Spectators at the road side and their freedom to come and go as their please are part of what gives road cycling its unique vibe. While the atmosphere at races can be electrifying, misbehaving fans can cause troubles to the competing riders, but also on the way back from mountain finishes when team buses are not allowed to wait on top of the climb.
“It’s increasingly dangerous for the riders,” Richard Plugge said during a Vive le Vélo broadcast. “They have to descend among the spectators, also on bicycles or in cars, who aren’t used to doing that.”
Plugge then explained how riders had to descend from Col de la Loze, using whistles to warn spectators of their presence, in order to get to a team bus. His proposal to solve this situation can be seen as rather radical:
“We should try to keep people and tourists on the climb as long as possible. Or we could charge 4 or 5 euros to access the climb. That way there would be many fewer spectators. Just asking for a small fee would discourage most people from coming. On the other hand, I really appreciated the atmosphere on the climbs. It was a real popular celebration, but the teams’ descent to the valley needs to be better organized.”