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Contador's punch on the guy dressed as a doctor - great photo from yesterday.

10 months ago Slow_k_tiny slowK 57 comments 0 recs  | 

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My initial thoughts were

1. Well done Alberto

2. That’s great placement of the Specialized logo

by slowK on Jul 23, 2011 12:00 AM EDT reply actions  

Dickhead spectator.., Where is rider safety

"the rest was over 30. And that doesn't mean old and useless, but experienced and with the stamina"

Jens! Voigt, Crit Intl Interview, 2009

by CycleGirl on Jul 23, 2011 12:01 AM EDT reply actions  

"Alberto says no"

Dude, I can see my house from here

by shades on Jul 23, 2011 2:34 AM EDT reply actions  

"You couldn't stop me in 2009, Lance, and you can't stop me now..."

I hate to admit it, but I am starting to like Contador just a tiny bit.

My second place behind Contador is worth a lot--Michele Scarponi

by tgartner on Jul 23, 2011 2:47 AM EDT reply actions  

haha winnaar!

I'm feverished, or the way you want to spell it

by plinytheelder on Jul 23, 2011 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions  

I'm not a pugilist

But I do think he need to work a bit on his technique.

Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...

by TheFigurehead on Jul 23, 2011 4:09 AM EDT up reply actions  

Here!

Take my pulse!

It seems as though Cavendish rides faster on some climbs than the fastest climbers in front of the race. Danilo Hondo

by singhstax on Jul 23, 2011 6:32 AM EDT reply actions  

"What took you so long to bring me my drugs..."

or “Idiot! I said bring them on June 22 not July 22nd!”

by PackFaninFL on Jul 23, 2011 12:26 PM EDT reply actions  

Whatever...!

The reason or who it is is not important… I will never understand how this idiots get so close to the athletes, I am surprise that nothing worst ever happen…. You know is a lot of crazy people attending all sports…. One day someone will really get hurt by an idiot like this and then we will regret not to take safety measures before.

by pablo777 on Jul 23, 2011 6:14 PM EDT reply actions   1 recs

when you sit back and think on the tragedies in Norway the past coupla days..

it certainly sets those alarm bells in the back of the mind a ringing.

by Jonny_Red on Jul 23, 2011 6:54 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions  

yeah

and it wasn’t just the outfit – the guy was really hassling him

by yeehoo on Jul 24, 2011 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions  

Not my face! Not my face! Oof.... You brute you!

    Alberto provoked into doing some talking with his fists.

There are so many aspects to the sport that you have to take into consideration. Cycling is not like math. You can't plan things exactly. - Alberto Contador 24/07/10

by flying dog on Jul 23, 2011 6:54 PM EDT reply actions  

Some of these fans simply deserve no less.

IIRC the dude on the other side got swept off the road by a gendarme.

"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton

by sminer on Jul 23, 2011 8:11 PM EDT reply actions  

He could have just pushed him away...

He punched him in the face, he might have hurt him real bad.

by PackFaninFL on Jul 23, 2011 8:13 PM EDT up reply actions  

These cyclists put up with thousands of fans on these climbs

year in and year out. It’s rare when they let loose on a fan like this. Stethoscope man reached inside AC’s space, AC let him know he crossed the line. Doesn’t really matter whether you think Contador was frustrated or not.

"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton

by sminer on Jul 23, 2011 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions   1 recs

amen

I'm feverished, or the way you want to spell it

by plinytheelder on Jul 23, 2011 9:21 PM EDT up reply actions  

(also: Tour’s almost over, will soon leave ;)

I'm feverished, or the way you want to spell it

by plinytheelder on Jul 23, 2011 9:25 PM EDT up reply actions  

I don't get the hate

Contador’s apparently one of the nicest guys in the peloton. I don’t see how anyone could hate him.

What did he do to you?

by Runitout on Jul 23, 2011 10:38 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions  

(you’ve got to be careful who you’re replying to)

"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind

by umwolverine on Jul 23, 2011 10:41 PM EDT up reply actions  

I Seahorsed

Aah well, point made.

by Runitout on Jul 23, 2011 10:51 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions  

just didn't want JJY getting on you (he's had a stressful day).

"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind

by umwolverine on Jul 23, 2011 11:30 PM EDT up reply actions  

hehe

I'm feverished, or the way you want to spell it

by plinytheelder on Jul 24, 2011 7:44 AM EDT up reply actions  

The guy was carrying a syringe.

Contador’s punch is right up there with Armstrong’s knocking the guy over in Tour of California: really unnecessary when you consider how many other fans get really close to these riders.

by R Mc on Jul 24, 2011 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions  

Syringe guy didn't come that close, did he?

And that was on a wide, uncrowded road. This guy reached out and put a stethoscope against Contador who had absolutely nowhere to go.

"On paper, your team is awesome." -- Pigeons on my WVDS team, and life in general.

by tedvdw on Jul 24, 2011 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions  

plus

all he did really was forcefully push the guy’s hand out of his face

by yeehoo on Jul 24, 2011 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions  

There is no reason, and no excuse to justify a fan being that close.

What would Deming do? (+8:00 GMT)

by Ryan_Liles on Jul 25, 2011 4:19 AM EDT up reply actions  

I just saw the video...

if you look at the video, the fan was holding a stethoscope mockingly wanting to measure Contador’s heart rate. That’s all. He DIDN"T touch Contador! I think Contador was just royally frustrated and unleashed on that fan.

Contador, we, the fans, make this sport possible. YOu make your money because of US. Relax and show us respect.

Here’s the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0W__FNIGwA

by PackFaninFL on Jul 23, 2011 8:11 PM EDT reply actions  

You don't speak for "we, the fans". You speak for yourself.

And, if you ever find yourself on Alpe d’Huez shoving a stethoscope in one of these guy’s way, I hope you too see what it’s like to be decked by a cyclist going up an HC climb. Respect is earned and antagonizing cyclists (or all of us here on PdC all day long) is not how respect is earned.

by JustJoshinYa on Jul 23, 2011 10:15 PM EDT up reply actions  

What a load of self-entitled horseshit

Noone has the right to harrass and interfere with a rider like that. Cheering is fine. Yell if you must. Wear funny outfits. But this is the biggest bike race in the world- it is not a stage for some drunken idiot to perform amateur theatre hour halfway up the Alpe, endangering himself, the rider, and those around him.

Contador

by Runitout on Jul 23, 2011 10:18 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions  

Apperently you nor anyone else watched the video

Nor read what I typed.

I wasn’t saying the guy wasn’t in the wrong, but why not just slap his hand or just push him away a little? Imagine if he punched him in his eye and he lost his eye, or after punching him the guy hits the floor and was knocked unconscious and gets run over or rolls off the side of the road into a ditch (unlikely in this particular case, but you get my drift).

That’s why they have police all over the place, the guy probably would have been arrested and taught a lesson in any event. And if not, that rule should be in place. But don’t punch the poor guy for being an overenthusiastic fan — that’s just pathetic.

Not to get too philosophical, but we as humans need to rise up against the reflexive belief that violence solves things — violence breeds greater violence (I shudder to think of the demonstration effect of this or what boundaries we will pass next, which why I think Prudhomme should make a statement with this incident). As Gandhi said, “an eye for an eye makes us all blind.” Unfortunately, Contador has failed to mature in this regard, as has much of humanity.

Anyways, sorry for daring to stick up for one of the peasants against cycling’s royalty.

by PackFaninFL on Jul 23, 2011 11:32 PM EDT up reply actions  

You saw that exchange

As Contador being the one who needs to mature?

Riiiiight.

And a small note- don’t assume that because we don’t agree with you, we haven’t read you. I’m finding quite the opposite correlation.

by Runitout on Jul 24, 2011 2:31 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions  

An eye for an eye only makes us half blind.

A response like the one you presented is what makes humanity weaker.

by DriftNasty on Jul 24, 2011 2:42 AM EDT up reply actions  

So now you think the riders are the ones acting out of line?

Jeez…
That guy (as most dressed up idiots and runners) was not interested in cycling at all.
These fools only want to be on tv and – who knows – even make it into news-broadcasts or papers. To achieve this goal they annoy riders who are physicaly at their limit during the most important race of the year. Sometimes they even interfere with the race (Guerini?). And if you want to harass a rider who’s HR is at 190 and who’s got pure adrenalin pumping though his veins, you can expect this kind of reaction. Hell, you deserve it. I even hope some other spectators gave him a friendly slap on the nose too.

by broerie on Jul 24, 2011 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions  

As uptight as Contador may be

Fans like that pose a definite danger to them, let alone an infringement on their privacy and ability to do their job.

What if the guy had tripped over his very flowy gown and fallen into him? I doubt we would be saying he was innocent then. To me, the mockery is equally as bad as the danger.

My fruit bowl is full of sex wax--gavia

by Douglas Ansel on Jul 23, 2011 10:22 PM EDT up reply actions  

I’d love to see the Tour arrest – and publicize the arrest – of a few of the bozos

moo

by Willj on Jul 24, 2011 5:41 AM EDT up reply actions   1 recs

yeah this is the point

think about it – you’re on the limit, having dropped everyone on the iconic climb of the Tour, and these idiots are coming right up to you and getting in your face? That’s not fandom, that’s the selfish idiocy of trying to get yourself on camera. The danger is with the riders – it’s happened plenty of times that these guys have tripped and caused injury to the guy whose bike they ended up knocking over. Or worse – ask Merckx about the guy who punched him in the stomach and cost him a chance at the Tour.

Contador’s reaction was fine, just like Armstrong’s reaction was fine at the Tour of California a couple of years ago when he knocked that dude into the ditch. If you want to be a fan, be a fan, not a clown.

I'm feverished, or the way you want to spell it

by plinytheelder on Jul 24, 2011 7:48 AM EDT up reply actions   1 recs

"we the fans" pay him?

With all of the ticket receipts from the races, no doubt. I would say cycling has a bigger disconnect between fan participation and athlete salary than any other sport (struggling to think of any other free-to-spectate sports).

If you’ve bought a Specialized bike or opened an account at Saxo because of him, maybe. But that’s pretty extended logic.

Jens Voigt doesn’t know where you live, but he knows exactly where you will die.

by OnTheRivet on Jul 23, 2011 11:26 PM EDT up reply actions  

True + the fans are the ones standing by the side of the road

supporting and cheering for the riders. Not the dressed up runners. These guys only have one goal in mind: be on tv. They’re not there to watch the race or support the riders.

by broerie on Jul 24, 2011 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions  

Your lack of context...it is underwhelming

here is a cyclist who has just completed 19 days of racing and has gone all out up two monster climbs, after attacking on another you think he has the ability to look exactly what a man in a doctor costume actually has in his hands? And you think a man in a doctors costume and something in his hand doesn’t at all seem like someone who may be a bit loony and could cause harm? Do you also think a man in a doctor costume, looking like either a disrespectful punk or a complete fool, represents the fans? You also think a fan has any rights when approaching an athlete in their territory? Cycling may not have any physical boundaries to the athletes but that doesn’t mean no rules apply. If a fan ran onto a football field they would make tackled by security and their injuries would not bother anyone, as it was their stupidity. That fan deserved to be punched in his balls about 250 times.

by Phil H. on Jul 24, 2011 5:53 AM EDT up reply actions   1 recs

well put

I’d do the same as Contador every time if I saw some loon in a mask get within inches of me

I'm feverished, or the way you want to spell it

by plinytheelder on Jul 24, 2011 7:50 AM EDT up reply actions  

Only just watched it now.

That’s nothing at all, I was thinking he slugged the guy by the way you spoke of it, that was like swatting away an annoying little fly.

by agl on Jul 27, 2011 7:09 PM EDT up reply actions  

I don't think he consciously aimed for the guy's face

If he did then it was a decent effort considering he was climbing the alpe! But you see riders brushing off spectators all the time when they really invade their space and I think that’s fine. I also think there should be more done to reprimand wayward roadside nutters with on the spot small fines from the gendarmes for example. However, whilst I wouldn’t condone that spectator’s actions, Contador has less grounds for complaint than some other riders and has to ask himself the question – why should the fans respect him when he’s shown such little respect for the sport they love? Regardless of the UCI’s hopeless verdict timescale, Contador’s a big boy now and should have skulked off into a hole ages ago rather than continue to insult our intelligence and until he does I think he’ll have to live with the boos and whistles of fans who want a clean sport. As a rider I loved his style and attitude but as a doper I have no time for him.

by PrinceBuster on Jul 25, 2011 5:48 AM EDT reply actions  

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