I was asked the other day if we fans of the Tour de France enjoy the crashes as much as NASCAR devotees enjoy their spills. Having devoted a period of my old man's mid night insomnia to the question, I have come to the conclusion that the answer is "No."
Now this is not because bicycle fans are nicer people or less bloodthirsty - you only have to look at the fans along the top of the hill climbs to know that's not true. What is it with these people? What drives them to dress in crazy outfits and run alongside panting racers screaming at them? Altogether far too much time on their hands, I think.
The reason we T d F fans don't relish crashes is because they are far too painful. Nearly all of us ride or have done in the past, and we've all come off as well - it's a nasty experience. When we see a spectacular crash in motor racing we rarely see the human enclosed in the flying machine. But when there's a pile up in bicycling, we all feel the road rash and the scars. Not an enjoyable experience for any of us -riders and fans alike.
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