Tuesday, July 6th, 2021
Professional cyclist demands tough penalties
Martin is mad at “idiots on the roadside”
The German professional cyclist Tony Martin is angry. Angry with the woman who dropped him, angry with the “idiots on the roadside” and angry with the tour organizers. They are only interested in quota. In a “Spiegel” interview, the 36-year-old goes far and hits.
Germany’s professional cyclist Tony Martin relies on a penalty with external impact for the perpetrator after the heavy mass fall in the Tour de France. “I don’t want to overdo it, but I hope that the woman will be punished to the extent that it has a certain deterrent effect,” the 36-year-old told the “Spiegel”. A spectator had presented a cardboard sign at the start of the tour and caused a violent fall.
The spectator, who became known as the cardboard sign woman, has to answer to the court in the fall. As the “L’Équipe” reported on Friday, the trial against the 30-year-old will take place on October 14th. The woman was taken into custody on Wednesday and released on Friday morning.
Martin, who was directly affected, continued: “I am definitely not looking for revenge or satisfaction. The woman no longer plays a role for me.” Many fans on the roadside are concerned with self-presentation, criticized the time trial specialist. “People should come and enjoy cycling, also celebrate and cheer us on. But they should always have respect for us and watch out for dangers.”
“Probably not all of them anymore”
Before the 10th stage of the tour, the 36-year-old from Cottbuss is in 112th place overall. Martin is already driving his 13th tour of France and he observes the increasing urge of the audience for self-expression with great concern. After the incident at the start of the tour, the picture on the route has not fundamentally changed. “Even after the stage, I saw so many idiots on the roadside who just didn’t get it. That makes me angry,” he says and rages against the “self-staging” and the “whole showmanship” in times of “Instagram and Facebook.” . ”
“Everyone wants to surpass the other, want a better, crazier picture. A few years ago it was a joke that someone was standing on the side of the road in a borate string,” says Martin. “You laughed the first time. In the meantime, some of the men are standing there with bare butts. You wonder what is wrong with the people.” His sober conclusion: “They probably no longer have them all. Which normal person comes up with the idea of standing on the side of the road and showing their bare bottom? I can only shake my head.”
Falls bring quota
In the course of the tour so far, there have been numerous falls in the field. Especially on the third stage: Primoz Roglic, co-favorite and Martin’s team captain at Jumbo-Visma, suffered so much from his injuries that he has already left the tour. Geraint Thomas, the 2018 Tour winner, also fell. He only struggles with pain through the tour. He was beaten long ago. “This is the tour, the biggest bike race in the world and I didn’t want to just disappear like that,” said the Welshman on the day of rest yesterday.
In the final of the third stage, sprinters Peter Sagan and Caleb Ewan fell. The 26-year-old Australian was hit hard. He broke his collarbone and had to give up. Martin sees the blame for most of the falls with the organizers of the tour and the UCI cycling association. They are more concerned with spectacular images than with the health of the drivers. “Anyone who saw the final beforehand knew that there would be serious falls that day. I think it was accepted by the organization and the UCI with approval. I don’t know whether ratings and showmanship are behind it,” says Martin. “Stories about falls have a higher audience rating than normal sprint winners, so maybe they are wanted.”
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