“I wanted to hit them, but (team manager) John Lelangue managed to calm me. Afterwards I was really annoyed.” I wondered what he called his temper level while he was attempting to hit the family?
What amazes me is that more guys don’t get hit by caravan vehicles, run into spectators and/or animals. It is all part of the race, in my opinion. Just an accident. I wonder if Philipp tries to pound riders every time one of them crashes and causes him to fall? Story at Velonews.com.
Photo: Graham Watson | www.grahamwatson.com
I agree it is bad form but I certainly can understand his anger. I think bringing a dog to a bike race is a bad idea and not having one on a leash is not even thinking.
Thoughts:
Philippe has had a very bad year physically.
The Belgian press has been piling on.
He looks emaciated.
It’s the third week of the Tour.
He’s fried.
Family:
Brings a dog the size of a horse to the race.
Parents don’t even consider putting a leash on it as the riders pass.
Parents are kind of dolts.
PG wanted to hit someone, but didn’t. In the end I’m ok with that.
Gilbert is understandably upset but was he really going to fight the family?? I don’t think so. How ridiculous!! Gilbert might have gotten a serious surprise if he attacked them. Forcing a dad to protect his family, bad idea! At least he did attempt to have him on a leash though. That sucks for both parties.
“I wonder if Philipp tries to pound riders every time one of them crashes and causes him to fall?”
Come on, you know that isn’t the case. People need to use their heads and be responsible and accountable. Standing by the side of a busy road (bike race or no bike race) with an unleashed dog is plain irresponsible. Shoot, if you don’t care about the cars or riders, think of your dog at least. Even you would agree with that and leash Bromont if you were spectating the enormous caravan/circus that is the TDF, I think.
I don’t blame him! The guy in the black shirt is an idiot to have an unleashed dog at a bike race, or anywhere for that matter.
I was going to comment but after watching what happened in Colorado today, doggate just really didn’t seem very significant.
You guys have lost your minds. There is no excuse for attempting to “hit” a family, including a scared little girl because you fell off your bike. He’s done it a hundred times I’d bet. Maybe more. He wasn’t hurt, so he should have gotten back on his bike and get on with the race. Should he be mad, of course, but that should all.
There are a million reasons there could be an unleashed dog on the course. If throughout the Tour, only one accident is caused by a dog, then it was a successful Tour de France.
I’ve seen riders hit dogs lots of times. In races and also in training. And the riders were nearly always hurt much worse than Gilbert. Not once did one of them want to attack the dog’s owner.
It doesn’t say anywhere that he attempted to hit them? Wanting to and attempting to are very different things. You have lost your mind steve. The owner of the dog deserved to get yelled at.
i have been trying to like gilbert.. really trying. this doesn’t help. just wish vino was part of the equation too..
he should get his old doctor back- then he could be riding at the front all day instead of getting caught in the crashes at the back. wonder if boonen would share since he won every one day race this spring…
For the sake of my giant, show-offy, trophy dog, that I have no control over, I’d never even consider bringing him to “look” at a race. What’s the point? There’s more than one brand of stupid in this situation.
Watch the video from NBCSports, it looks like the dog pulled out of his collar and got loose.
Its a bad scene, but charging up like your going to beat up an old couple with a young girl (who was clutching the couple in a death grip) is just ridiculous.
You guys are making too much of it. That girl is way tougher than Andy.
I’ve been on a training ride with a large group and Steve was there. A dog ran out in front. I was at the back and didn’t have time to react to all the people stopping and crashing in front of me. Subsequently I crashed too and separated my shoulder. I was knocked out for a few minutes and didn’t really know why we all crashed. I guess it’s our job to keep our heads up and to know what is going on. I didn’t do that and I paid for it. I would love to kick that dog in the head and slap the owners upside the head but really I should’ve been more careful. Sure he was mad and the picture makes it look worse than I’m sure it really went down. I’m sure he regrets this and would like to move on. Great discussion photo though!
If the dog pulled out of the collar, which is totally possible and the Dad seems to have a collar in his hand in the picture, then it is an accident. The family looks terrified and I am guessing wasn’t really planning to go to the bike race and have their dog make worldwide news. They could live within walking distance and perhaps the dog has never seen 200 cyclist all at once but has been a well behaved dog it’s whole life until today. Stuff like this happens all the time – the reaction from Gilbert is the news here.Man, look at the little girl…to not control YOURSELF at the point…I agree with Steve here.
Well said jpete!!!
Bottom line bad form! But this Tour is full of bad form.
I just saw the video. All Gilbert did was yell at them, never raising his arms.
Gilbert’s reation was somewhat predicable. There’s always a few ignorant spectators every year. I can’t imagine the controversy if that was Lance hitting the deck instead.
Okay, it looked like the dog pulled out of his collar maybe.
And the photographer, Graham Watson (www.grahamwatson.com) got the perfect shot, as usual.
I watched the video and Philipp was there confronting the family for all of about 2 seconds. It didn’t look like he was about to slay anyone. I don’t know why he said he intended to hit them.
So, a little drama in the Tour.
I suppose maybe he was just being brutally honest about his internal feelings and anger but would never actually intend to scare a family, let alone hurt them.
Hey he said he “wanted” to hit them. Like I wanted to hit the guy behind the counter who was giving me shit today.
PS My dog’s name is Trudi.
Look at the picture. He has an open hand and appears to be saying “what the hell?!” I don’t think he was going to hit them, he may have wanted to but didn’t. He makes a boat load of Euros a year to ride his bike and his anger at hitting the dog is entirely understandable. Say he was injured and couldn’t ride and earn his pay. That would be a serious deal. The family was careless and I think the kid will recover. They don’t look terror stricken as some of the commenters said. Unfortunate deal. Ride on.
Its just a sad picture all the way around, particularly with a child and a pet involved.
Years back, racing Quad Cities, was walking to registration in Moline only to witness a terrified old lady being berated by a couple of VERY PRO cat 4’s for attempting to cross the road while they were warming up. I think I said somthing like “why don’t you two pieces of sh#*t shut you your f*^#ing pie holes” it nearly came to blows before I finally got those two jits to realize that at the end of the day we are racing through their neighborhoods, not ours, and they can sure as shit make sure we never get to come back. I don’t care what the situation is, it’s always poor form to rage at spectators, especially if they just might beat your emaciated Belgain ass.
What moron takes a dog to a bike race anyway? And the gutless moron was hiding behind his wife and child as well! Wonder how he would feel if the boot was on the other foot and he came off his bike because someone else’ dog ran in front of him?
I hit a Dalmatian that ran out between some cars, during a training ride. I can still see the imprint of the oily chain ring and the puncture wounds from the chain ring teeth. I felt bad for the dog. I talked to the owner, who was very sorry the dog had got out and he paid for my shorts and jersey. I can see going after the people that put the tacks on road, but not a spectator that lost control on his dog.