Sporting conduct. Clearly an alien concept here.

[YCCMB]

Watching French sports "fans" and their behaviour today on the Alpe d'Huez must make the nation proud.

Oh, and the sportsmanlike conduct of Romain Bardet who sprinted away from the group (including the much-booed Froome and Thomas) who slowed down to wait for Vincenzo Nibali. Because taking a French victory at all costs is what fair play is all about. Chapeau. Only it didn't pan out. So boo the winner.

[EuroTrash]

I don't understand the comment about Bardet. There was no question of stopping the race, was there? Why would you slow down to wait for another competitor? What am I missing here?

I agree that crowd behaviour has been unacceptable. But not sure why you assume everyone in the crowd is "French sports fans". The TDF crowds I've seen have been very multinational, you could even say French is a minority language, and a vast number of people who go make no pretence of being sports fans, they go because it's a famous event, and they want to take selfies of Me at the tdf, and to grab themselves some of the freebies that the sports brands sling out into the crowds - they literally fight each other to get their hands on the free caps and goodie bags. It's a very hyper atmosphere and it's not really about sport.

[YCCMB]

I know. I've been.

The standard procedure/etiquette in a situation such as that of Nibali yesterday is for the competing riders (in this case the group he was in, comprising Bardet, Froome, Thomas and Dumoulin) to neutralise the race until the rider affected can get back on terms. They'd know the score via their race radios and act accordingly...as all did bar Bardet.

I'm not just taking my clues from the crowd scenes or the consistent booing of Thomas on the podium. I'm reading the comments on social media, where (and OK, I'm just guessing they ARE French) the vast majority of insults posted are in the French language. Make of that what you will. My Italian and Spanish are a bit sketchy, but there seems to be plenty of positive support by speakers of those two languages.

This year I attended the TTT stage in Cholet. I heard the booing and I know what language was being spoken by the people aroung me who were doing it. So I may be making a sweeping generalisation but on the evidence I have at my disposal I'm sticking by my assessment.

[EuroTrash]

That's interesting then.

I haven't been for years and I have to say the experience didn't give me any desire to go again, it was certainly not the feelgood day out that I had been expecting, and from what you say it seems to have gotten worse. Sad that the TdF has turned into a media circus and tourism money spinner rather than a sporting event.

I hadn't seen it reported that the race was officially "black flagged" for that group. I don't know what the procedures are for cycling, but if there is no official instruction given then it's a personal split second decision whether you stop or not. You say he should have stopped, I'm not arguing with that but it seems to me that it is always easier to see in retrospect what the best course of action would be, rather than in the heat of the moment when as an athlete in a competition situation you are focused on one thing, your own performance.

[BritinBretagne]

I suggest you watch a replay of the final 20 minutes so you can see how the leading four riders slowed down. At that stage of the race it’s more like chess than making split second decisions on the hoof.

[YCCMB]

...not to mention the fact that they were climbing rather than heading for a flat sprint finish! Hardly a case of slowing down from flat out sprinting.

[DerekJ]

Where to start with this one.

The slowing down and waiting when a major player has a mishap (crash/mechanical/etc) is a variable convention. Sometimes it will happen but not consistently. It's more likely to happen earlier in a stage before the real racing has started. In the case of Nibali the race was definitely "on". Remember, these guys had been riding for many hours and had already climbed two hors category climbs and were near the end of the third. They were testing each other out with the finish line looming. It's unrealistic that they were all going to sit up and wait for Nibali. They're there to win. This isn't a recreational ride but their job.

Btw, Nibali doesn't have a great reputation for fair play and not taking advantage of others mishaps.

As to the crowd... disgusting and the gendarmes were (as usual) pretty ineffective. They should have taken note of how the Spanish police dealt with these idiots on the Vuelta. They took no prisoners.

The booing... pathetic. Not helped by idiots like Hinault.

[YCCMB]

You're right, Derek. However, when 3 of 4 unaffected riders sit up, you'd think the 4th would, too. Froome no doubt remembers his experiences running up the mountain a couple of years back. When, IIRC Qintana didn't get the "fair play" memo.

Funny, i find, that France can't let go of the "Team Sky bad" belief, yet Italians seem to have, in general, no problem. If any of Froome's victories should be in question, it would be the Giro.

Sad about Bardet who at least was gentleman enough beforehand to pronounce himself glad that Froome was cleared to compete.

Hinault?? I think he has a touch of the Trumps. It's easy to take the moral high ground on doping when you've avoided the stigma by refusing to be tested.

[NormanH]

It seems that the Tour de France isn't the only place where sportsmanlike arrangements are no longer being respected

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/19/tory-whip-julian-smith-urged-to-explain-pairing-breach-that-caused-serious-damage

[YCCMB]

Yeah. Maybe we should let him cycle up a mountain whilst Frenchmen throw urine at him. That'll teach him.