Tour of Flanders spoilers

[Adam4868]

Complain if you like, but it sounds like special pleading for allowing cycle events to continue to flytip wrappers and bottles along their whole route. This improvement should affect far more sportive riders than the supertuck ban. Littering simply isn't acceptable any more.

I take your point regarding littering.But disqualified for throwing to spectators ? If it was seen as unsafe maybe.Im pretty sure your allowed to pass them to them,but just not throw.Maybe a time penalty at worst...but you've got to feel for the riders getting booted off for it.

 

[matticus]

Complain if you like, but it sounds like special pleading for allowing cycle events to continue to flytip wrappers and bottles along their whole route. This improvement should affect far more sportive riders than the supertuck ban. Littering simply isn't acceptable any more.

Sportive riders aren't generally throwing bottles. They will be fans of the sport (or "racing wannabees" if you prefer); they know about throwing bottles to fans, and peeps collecting them as souvenirs.

And no-one here is supporting the "flytiping of wrappers".

 

[mjr]

Sportive riders aren't generally throwing bottles. They will be fans of the sport (or "racing wannabees" if you prefer); they know about throwing bottles to fans, and peeps collecting them as souvenirs.

That is not what I've seen and if it is so rare, why else are biodegrading bottles sold to sportivers lately?

And no-one here is supporting the "flytiping of wrappers".

Same rule, isn't it?

Make an exception for throwing to fans and every rider will claim to have seen a fan who did not collect the bottle, so you can kiss the rule goodbye. Let fans who want bottles go to the discard zone.

 

[Adam4868]

To sportive riders actually throw their bottles ? 😅

 

[mjr]

To sportive riders actually throw their bottles ? 😅

https://forum.bikeradar.com/discussion/comment/15396810/#Comment_15396810 for one of the nicer discussions. The stuff on national park and AONB facebook groups after a sportive is a lot less nice!

Everything up to tyres and clothing gets discarded. It must stop and bravo UCI for setting an example on it.

 

[matticus]

To sportive riders actually throw their bottles ? 😅

MIght be confusing it with throwing their toys?

Being serious, I have a horrible picture taken on the lower slopes of Alpe d'Huez in peak sportive season (around 2009? The tour had a shortish stage finish there a week later). About a zillion gel wrappers.
I did not see any bottles.

 

[matticus]

Let fans who want bottles go to the discard zone.

Not a great idea during a pandemic ( or "post-pandemic") period. Have you thought this through?

 

[Adam4868]

I wouldn't suck on anybody's bottle....well maybe only Chris 😍

 

[mjr]

Not a great idea during a pandemic ( or "post-pandemic") period. Have you thought this through?

Yes. Have you thought it through for now? I think fans were banned Sunday on pain of €250 fine, but I assume the police were too busy to verbalise all of the ones not at their own or friends' homes.

The caravan was not present Sunday due to the pandemic. Should riders really be handing out rewards for disobeying the request to stay away and watch on TV? If anything, it justifies a penalty more.

 

[matticus]

While I do think that DQ'ing Shar was heavy handed and OTT, I think some on social media (not necessarily here) are laying it on a bit thick with the "won't somebody think of the kiddies, reaching out with their pitiful little hands for a souvenir bottle". As if handing out plastic bottles to orphans was in the founding articles of the UCI.

Are you including Alex Dowsett in that?

(You're probably right about "... being made examples of "pour encourager les autres"." French lingo always impresses me! )

 

[roadrash]

As said above if seen throwing bottles away into fields ar down the road , then fine but throwing to spectators has always been doe surely discretion could be used sensibly.....yeah i know..... sensibly ......some chance of that happening

 

[matticus]

As said above if seen throwing bottles away into fields ar down the road , then fine but throwing to spectators has always been doe surely discretion could be used sensibly.....yeah i know..... sensibly ......some chance of that happening

Discretion has been a pillar of road-racing since the year dot. (it is mainly run by the French!). Not always perfect, but as we so often see, badly written rules - adhered to without flexibilty - are almost always worse ...

(Or should sticky bottles be banned too ... )

 

[bitsandbobs]

Letizia Borghesi was also DQd from the women's race for throwing a bottle. Her fine from the UCI was bigger than the winner's prize money.

 

[matticus]

I got about 16
View attachment 583192

:-(

Are they ALL the same?
Seems like quite a coincidence 🤔

P.s. good work.