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Video - Vuelta fan throws stick at Chris Froome

Incident happened as Sky rider battled with home favourite Alberto Contador

A fan took Chris Froome’s nickname 'Froomedog' a bit literally yesterday – throwing a stick at the Team Sky rider as he unsuccessfully tried to get away from Tinkoff-Saxo’s Alberto Contador on the climb to Puerto de Ancares on Stage 20 of the Vuelta.

The episode does show one of the hazards pro cyclists face particularly when negotiating partisan crowds – Contador is hugely popular in Spain and some, unfortunately, will do whatever it takes to put off a rival rider.

It’s not often such incidents are picked up on TV cameras, but Froome himself has been on the receiving end of abuse before, being spat at by roadside spectators on his way to winning last year’s Tour de France.

A worse fate befell Omega Pharma-Quick Step rider Mark Cavendish during the time trial to Mont-St Michel during that race – he was soaked in urine after a fan threw it at him.

That incident caused the team’s sports director Brian Holm to reflect: “I hope it’s not a general situation he’s going to have. He’s going to have some long days in the Alps if people keep throwing piss on him.”

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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16 comments

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Accessibility f... | 10 years ago
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Everyone is wrong. Clearly the rider in front of Froome was eating a packet of Twiglets, and in his haste to shove them down his gullet missed his mouth.

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Ginsterdrz | 10 years ago
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He didn't notice as he was doing 485.263 watts at the time.

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Kapelmuur | 10 years ago
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When I saw this on the live coverage I thought the object was a chorizo, I was feeling peckish at the time.

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NeilG83 | 10 years ago
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This has been posted on twitter. It seems to show an over excited spectator banging a stick on the road, which breaks as Froome approaches.

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Luke2105 replied to NeilG83 | 10 years ago
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Yep. Here is the video. http://youtu.be/WBJ5iYbVIMs

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backflipbedlem replied to Luke2105 | 10 years ago
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Luke2105 wrote:

Yep. Here is the video. http://youtu.be/WBJ5iYbVIMs

Great find!
Can the article maybe be updated, to show the truth!

I wonder if there is a similar explanation video out there for the Mark Cavendish urine episode!
Maybe there was a sudden change in wind direction?

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Airzound | 10 years ago
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Now to be known as Chris Broome.

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Colin Peyresourde | 10 years ago
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Perhaps they thought Froome Dog would chase it....

Thank you: I'm hear all week.

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dodgy replied to Colin Peyresourde | 10 years ago
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Colin Peyresourde wrote:

Perhaps they thought Froome Dog would chase it....

Thank you: I'm hear all week.

Same gag was effectively made in the opening paragraph of the story.

You're not exactly Tommy Cooper.

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Colin Peyresourde replied to dodgy | 10 years ago
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dodgy wrote:
Colin Peyresourde wrote:

Perhaps they thought Froome Dog would chase it....

Thank you: I'm hear all week.

Same gag was effectively made in the opening paragraph of the story.

You're not exactly Tommy Cooper.

That'll teach me to comment without reading. I'll get me coat.

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Welsh boy replied to Colin Peyresourde | 10 years ago
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Colin Peyresourde wrote:
dodgy wrote:
Colin Peyresourde wrote:

Perhaps they thought Froome Dog would chase it....

Thank you: I'm hear all week.

Same gag was effectively made in the opening paragraph of the story.

You're not exactly Tommy Cooper.

That'll teach me to comment without reading. I'll get me coat.

You need to brush up on your English grammar as well as your humour, I assume you mean "here" all week and not "hear"?

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Northernbike replied to Welsh boy | 10 years ago
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Welsh boy wrote:
Colin Peyresourde wrote:
dodgy wrote:
Colin Peyresourde wrote:

Perhaps they thought Froome Dog would chase it....

Thank you: I'm hear all week.

Same gag was effectively made in the opening paragraph of the story.

You're not exactly Tommy Cooper.

That'll teach me to comment without reading. I'll get me coat.

You need to brush up on your English grammar as well as your humour, I assume you mean "here" all week and not "hear"?

Isn't that spelling rather than grammar?  11

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earth replied to Northernbike | 10 years ago
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Northernbike wrote:
Welsh boy wrote:
Colin Peyresourde wrote:
dodgy wrote:
Colin Peyresourde wrote:

Perhaps they thought Froome Dog would chase it....

Thank you: I'm hear all week.

Same gag was effectively made in the opening paragraph of the story.

You're not exactly Tommy Cooper.

That'll teach me to comment without reading. I'll get me coat.

You need to brush up on your English grammar as well as your humour, I assume you mean "here" all week and not "hear"?

Isn't that spelling rather than grammar?  11

My grammar gets criticised frequently but I'm going to stick my neck out and call the OP's mistake grammatical. He spelled 'hear' correctly but it was used in the wrong context.

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Him Up North | 10 years ago
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I saw the incident live and had to rewind the Sky+ to confirm I wasn't seeing things. Moronic behaviour.

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Leodis | 10 years ago
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Shocking, it makes you wonder what state of mind these euro fans are to throw sticks and piss at riders who have dedicated much of their lives for the sport.

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portec replied to Leodis | 10 years ago
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Leodis wrote:

Shocking, it makes you wonder what state of mind these euro fans are to throw sticks and piss at riders who have dedicated much of their lives for the sport.

Probably the same "fans" (read morons) who make monkey noises at football matches.  14

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