Echo Echo! That's the sound of 5 people clapping
Wednesday, 13 August 2008 23:00
One of my most fondest memories of the Tour in 2004 was the time trial up the famed mountain of Alpe d'uez.
Now this stage for me was an inspired choice. Send the riders up the climb (13.5km) and that would be the stage. What it is did was sort out the General Classification but it did something that was far more empowering for the sport of professional cycling. Reports on the day were estimating that there was close to one million people on the mountain. Think about the atmosphere that all those people would have created. The greatest climb featuring the greatest riders with one of the greatest crowds.... amazing.
Now fast forward to the 2008 Olympic Games. Never before have I ever seen so few people out to support a bike race. I have seen local club racing with more atmosphere than what was witnessed for the cycling at this Olympics and quite frankly it's pathetic. The whole notion of the road race and the marathon and triathlon is that they are free venues where locals and tourists can come out and not have to have or pay for a ticket. Bringing the Olympics to the people. When you are watching the games next check out how many empty seats there are in the stands. What is going on here? Sure there have been some ticketing frauds on the internet but the tight security and lack of foresight in this area is killing these games. Australian rider Stuey O'Grady flew his wife out from Australia to watch the road race, maybe his last, and she had to view it from her hotel because she couldn't get on to the course. This is lunacy. The time trial yesterday was held in ghostly silence for 90% of the course. Cadel Evans compared it to a training ride.
The shambolic size and control of the crowds at these Games will be remembered. The old adage of build it and they will come should be changed to build it and let them watch it on TV. Let's hope that the organisers of London 2012 have seen this and have decided to make the Games available to everyone. The organising committee in Beijing need to lift!
that might explain the poor crowd size.
its also very sticky weather, personally i wouldnt like to be standing in that humidity,it frizzes my hair.