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news
Spectator grabs Loren Rowney's bike (source RTV Drentse video screenshot)Video: Fan who brought down Loren Rowney insists it was "accident"
The spectator who brought down Velocio-SRAM rider Loren Rowney as she sprinted for the line at the Drenthe 8 race in the Netherlands on Thursday has been identified, and says the incident was “an accident.”
Rowney, who was sprinting against Wiggle-Honda’s former world champion Giorgia Bronzini for the win, broke her collarbone after crashing into the barriers. A video of the incident went viral afterwards.
According to race organiser Femmy van Issum, the male spectator came forward this afternoon, reports Wielerfiets.nl.
“Contrary to many people’s opinion, the man was unaware [of the incident]," she said, adding that his son had tugged his coat immediately prior to the crash.
“That probably led to him sticking out his arm,” van Issum said, adding that photographs showed that he hadn’t been looking at the riders.
She said he only realised he had been the cause of the crash when his son showed him footage of the incident.
“The poor man is in sackcloth and ashes,” added van Issum, who said she would meet with the spectator and his son in a hotel on Monday so insurance issues can be addressed.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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26 comments
I've seen parents hang their toddlers over the barriers on sprint finishes, theres nowt as daft as folk!
BS
It was the fan on the grassy mall, this guys a patsy!
Grassy knoll.
Occam's razor;
Either guy decides to bring down cyclist in the sprint, which requires premeditation and precision, and does so on purpose in front of crowds and camera...
Or guy banging on boards catches cyclist sprinting very close to boards by mistake.
I think mistake.
Or, guy next to barrier consciously sticks his hand out without thinking the consequences through in the brief moment a racer passes him. People have these spur of the moment stupid ideas all the time, it doesn't have to be predetermined to be intentional.
In that case, its not Occam's, but Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice which can easily be explained by stupidity.
So you haven't watched the video then?
The fact that everyone else pulls back from the wall as the riders approach, except him? I know it's only a video but that looks like reckless endangerment at the very least.
Any jury would regard it as deliberate. He should be charged.
Not a touch, a definite grab, hope he gets his collar felt, clearly a criminal act.
Road collisions are invariably accidental but if someone is killed or injured then a court of law should take it seriously. This scenario should be treated similarly, regardless of how penitent the offender appears to be now that he has been identified.
I disagree. I'd say a lot are careless at best
Not buying here!
The video is pretty conclusive, but nevertheless the relevant authorities need to take action on this to ensure some form of justice is delivered and such incidents - 'accidental' or otherwise - are not repeated.
I don't think trial by Youtube on a cycling website is necessarily fair, but then again neither is training all winter, getting into a position to win a race and then finding a prat on the side of the road getting in your way and breaking your collarbone.
In the video, the man was slapping the barrier sign as the riders were coming full speed. Then suddenly he sticks his arm out, trying to touch the rider. Completely intentional.
Next on my list: the JFK Zapruder film.
Agreed, that youtube shot shows it to be deliberate. The guy should be facing charges for GBH
No way that was accidental. He might regret it now but he acted like a scumbag.
The video speaks for itself - it was intentional. He was looking directly at the race and the hand opened at just the right time. However he may have thought he would slow her or was just looking for a high five like a dimwit.
BULL, that was not an accident and he's only come forward after people worked out it was him.
Look at it from this angle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH7HeBpPbQA&feature=youtu.be
@Gkam84 that alternate angle clearly shows the violent tugging of the spectators whole body when contact was made, yet he says he was unaware!?
Terrible incident but i have to say that “The poor man is in sackcloth and ashes,” is a wonderful turn of phrase and is not used nearly enough nowadays.
I'm happy to believe that it was an accident; people who go to bike races don't realise
a) How fast a final sprint is, and
b) How close to the barriers cyclists get.
Laurent Jalabert anyone...
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x69pmu_tour-de-france-the-policeman-cra...
Fair enough it might have been an accident, but to be unaware a cyclist hit your arm at ~50km/h?
I don't buy it for a second.
I agree. My guess is the idiot thought it would be cool to touch one of the cyclists as they rode by without stopping to think of the potential consequences. Prat.