Some Professional Cyclists don't follow traffic laws.

[civicduty]

Even some Pros think they are above the law, could have been nasty.

Paris-Roubaix in train near-miss
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/32278898

Edited to change the word 'the' into the word 'some' highlighted in bold.

Edited by civicduty on Monday 13th April 16:48

[Blakewater]

I don't think it was because they were cyclists, it was because they were racers. The blinkered focus on not wanting to be left behind overcame common sense. Comparing this to ordinary cyclists you encounter on the road day to day is a bit like comparing Lewis Hamilton doing a dodgy overtake during the Monaco Grand Prix to a sales rep in a diesel Audi A4 doing a dodgy overtake on a UK A road. They aren't really the same in situation and mindset. It was still pretty stupid though, I wonder if anyone who organised the route thought about the crossing barriers coming down on cyclists like that.

[xRIEx]

Not all professional drivers follow traffic laws.

[anonymous-user]

civicduty said:

Even the Pros think they are above the law, could have been nasty.

Paris-Roubaix in train near-miss
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/32278898

That's right. All pros and all cyclists have the same feelings. How insightful of you.

[BGarside]

xRIEx said:

Not all professional drivers follow traffic laws.

And neither do unprofessional ones...

What sort of clown routes a bike race through a level crossing?

[BGarside]

civicduty said:

Even the Pros think they are above the law, could have been nasty.

Paris-Roubaix in train near-miss
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/32278898

'Above the law'? Perhaps it has something to do with it being a RACE, therefore the idea is not to stop! The organisers are at fault for running the race over a level crossing.

Perhaps I can draw your attention to the numerous drivers who don't bother stopping for closing level crossing gates, or pedestrian crossings for that matter, and they're not even racing. Go on, have a look on Youtube.

But don't let that get in the way of having a little dig at cyclists in general.

[ewenm]

BGarside said:

xRIEx said:

Not all professional drivers follow traffic laws.

And neither do unprofessional ones...

What sort of clown routes a bike race through a level crossing?

The P-R route crosses that railway 5 times in a relatively short distance and deliberately use backroads/farm tracks (it's part of the heritage of the race) so will hit level crossings rather than bridges. The race is planned to start at a time to avoid the trains, unfortunately a strong tailwind meant the riders did the first hour at 50kph which meant they were early at the crossing, despite the organisers delaying the start to mitigate that.

The race was then neutralised to allow those who did stop to catch up to the group they were in. French railways are looking to prosecute those who jumped the barriers.

[xRIEx]

BGarside said:

xRIEx said:

Not all professional drivers follow traffic laws.

And neither do unprofessional ones...

Precisely my point.

[balls-out]

"It's the most beautiful race in the world and we get bothered by a train," said French champion Arnaud Demare.


So French!

[civicduty]

BGarside said:

civicduty said:

Even the Pros think they are above the law, could have been nasty.

Paris-Roubaix in train near-miss
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/32278898

'Above the law'? Perhaps it has something to do with it being a RACE, therefore the idea is not to stop! The organisers are at fault for running the race over a level crossing.

Perhaps I can draw your attention to the numerous drivers who don't bother stopping for closing level crossing gates, or pedestrian crossings for that matter, and they're not even racing. Go on, have a look on Youtube.

But don't let that get in the way of having a little dig at cyclists in general.

Yeah it's all the organisers fault, no wait, actually it's the bad example set by all the nasty drivers and pedestrians, because these so called professionals have no mind of their own so need to follow everyone else's bad behaviour.

Get real, these bikes have brakes and the riders have eyes. If the barrier is down the a train is probably coming, make a grown up decision and wait for the danger to pass, unless they are too stupid.

Edited by civicduty on Monday 13th April 11:20

[xRIEx]

BGarside said:

'Above the law'? Perhaps it has something to do with it being a RACE, therefore the idea is not to stop!

I would never wish death on anyone, but the cynical part of me thinks if a few riders had been hit it might have put 'RACE' into the perspective of 'NOT BEING ALIVE ANY MORE'.

[civicduty]

ewenm said:

French railways are looking to prosecute those who jumped the barriers.

Good.

[tfin]

Crossing a level crossing is forbidden under race rules:

https://twitter.com/inrng/status/58723156141165363...

[civicduty]

tfin said:

Crossing a level crossing is forbidden under race rules:

https://twitter.com/inrng/status/58723156141165363...

And the French version of the Road Traffic Act I imagine.

[kambites]

Nor to professional drivers, in my experience. Taxi drivers tend to be appalling.

[anonymous-user]

Have we finished generalizing, great...can we move onto the fashionable PH hatred of all things cycling?

It's been at least....a day, since the last thread

[rsox87]

civicduty said:

And the French version of the Road Traffic Act I imagine.

Le Road Traffic Act?

[annsxman]

BGarside said:

And neither do unprofessional ones...

What sort of clown routes a bike race through a level crossing?

Paris - Roubaix has been following this route for years and this is not the first time that the barriers have come down in front of the peloton. They time the start to avoid the train but this year as in 2006 a strong tailwind got them through the Arenberg section ahead of schedule.

[ORD]

It would be quite a good thing for the organisers to DQ every rider that crossed through the barriers. As it is, this is a terrible terrible example to set.

[g7jhp]

Here's the actual video of the incident!