Tour de France
Touch-and-go Tour: Fans' frenzy puts cyclists in peril

By Jerome Pugmire
The Associated Press

DOUG PENSINGER / GETTY IMAGES Belgium's Axel Merkx, followed by George Hincapie and Floyd Landis of the U.S., ride through as a sea of cycling fans parts on the climb to La Mongie in the Pyrenees last Friday.

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NIMES, France — Lance Armstrong has touched thousands of people and, seemingly, almost as many have touched him.

The Tour de France is a unique event that allows fans to get up close and personal with cycling's biggest stars. As riders climb mountains, gasping for breath and legs weary, spectators often run alongside, patting them on their backs with encouragement.

But the passion can get out of hand, and occasional accidents are virtually impossible to prevent, despite police who help keep back the millions of fans who attend the race along more than 2,000 miles of road.

Suddenly, someone jumps out waving a giant flag in front of the bike, then pulls it away in a split second, like a matador waving at a bull. Others throw water. Some shout praise — or insults.

If mountain climbs, rain, crashes with other riders, and road hazards like cobblestones weren't hard enough, cyclists also have to worry about fans knocking them over.

"You can't ride next to the crowd, I personally learned that," Armstrong said. "There's so many people, the speeds are higher, the people aren't all educated about bike racing. Riders hit spectators all the time. It's dangerous."

In last year's Tour, the Texan's handlebars got snagged on a fan's plastic bag on an ascent to Luz Ardiden. He tumbled to the ground — dragging Spaniard Iban Mayo with him — but got back on his bike and won the stage.

Armstrong concedes he was to blame for the accident because he was too close to the fans.

"Every time I see one, I'm just like: 'Oh, no, stay away from me,' " the five-time champion said.

In Saturday's 13th stage, Armstrong came perilously close to another fall. Riding ahead of the pack, he and Italian rider Ivan Basso were sucked into a vortex of near-hysterical fans on an uphill climb.

One fan waved a giant American flag close to Armstrong's face. Another slapped him on the back, and his bike wobbled. Then came a home stretch packed with screaming Basque fans. The gap to pass was frighteningly narrow.

"I looked at him and he looked at me," Armstrong recalled, referring to Basso. They thought, " 'Man, it's unbelievable that we made it through there without getting killed.' "

Jean-Francois Prescheux, a member of the Tour organizing committee, said fan interference is a risk that has been part of the race for 101 years — and things are not about to change.

"The Tour is the Tour and the public needs to be close to the riders," he said.

Most spectators are appreciative, often waiting hours in the rain just to see riders zip by in seconds. Armstrong said such support is not lost on him.

"There's nothing like it," he said.

Overall leaders

France's Thomas Voeckler takes a 22-second lead over Lance Armstrong into today's 15th stage.

1. Thomas Voeckler, France, 62 hours, 33 minutes, 11 seconds.

2. Lance Armstrong, U.S., 0:22 behind.

3. Ivan Basso, Italy, 1:39 behind.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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