2014)

Everything is "Biodegradable", me included. Even a banana skin lasts for more than a year in a hedge. Lobbing stuff this way and that doesn't do cyclists any favours really. It's just being a littering slob. OK, maybe they want to disseminate their sponsors products to a wider audience of hedgehogs.


----------



## beastie (2 Sep 2014)

Ooh it makes me mad. Just take your litter home. The pro peloton has a shocking attitude towards it. The green zones should be enforced, with a time penalty for littering, 10 seconds for illegal disposal, 3 strikes and your out the race.


----------



## slowmotion (2 Sep 2014)

beastie said:


> Ooh it makes me mad. Just take your litter home. The pro peloton has a shocking attitude towards it. The green zones should be enforced, with a time penalty for littering, 10 seconds for illegal disposal, 3 strikes and your out the race.


 The organisers will pick it all up...innit?????????


----------



## jack smith (2 Sep 2014)

Fans mainly but the bottles they use do biodegrade, my two elite bottles say they do it in two weeks on the side


----------



## slowmotion (2 Sep 2014)

jack smith said:


> Fans mainly but the bottles they use do biodegrade, my two elite bottles say they do it in two weeks on the side


Ever put it to the test yourself? Give the name of the product and I will try it. It sounds like absolute crap to me. I could put a clean piece of tissue paper by the side of the road and it would still be there in six months.


----------



## slowmotion (2 Sep 2014)

slowmotion said:


> Ever put it to the test yourself? Give the name of the product and I will try it. It sounds like absolute crap to me. I could put a clean piece of tissue paper by the side of the road and it would still be there in six months.


 Actually, adding a load of crap would hasten the process.


----------



## HF2300 (2 Sep 2014)

User14044mountain said:


> I got this from the TdF Grand Depart
> 
> View attachment 54904



It'll survive long enough to become collectable, then biodegrade before your very eyes.


----------



## cosmicbike (2 Sep 2014)

jack smith said:


> Fans mainly but the bottles they use do biodegrade, my two elite bottles say they do it in two weeks on the side


So you have to buy new bottles every 2 weeks, that must be very frustrating


----------



## novetan (2 Sep 2014)

So those bottles are mainly biodegradable. But I really doubt it will degrade right before your eyes in 2 weeks. I like to see some concrete evident or someone can really testify to that. Quite hard to believe those organiser will comb every inch left to right of the entire route for the 21 stages.


----------



## Longshot (2 Sep 2014)

They should give you give you some coins for bringing back empty bottles.


----------



## w00hoo_kent (2 Sep 2014)

novetan said:


> So those bottles are mainly biodegradable. But I really doubt it will degrade right before your eyes in 2 weeks. I like to see some concrete evident or someone can really testify to that. Quite hard to believe those organiser will comb every inch left to right of the entire route for the 21 stages.


I'd imagine with energy drink inside they'd degrade quicker, it's probably also presuming they will be sat in direct (and decent) sunlight.

I have a thing when watching bike racing on TV of watching where the bottles get chucked, in the current Vuelta a lot of them are going off of bridges or in to pretty scrubby/crappy terrain so far, you'd need to be both dedicated and well kitted out to find and then retrieve any of those.


----------



## novetan (4 Sep 2014)

w00hoo_kent said:


> I have a thing when watching bike racing on TV of watching where the bottles get chucked, in the current Vuelta a lot of them are going off of bridges or in to pretty scrubby/crappy terrain so far, you'd need to be both dedicated and well kitted out to find and then retrieve any of those.



No way a person will be so dedicated and well kitted to retrieve. If pay is low, no one will carry out concentiously unless pay/bottle. A through job will be a very expensive exercise.


----------



## Mankul (4 Sep 2014)

Most of the thrown bottles are usually picked up by supporters.


----------



## w00hoo_kent (4 Sep 2014)

Mankul said:


> Most of the thrown bottles are usually picked up by supporters.


I can't imagine there are figures for this, but I dispute it. Maybe in the English stages of the TdF they were because there didn't seem to be a mile of road not lined with people but outside of the towns and climbs they are often riding through pretty empty landscape and just as likely to toss a bottle. If they only threw bottles where they might be collected I'd be less bothered (to be honest I'm only really mildly peeved, I'm not going to write to my MP about it or anything :-) ) but you don't have to watch much racing on telly to see a bottle, or musette, getting tossed to the side on a bit of road with no spectators around, or in to terrain that it isn't going to be retrieved from.

And that also comfortably sidesteps gels which I can't imagine anyone picking up as a souvenir, unless they were trying to clone Sagan for personal use or some such.


----------



## HF2300 (4 Sep 2014)

w00hoo_kent said:


> ... unless they were trying to clone Sagan for personal use...



Blast, I'll have to find a new evil plan now. An army of Jensies it is then.


----------



## Bollo (4 Sep 2014)

Screaming off topic..... 

On my trip over to watch stages 4 and 5 of this year's tour, my ride partner had brought along a union flag which we stuck to the railings near the start of stage 4. Before the ride-out, the promo caravan came trundling along throwing out freebies to the spectators. What we enjoyed most was the people throwing the stuff would just begin to lob something in our direction, spot the flag and then contort themselves to direct the goods to the opposite side. We at least had some hope for the Visit Yorkshire skoda, but true to form, they weren't giving "out for nowt".
Top tip then - don't go and watch the Tour looking like an Orange Order parade, instead stand across from same and fill yer boots.


----------



## SpecialManzied (5 Sep 2014)

In certains races (but not World Tour races) there is also the green zone. It's the only place you can throw the water bottle if you don't want be disqualified by the jury.

Not a bad idea, but of course it isn't always possible.

We have to hope in passionate fans


----------



## Globalti (12 Sep 2014)

I don't buy this story about biodegradable plastic. Does it really exist?

On the London 100 last month the organisers were handing out energy gels at the foot of a small rise called Wimbledon Hill. For half a mile the road was carpeted with empty sachets - I am sure they managed to pick most of them up but I bet a fair few escaped into hedges, gardens, drains etc.

In the Cape Argus race you are warned not to throw gel sachets as the baboons pick them up, squeeze them then go nuts on the unaccustomed energy boost. Not to mention the danger caused when they dash out into the road.


----------



## uphillstruggler (12 Sep 2014)

Managed to snaffle this from a stage at the Vuelta earlier this month. there were hoards of cars and riders sweeping the roads and hedges for the thrown bottles.


----------



## rich p (12 Sep 2014)

I saw someone on the TOB yesterday lob a bottle into a river as the peloton crossed over a bridge. A bit nawty!


----------



## HF2300 (12 Sep 2014)

rich p said:


> I saw someone on the TOB yesterday lob a bottle into a river as the peloton crossed over a bridge. A bit nawty!



Maybe there was a message in it. Or the peloton were playing a cycling version of Pooh sticks.


----------



## rich p (12 Sep 2014)

HF2300 said:


> Maybe there was a message in it. Or the peloton were playing a cycling version of Pooh sticks.


Possibly an Anpost rider trying out a different delivery method/


----------



## anyuser (12 Sep 2014)

i picked up 16 at the Vuelta this year!! There were motorcyclists and cars driving along picking up all the bottles they could find.

i also have some 'biodegradeable' ones from the Vuelta from 2 years ago and they are still usable, no signs of degrading. But then again they dont see much sunlight on my rides in the UK.


----------



## HF2300 (12 Sep 2014)

rich p said:


> Possibly an Anpost rider trying out a different delivery method/



It'd be quicker and more reliable than some courier services I've used.


----------



## Peteaud (12 Sep 2014)

I thought the TOB had green zones.


----------

