Intermarché–Circus–Wanty rider Lilian Calmejane shared a furious social media post showing the state of his front tyre after today's Tour de France stage in the Basque Country, his front wheel covered with tacks that were spread on the road.

"Thank you for this kind of human bullshit," he wrote. "I don't think I was the only victim of a puncture in the end… know that you can fall and get really hurt with your bullshit you morons."

The stage, won by compatriot Victor Lafay, took the Tour peloton from Vitoria-Gasteiz to San Sébastián and showed off the Basque region's passion for cycling, colourful and noisy crowds packing the climbs.

However, as noted by Calmejane, a small minority cannot have been pleased by the Grand Départ visiting, the 2017 stage winner's front tyre pierced by multiple tacks.

Some fans' impressed reaction on social media — asking what tubeless sealant the team uses — will be little consolation to Calmejane, who was in the breakaway on stage one and finished 58th today.

The tacks are believed to have been on the course at around 45km to go when a series of flat tyres, as many as 20, were reported over race radio, Velo (link is external) reporting that former world champion Mads Pedersen and Australian domestique Luke Durbridge were also affected.

It is not known who spread the tacks or why, but such incidents have proven to be far from a rarity at the world's biggest bike race. Last year, carpet tacks were found near the summit of the Aubisque climb in the Pyrenees and removed by fans.

In 2012 too, tacks were strewn across the road on the descent of the Mur de Péguère, Bradley Wiggins and defending champion Cadel Evans among the 30 riders from a GC group of 50 who suffered punctures.

Others came off much worse – Astana's Robert Kiserloviski broke his collarbone after crashing during the confusion, while Levi Leipheimer was treated for road rash after hitting the deck at the same point.

Today's stage two attack represents quite possibly the only negative from the Basque opening weekend, the fans' energy and passion for the sport lighting up the racing.

Speaking afterwards, Mark Cavendish called the region's fans "the most incredible in the world".

"Incredible," Cav said moments after crossing the line with three Astana Qazaqstan teammates 20 minutes behind stage winner Lafay. "I never thought in my career I'd race in País Vasco but it has been incredible.

"In the Pyrenees you get the Basque fans and they are the most incredible in the world. It's been difficult. It's a hard place to ride a bike but I've loved it, it's been so nice. Trying to absorb it, what a way to finish the Grand Départ of my last Tour de France.

"[The fans] they're just into it and it's not for anyone in particular, it's for the whole race. You feel like a hero around them. It's incredible. They'll cheer anyone... don't know if I can say... sometimes they give a little push! But it's like a party."

https://road.cc/content/news/tour-de-france-hit-tack-attack-302281

On 02/07/2023 09:28 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> Intermarché–Circus–Wanty rider Lilian Calmejane shared a furious social media post showing the state of his front tyre after today's Tour de France stage in the Basque Country, his front wheel covered with tacks that were spread on the road.
>
> "Thank you for this kind of human bullshit," he wrote. "I don't think I was the only victim of a puncture in the end… know that you can fall and get really hurt with your bullshit you morons."
>
> The stage, won by compatriot Victor Lafay, took the Tour peloton from Vitoria-Gasteiz to San Sébastián and showed off the Basque region's passion for cycling, colourful and noisy crowds packing the climbs.
>
> However, as noted by Calmejane, a small minority cannot have been pleased by the Grand Départ visiting, the 2017 stage winner's front tyre pierced by multiple tacks.
>
> Some fans' impressed reaction on social media — asking what tubeless sealant the team uses — will be little consolation to Calmejane, who was in the breakaway on stage one and finished 58th today.
>
> The tacks are believed to have been on the course at around 45km to go when a series of flat tyres, as many as 20, were reported over race radio, Velo (link is external) reporting that former world champion Mads Pedersen and Australian domestique Luke Durbridge were also affected.
>
> It is not known who spread the tacks or why, but such incidents have proven to be far from a rarity at the world's biggest bike race. Last year, carpet tacks were found near the summit of the Aubisque climb in the Pyrenees and removed by fans.
>
> In 2012 too, tacks were strewn across the road on the descent of the Mur de Péguère, Bradley Wiggins and defending champion Cadel Evans among the 30 riders from a GC group of 50 who suffered punctures.
>
> Others came off much worse – Astana's Robert Kiserloviski broke his collarbone after crashing during the confusion, while Levi Leipheimer was treated for road rash after hitting the deck at the same point.
>
> Today's stage two attack represents quite possibly the only negative from the Basque opening weekend, the fans' energy and passion for the sport lighting up the racing.
>
> Speaking afterwards, Mark Cavendish called the region's fans "the most incredible in the world".
>
> "Incredible," Cav said moments after crossing the line with three Astana Qazaqstan teammates 20 minutes behind stage winner Lafay. "I never thought in my career I'd race in País Vasco but it has been incredible.
>
> "In the Pyrenees you get the Basque fans and they are the most incredible in the world. It's been difficult. It's a hard place to ride a bike but I've loved it, it's been so nice. Trying to absorb it, what a way to finish the Grand Départ of my last Tour de France.
>
> "[The fans] they're just into it and it's not for anyone in particular, it's for the whole race. You feel like a hero around them. It's incredible. They'll cheer anyone... don't know if I can say... sometimes they give a little push! But it's like a party."
>
> https://road.cc/content/news/tour-de-france-hit-tack-attack-302281

So MANY people hate chavs on chav-bikes.

And the chavs don't even start to understand why that it is so. They
"think" that they are the salt of the earth and should be praised.

Could be a lot worse!

QUOTE: A total 297 vehicles were torched across France overnight, along with 34 buildings. According to the Interior Ministry, there were 157 arrests overnight, down from a peak of 3,880 arrests during the fiery night of June 30, and two law enforcement stations were attacked, among other damage.ENDS

300 cars destroyed!

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> Could be a lot worse!
>
> QUOTE: A total 297 vehicles were torched across France overnight, along
> with 34 buildings. According to the Interior Ministry, there were 157
> arrests overnight, down from a peak of 3,880 arrests during the fiery
> night of June 30, and two law enforcement stations were attacked, among other damage.ENDS
>
> 300 cars destroyed!

Yet you couldn’t post fast enough to report that the Tour de Rioting France
had been tacked.

--
Spike

Every New Year’s Eve nervous car owners across France cross their fingers in the hope they can start the year ahead with their vehicle intact. That’s because of a longstanding French 'tradition' that sees youths in certain areas torching scores of cars.

How many?

The car-burning seems to have begun in Strasbourg in the late 1990s and reached a peak in 2013, when 1,193 cars were set alight across the country on New Year's Eve.

After that the numbers saw a slight but steady fall, although alterations in the data reporting makes it harder to compare 2019 and 2020.

The pandemic and accompanying restrictions meant that New Year's Eve has been a muted event for the past two years. It remains to be seen whether 2022 will see a resurgence.

The main reason for the fall, according to France's national crime agency ONDRP, is that the media take less interest now in the mass burning of cars, which means there may be less of a thrill for the arsonists.

Authorities have previously refrained from reporting on the number of torched cars on New Year's Eve after it was discovered that a district-by-district breakdown was fuelling destructive competition between rival gangs.

Added to that is that extra police are regularly deployed in sensitive areas on specific nights of the year to try to prevent the blazes.

Where?

This is not something that affects the whole of France, it is markedly more common in certain areas.

It reportedly began in the east of the country, in and around the poorer neighbourhoods of Strasbourg.

The more recent ONDRP data shows that the départements most affected by the phenomenon were Haute-Corse in Corsica, Isère to the south east which includes Grenoble, and Oise in the north east of the country.

Rural areas of France are much less affected than urban areas.

The car owners most affected are generally in the more hard-up neighbourhoods.

So why do the French burn cars anyway?

This isn't only something that happens on New Year's Eve - cars are often set ablaze whenever there is an outbreak of social disorder, as seen in the 2005 riots when hundreds of vehicles were torched.

https://www.thelocal.fr/20191231/is-the-famous-french-tradition-of-torching-cars-dying-out

When I read the report below, my first thought was ‘Thank heavens we’ve
left the EU’.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> Every New Year’s Eve nervous car owners across France cross their fingers
> in the hope they can start the year ahead with their vehicle intact.
> That’s because of a longstanding French 'tradition' that sees youths in
> certain areas torching scores of cars.

> https://www.thelocal.fr/20191231/is-the-famous-french-tradition-of-torching-cars-dying-out

--
Spike

QUOTE: The car-burning seems to have begun in Strasbourg in the late 1990s and reached a peak in 2013, when 1,193 cars were set alight across the country on New Year's Eve. ENDS

*1200* burned out cars put a few tin tacks into perspective and no mistake! :-)

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> QUOTE: The car-burning seems to have begun in Strasbourg in the late
> 1990s and reached a peak in 2013, when 1,193 cars were set alight across
> the country on New Year's Eve. ENDS
>
> *1200* burned out cars put a few tin tacks into perspective and no mistake! :-)

So why are cyclists getting so hot under collar, then, about something you
portray as insignificant?

--
Spike

It began with a tragedy: the death of two friends out riding an e-bike through the streets of a Cardiff estate on a warm spring evening.

The night ended in an outburst of extraordinary violence as up to 150 rioters attacked cars and the lines of police that arrived to restore order.

Though the riot was over within a few hours, the impact will be long-lasting. Even before the burned-out cars and debris were removed, the recriminations had begun and questions about the police handling of the incident were being asked.

Friends of the boys who died immediately claimed they had been killed because of a police chase, saying this is why the violence began – and there was video footage to prove it.

South Wales police initially said they only arrived to help after the two were killed and the police and crime commissioner, Alun Michael, said false rumours about the crash had led to the disturbance.

But footage later emerged appearing to show a police vehicle following an electric bike about four minutes before the fatal crash, and half a mile away.

The boys, named locally as Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, had set off early on Monday evening for a ride around the Ely area of Cardiff, west of the city centre.

Harvey’s godmother, Bridy Bool, said the pair were best friends. “They loved football and bikes. They did everything together,” she said. Harvey had just had his hair cut and eaten his tea before the pair set off on a Sur-Ron electric bike together.

Shortly after 6pm, the boys were involved in a fatal crash on Snowden Road. “I heard a thud, a smash,” said a man who lives a few metres from the site and was in his back garden at the time. “I came running around and they were lying there in the street.”

Relatives got to the scene but were kept away from the bodies by police officers. Rumours quickly circulated that the bike was being chased by the police at the time.

The estate is close-knit. Even without WhatsApp and Snapchat, the whisper would have got around quickly. Thanks to the swiftness of technology, it was all over the estate within minutes.

Tension built throughout the evening. South Wales police drafted in extra officers from neighbouring forces, anticipating trouble.

By 9pm the force was asking people to avoid the area – and avoid speculation. At 11.13pm it tried to address the chase rumours, which by now had spread far and wide via Twitter and Facebook. On its social media pages it wrote: “Police responded to this collision, which had already occurred when officers arrived.”

It did not work. On Snowden Road, cars and wheelie bins were set on fire. There were running battles between police and rioters. Fireworks, bricks, broken pieces of pavement and planks of wood were hurled at police lines.

Fifteen officers were injured, 11 needing hospital treatment. The violence was live-streamed, which encouraged people to come from further afield. One man frantically used a hosepipe to try to douse the flames engulfing a relative’s car.

Kyrees’s mother, Belinda Sullivan, posted on her Facebook page: “My son is still laying on the floor due to this riot I’m sat at home heart broken there are two families broken right now.

“I just want to see my son and I can’t because of this riot that have happened pls I beg you all to stop and let my son be moved to hospital so I can see him we need to see our sons.”

Some children picked their way through the rubble to school; many others stayed at home or roamed around in pyjamas and dressing gowns.

Ahmad, whose taxi was attacked, said rioters had jumped all over his car and thrown missiles at it. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he said. “I heard one of them saying they wanted to kill a police officer.”

Council workers swept up the debris, and householders came out with watering cans and brushes to clean off the site of the accident, where throughout the day hundreds of people arrived to lay flowers.

Some neighbours claimed those involved in the disturbance may have been inspired by the notorious Ely bread riots of 1991, unrest said to have started with a dispute between two shopkeepers.

The rumours continued to swirl about the cause of the crash and by mid afternoon residents shared a video clip with members of the press. It shows a police vehicle apparently following an electric bike on Frank Road in Ely at 5.59pm, minutes before the fatal crash on nearby Snowden Road.

At 5pm on Tuesday – 23 hours after the crash – a press conference took place behind Cardiff Bay police station. Ch Supt Martyn Stone said there were no police vehicles on Snowden Road when the boys were killed..

He said the force got the call to the fatal incident at 6.03pm and did not believe “at this stage” that any other vehicle was involved.. A police vehicle on nearby Grand Avenue had responded to reports of the collision and officers performed CPR.

But Stone also said they were aware of the clip showing a police vehicle following a bike at just before 6pm and it would form part of their investigation. The force has referred itself to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Ely is one of the most deprived areas in Wales. Canon Jan Gould, priest of the Church of the Resurrection in the district, said the country needed to think about the factors that led to the riot.

“Years ago there were lots of hard, manual jobs in this area – a brewery, a paper mill, biscuit factory. Those jobs have mostly gone. There’s not that much here for young people.”

Two years ago, the BBC sport presenter Jason Mohammad, who is from Ely, voiced anger at a lack of government help for the area since the bread riots, telling the Guardian: “I feel angry that the Westminster government and the Senedd government haven’t addressed the needs of these people.”

One resident, Liam Mackay, said at the time: “It seems cool now to ride a bike around Ely and smash a window. People are filming it on social media and people are becoming famous on LADbible and some of these platforms … We could be one night away from that happening again.”

He turned out to be right and the worry is there could be more violence to come.

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/957ad08729acf0ba0634e7ec070c4b78cc4561f3/0_289_5308_3184/master/5308.jpg?width=620&quality=45&dpr=2&s=none

JNugent <jnugent@mail.com> wrote:
> On 02/07/2023 09:28 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> Intermarché–Circus–Wanty rider Lilian Calmejane shared a furious social
>> media post showing the state of his front tyre after today's Tour de
>> France stage in the Basque Country, his front wheel covered with tacks
>> that were spread on the road.
>>
>> "Thank you for this kind of human bullshit," he wrote. "I don't think I
>> was the only victim of a puncture in the end… know that you can fall and
>> get really hurt with your bullshit you morons."
>>
>> The stage, won by compatriot Victor Lafay, took the Tour peloton from
>> Vitoria-Gasteiz to San Sébastián and showed off the Basque region's
>> passion for cycling, colourful and noisy crowds packing the climbs.
>>
>> However, as noted by Calmejane, a small minority cannot have been
>> pleased by the Grand Départ visiting, the 2017 stage winner's front tyre
>> pierced by multiple tacks.
>>
>> Some fans' impressed reaction on social media — asking what tubeless
>> sealant the team uses — will be little consolation to Calmejane, who was
>> in the breakaway on stage one and finished 58th today.
>>
>> The tacks are believed to have been on the course at around 45km to go
>> when a series of flat tyres, as many as 20, were reported over race
>> radio, Velo (link is external) reporting that former world champion Mads
>> Pedersen and Australian domestique Luke Durbridge were also affected.
>>
>> It is not known who spread the tacks or why, but such incidents have
>> proven to be far from a rarity at the world's biggest bike race. Last
>> year, carpet tacks were found near the summit of the Aubisque climb in
>> the Pyrenees and removed by fans.
>>
>> In 2012 too, tacks were strewn across the road on the descent of the Mur
>> de Péguère, Bradley Wiggins and defending champion Cadel Evans among the
>> 30 riders from a GC group of 50 who suffered punctures.
>>
>> Others came off much worse – Astana's Robert Kiserloviski broke his
>> collarbone after crashing during the confusion, while Levi Leipheimer
>> was treated for road rash after hitting the deck at the same point.
>>
>> Today's stage two attack represents quite possibly the only negative
>> from the Basque opening weekend, the fans' energy and passion for the
>> sport lighting up the racing.
>>
>> Speaking afterwards, Mark Cavendish called the region's fans "the most
>> incredible in the world".
>>
>> "Incredible," Cav said moments after crossing the line with three Astana
>> Qazaqstan teammates 20 minutes behind stage winner Lafay. "I never
>> thought in my career I'd race in País Vasco but it has been incredible.
>>
>> "In the Pyrenees you get the Basque fans and they are the most
>> incredible in the world. It's been difficult. It's a hard place to ride
>> a bike but I've loved it, it's been so nice. Trying to absorb it, what a
>> way to finish the Grand Départ of my last Tour de France.
>>
>> "[The fans] they're just into it and it's not for anyone in particular,
>> it's for the whole race. You feel like a hero around them. It's
>> incredible. They'll cheer anyone... don't know if I can say... sometimes
>> they give a little push! But it's like a party."
>>
>> https://road.cc/content/news/tour-de-france-hit-tack-attack-302281
>
> So MANY people hate chavs on chav-bikes.
>
> And the chavs don't even start to understand why that it is so. They
> "think" that they are the salt of the earth and should be praised.
>
>

I recall the chaos when the Tour de France was routed near us.

(2007 for those who claim it never happened.)

More car haters at large.
=============================
A Dorset town has been described by residents as “like a war zone” after arsonists torched a dozen cars in the early hours of Monday..

Police and fire crews were called out to blazes across the Broadstone, Wimborne and Merley areas, as the wave of arson unfolded between 1am and 3am.

Dorset Police has launched an investigation in a bid to “identify those responsible” for the fires, which officers said affected 12 vehicles and one building.

Grant Stewart, 33, a builder from the town of Ferndown, described the scene as a “war zone” with people running around in a panic and cars “banging”.

“I was woken up by a bang and thought it was a car crash, looked out the window to see an orange glow and people running around,” said Mr Stewart.

“One person comes running to the scene to wake up one of the owners of the car and their car was on fire.

“I went out to find it was like a war zone with three cars ablaze and bangs going off.”

Chloe Torring, 25, a hairdresser from Wimborne, said she is “gutted” after the car she bought just five months ago was destroyed in one of the fires.

“I was woken up by my neighbour ringing my doorbell to tell me my car is on fire,” she said. “I was in complete shock and disbelief.”

“It’s heart-wrenching to think someone would do such a horrible thing, for no good reason.

“My car is completely destroyed. The engine is on the floor, I have no front half of my car – there’s just charcoal inside.”

Detective Sergeant Simon Austin, of County CID, said: “These incidents have affected a large number of victims in the wider Wimborne area and we are aware that this will cause concern.

“I would like to reassure our local communities that officers are currently investigating all reported incidents and are making every effort to identify those responsible.

“People will see visible police activity as officers are making house-to-house and CCTV enquiries.”

Officers are appealing for any witnesses of the incidents or anyone who has seen suspicious activity to come forward, and urging anyone who may have CCTV or dashcam footage to check their cameras.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “We have attended multiple vehicle fires in the Wimborne area between midnight and 2.30am this morning (May 15).

“We are supporting our police colleagues with their investigation.”

https://static.standard.co.uk/2023/05/16/08/newFile-1.jpg?width=960&auto=webp&quality=100&crop=3450%3A2302%2Csmart