• Mailbag

Mailbag: Big Hair Superfan, and others, defend the AToC runners.

by VeloNews.com

• March 02, 2009
• Comments Off

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Message from Mr. Big Hair Superfan, himself
Editor,

RE: Last week’s Mailbag.

If it wasn’t for the fans there would be no bike racing. If we were not buying bike products then racers would have no salaries. For the people who do not believe in the runners, please stay home and enjoy watching the race from your couch.

Bike racing is a spectator sport where you can see and run next to your heroes without paying anything. There is no bigger rush than running next to your favorite runner and having him look at you and say “Give me a push”

What a rush! Thanks VeloNews for all your support for cycling also.
Big Hair Superfan
Arroyo Grande, California

Boo. Hiss. Whistle
Editor,

“Boooooooo!” This is me showing my disapproval of Ken from Iowa and Dan from Germany (except in Dan’s case I’m whistling at him, because that’s how they “boo” over in Europe) for their too-cool-for-school attitude towards the Tour of California Super Fans. I love the Super Fans.
Marc Bertucco,
New York, New York

LOL
Editors,

I laughed out loud reading your Mailbag this week. Predictably, a ex-patriot fan of Eurotrash is concerned that we in the U.S. now have runners wearing horned helmets and Elvis wigs while endangering the riders like they do in Europe. Rightly so that we need to protect them.

But how? Whiffle Bats? That is the best idea I have ever heard. Only because paint ball guns would be too painful and not as slap stick worthy.

But somehow Dan from Germany reminds me of English soccer fans during the 2004 World Cup pontificating on how bad U.S. soccer is while the English team lost as the U.S. went on to the quarter finals.

“All hail all things from Europe!” Even the runner idiots! Okay … you have better idiots. Ours are not “poetic” (did he really call the European idiots poetic?) Hopefully we will not do to the runner idiots what Starbucks did to the quaint European coffee shop. Or even worse. Place top on the podium of the TDF again, and again, and again …

Having said that, congratulations to all involved with the Tour of California. Wonderful job!
Philip Bader,
Atlanta, Georgia

Barriers needed
Editor,

I was 300 meters from the Palomar KOM for the AToC and I agree with the letter writers that these “runners” are paying less attention to the race than their 15 seconds of fame.

While it would seem from the videos that a few motos might quell the problem, I can tell you that there were plenty of motos and Highway Patrol and the crazies just ignored them. 

What will solve the problem, at least near the top where the KOM sprints play out, are barriers.  They need not be bulky or super secure, they only need to define where one can and cannot be for the 20 seconds that it takes for the riders to pass. 

There were plenty of us up on Palomar who would gladly place and remove some lightweight barriers under simple direction of the race staff.  Given that most of us were up there for at least two hours, it would be easy to organize — after the road closes, the fans put the barriers in place and then, just a few minutes before the race arrives, link them together.

That would give the true fans a way to help regulate the attention seekers, and we could all see the race more clearly as it passed.

My two cents,
Brian Clement,
La Jolla, California

More on the fans
Editor,

Having just read the letters about “annoying” fans at the ToC, I think the writers of such letters are a bunch of complaining whiners, and party-poopers to boot. As noted by anyone who watched the race, fan turnout was superb, which was particularly impressive for the first several days when the weather was nasty.

But these complainers are offended by the rowdy runners and clowns and bizarre outfits.

I had a good chuckle watching these fools, and love the enthusiasm. I’d say that a chubby guy in only a lime-green thong on top of a snowy mountain is pretty funny. “Antler Man” was equally impressive, apparently doing it all with MTB cleats on. I certainly don’t want to see any mishaps with the riders, but this threat exists everywhere there are open roads. Any fan of the sport knows there have been plenty of fan-rider incidents over the years on European roads (ask Lance about being spat upon up Alpe d’Huez). For all of this jack-assery, there were no incidents in the ToC.

Fans are free to dress as they wish, scream and yell, or simply applaud. The idea that someone needs to hire goons to beat people with whiffle-ball bats is absurd, and rather sadistic.
Rich Pearlstein,
Atlanta, Georgia

Handmade Love
Editor,

Please let Zack Vestal know that readers are digging his coverage of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show.

The copy is good, as are the photographs. I’m especially pleased that he is bringing reports on smaller builders.

I respect Rivendell, Vanilla, et al, but they are not the only builders out there — nice to get to know some of the others in the industry.

My next bike will be a custom by a small builder, so I am reading with great interest. There is some nice work being done, per VeloNews‘ coverage.

I can’t get to Indianapolis, so reading about it on VeloNews is the next best thing.

Bill Edmonds,
Tallahassee, Florida