There's a time and a place for taking a selfie and a shot posted to Instagram by professional photographer Kristof Ramon has led to a young Irish cyclist with the Nicolas Roche Performance Team development squad learning that lesson the hard way. Ramon's camera captured David McCarthy taking a selfie with an exhausted Marcel Kittel after the Giant-Shimano sprinter had collapsed to the ground after winning Stage 3 of the Giro d’Italia in Dublin on Sunday.
McCarthy has apologised to Kittel after Ramon's picture went viral once being posted to Instagram resulting in predictable levels of online vitriol being heaped upon the young Irishman for the inappropriateness of his actions. Kittel had just celebrated his birthday by taking his second Giro stage win in as many days.
Ramon’s photo was later posted side by side on Twitter by Cycling Flash with McCarthy’s own selfie, with Kittel’s face showing what appears to be a mixture of incredulity and offence.
Some people commenting on the photo seemed to assume it was taken in the aftermath of a crash, although in fact it was after Kittel had sealed his stage win.
PHOTO: "But first… let me take a #selfie!" (+result) #Giro #Kittel @TourDeJose pic.twitter.com/8DSY8KX8xz
— CyclingFlash (@CyclingFlash) May 13, 2014
This morning, Nicolas Roche posted a message on Twitter on behalf of McCarthy in which he apologised to Kittel and anyone else offended by his selfie.
I know @davidmccarthy12 he is a nice kid. He has just send me this post to tweet. @marcelkittel pic.twitter.com/SYhpeHhsZw
— Nicholas Roche (@nicholasroche) May 13, 2014
McCarthy posted a number of other selfies taken at the Giro Big Start to his own Instagram feed, including ones with Tinkoff-Saxo owner Oleg Tinkov, and team manager Bjarne Riis.
For Kittel, Sunday's win marked his last particpation in the race, which resumed in Italy today with a stage to Bari.
After his victories in Belfast on Saturday and Dublin the following day, his withdrawal from the race this morning due to a fever denies him the chance of going for the distinction of winning three consecutive Grand Tour stages in three different countries.
48 thoughts on “Irish cyclist apologises to Marcel Kittel for selfish selfie”
i still think its kinda
i still think its kinda funny, not very professional for an up and comming cyclist, but still a little giggle was had
Same here – I ‘LOL’d’. I bet
Same here – I ‘LOL’d’. I bet even Marcel will see the funny side, but maybe not for a few weeks/months….
Kittel has just pulled out of
Kittel has just pulled out of the Giro saying he has flash burn and cant see
Storm in a tea cup, the young
Storm in a tea cup, the young lad was just having fun, he hasn’t tried to nick his helmet, he hasn’t thrown his arms around him for a picture and he hasn’t tried to pick up his bike to take a funny photo. I’m disappointed by the uproar, I’d like to know what Marcel thinks because if he genuinely was annoyed I will not be supporting him in future. He retweeted the apology – I would think it would be better for him to say no apology needed, it was a bit of harmless fun.
I wish the kid didn’t apologise but it is a sign of the PC times we live in where things can be viral in minutes. He should have just said it was a picture, get over it.
What about the tv crews and
What about the tv crews and press photographers and the fella trying to stick a microphone in Kittels cake hole and getting up all in his face and that?
Not saying this kid did the right thing but lets put this in a bit context eh?
Kittel doesn’t seem too
Kittel doesn’t seem too fazed:
Gave a little lecture about playing with fire(works), but the 😉 at the end suggests he’s not too pee’d off.
Surely Kittel has his picture
Surely Kittel has his picture taken all the time, I’m certain he’s had to deal with worse press than this one kid and his iPhone.
I’m more concerned that a
I’m more concerned that a small child has been turned into a walking Adidas advert.
cool pic
cool pic
Its a sign of the times that
Its a sign of the times that people take pictures of themselves and we are supposed to think its funny or entertaining., its not.Wish big kit had smacked him, now that would be entertaining!!
Sorry, in fact, no I am not.
Sorry, in fact, no I am not. I am on kittels side, the man is in maximum oxygen debt trying to recover and some numpty comes and invades your space. If that was on the tube and happened too you you would have him done for assault or react in a violent manner… So no it’s not ok or funny. Obviously those that think it’s ok have never felt like kittel feels there, because it is the last thing you need. And neither has that t##t ever worked hard enough in training or racing, otherwise he would not of done it. Funny how people think it ok to do that to a world class cyclist/athlete, wonder what would of happened if the ball boy had jumped on top of Murray when he collapsed on the floor when he won Wimbledon and took a selfie?
The man sorry boy is a dickhead.
Cyclist wrote:Sorry, in fact,
I’m gonna stick up for the lad here. It was no big deal, he meant no offence. David is just a young lad and we should all cut him some slack. Yeah Kittel ain’t smiling in the moment because of what he’s just been through physically, but I don’t doubt that he sees the humour in all of this – at least he should. I don’t know who you think you are calling this young athlete of our fine sport offensive names over something so trivial. I think you need to grow up and get some perspective BOY!
Cyclist wrote:If that was on
Dear me, I think you need to calm down. The only one who would be getting done for assault, with the kind of attitude you display, would be yourself.
The kid has admitted he made a mistake, and apologised. It’s not like he tried to nick his sunglasses or mess about with his bike. Kittel has TV and press cameras shoved in his face 10 seconds after crossing the line every time he wins a stage.
Cyclist wrote:Sorry, in fact,
Really, I struggle to find words to reply to your stupidity.
The selfie may have been mistimed but he’s clearly been caught up in the moment. Kittel is a professional athlete and should be well used to the camera, at all times, if not he should find a less “public” job.
I suspect your real issue is that you didn’t get the picture with Kittel, that’s the truth isn’t it, go on, you can admit it, jealously is ugly but okay.
chrisp1973 wrote:Cyclist
Really, I struggle to find words to reply to your stupidity.
The selfie may have been mistimed but he’s clearly been caught up in the moment. Kittel is a professional athlete and should be well used to the camera, at all times, if not he should find a less “public” job.
I suspect your real issue is that you didn’t get the picture with Kittel, that’s the truth isn’t it, go on, you can admit it, jealously is ugly but okay.— Cyclist
Yes your right… I will admit your an idiot =D>
Cyclist wrote:chrisp1973
Really, I struggle to find words to reply to your stupidity.
The selfie may have been mistimed but he’s clearly been caught up in the moment. Kittel is a professional athlete and should be well used to the camera, at all times, if not he should find a less “public” job.
I suspect your real issue is that you didn’t get the picture with Kittel, that’s the truth isn’t it, go on, you can admit it, jealously is ugly but okay.— chrisp1973
Yes your right… I will admit your an idiot =D>— Cyclist
Blimey, don’t let Kaner see you using “your” when you should be using “you’re” – that really will open a can of worms!
Joking aside, a poor response, you really should try harder.
chrisp1973 wrote:Cyclist
Really, I struggle to find words to reply to your stupidity.
The selfie may have been mistimed but he’s clearly been caught up in the moment. Kittel is a professional athlete and should be well used to the camera, at all times, if not he should find a less “public” job.
I suspect your real issue is that you didn’t get the picture with Kittel, that’s the truth isn’t it, go on, you can admit it, jealously is ugly but okay.— Cyclist
erm… have you even read your reply to the person my original
comment was aimed at….who is the chump now…f*cktard!
…witty reply I think not…
were you a big bully at school, secretly a mummy’s boy, but felt the need to show bravado…take a long hard look at your own stupidity before responding to someone else’s replies…give it a rest (and stop liking your own posts)…and wasting forum space.
The _Kaner wrote:chrisp1973
Really, I struggle to find words to reply to your stupidity.
The selfie may have been mistimed but he’s clearly been caught up in the moment. Kittel is a professional athlete and should be well used to the camera, at all times, if not he should find a less “public” job.
I suspect your real issue is that you didn’t get the picture with Kittel, that’s the truth isn’t it, go on, you can admit it, jealously is ugly but okay.— chrisp1973
erm… have you even read your reply to the person my original
comment was aimed at….who is the chump now…f*cktard!
…witty reply I think not…
were you a big bully at school, secretly a mummy’s boy, but felt the need to show bravado…take a long hard look at your own stupidity before responding to someone else’s replies…give it a rest (and stop liking your own posts)…and wasting forum space.— Cyclist
Oh dear, are you still up!?
Of course I read it you fool, I wrote it! His comment, very much like everything you write is pure twattery.
Of course I like my own posts, I write them.
Now, I’ve got things to do and I’m sure you’ve got sandals to polish and socks to iron so run along, there’s a good lad.
Cyclist wrote:Sorry, in fact,
Well, considering that Kittel doesn’t seem to be that arsed or offended I’m not sure you can be on his side.
This really isn’t a deal, he has had a snap at a potentially personal moment but is it any more personal a moment than Kittel losing himself in the moment and roaring out in exultation with a teary eye? It’s not assault, he hasn’t laid a finger on him, look at how other riders get mauled and pawed at as they pass at considerable speed, that’s much much more invasive and offensive.
I’m sure the lad involved has blown his own arse out on a few times in training or he wouldn’t be in development squad that he is, so if you want karma to come back and bite him on the arse then I can guarantee you that if he finds himself in a similar post race situation then it is nailed on that there is going to be a queue of teenage lads just waiting to rip the piss out of him. I can’t tell by your username what your gender is but if you are male then you’ll probably remember being a teenage male with other teenage males. We were fucking brutal. Awful pisstaking gobshites if truth be told.
The main crux of this story is giddiness, the lad got giddy and took a photo, then social media got giddy and wanted to crucify him for it.
Of all the things to get worked up by in the world this ranks even lower than Eurovision. Honestly it does. And I utterly despise Eurovision.
Its not a big deal.
the only offence i can see
the only offence i can see here is the dead to toe adidas track suit
I would not p’off Dolph
I would not p’off Dolph Lundgren if I were you, young David.
No harm done! Kittel is in
No harm done! Kittel is in the public eye and is constantly photographed! Yes he could have picked his moment a bit better but it’s a storm in a teacup! If I had the opportunity I’d have done the same 🙂
I’m sure the digs are going
I’m sure the digs are going to land heavy on the kid every time he goes near a bike race now!
Mind you, straight after Kittel’s stage victory on the Champs Elysees last year he came over to us and beckoned the crowd for applause (We gladly did, of course!) but he does seem to lurve the attention..
Not the crime of the century,
Not the crime of the century, but a lack of class for sure.
Thank goodness this has been
Thank goodness this has been resolved. I’ll rest easy tonight
Selfie = not acceptable
tens
Selfie = not acceptable
tens of motorbike cyclists rushing over to the scene of an accident to photograph fallen riders (for shots such as this one?) = acceptable?
It’s a bit like bees to honey, quite vulgar
For clarity and to make sure
For clarity and to make sure it is on record whilst it may seem like I am defending his behaviour I want to make it clear and certain that I, in no way, condone his awful attire.
I will support Kittel 100% if he wishes to press charges based on having a terrible tracksuit and bodywarmer combo at such close proximity.
Nico Roche is usually pretty well turned out, I think he needs to start cascading this knowledge downwards.
farrell wrote:For clarity and
He doesn’t even have ‘runners’ on…he’s wearing a pair of Converse…awful co-ordination….tsk…tsk…and he’s a ‘ginger’…. :O
Moments after winning a stage
Moments after winning a stage on the giro is hardly a personal moment
I was there at the weekend,
I was there at the weekend, I’m pretty sure at one point we were stood next to the lad who took the photo – I remember his clothing!
Anyhoo – he was not the only doing this LOTS of folks did it, ok the rider may not have been on the floor at the time, but people were running up the riders, trying to get photo’s.
My 9yro son was even beckoned over by 2 Sky riders when they spotted him jumping up & down in his SkyKit, sadly another group of riders swooped though & we couldn’t get over to them before they were moved on.
So my point being, If riders are happy to stop & have their photo taken when it suits them, then they will accept that folk are going to try whatever they can to get a pic taken. It’s part of the job of being ‘famous’
I wonder if the guy who took
I wonder if the guy who took the photo had a fever…..
oh come on! he’s young,
oh come on! he’s young, excited by his hero’s and as he is up and coming is making sacrifices at a young age when like the rest of us probably drinking, smoking and messing around with girls he is getting up earily, staying up late, training all the hours he can and spending all his time with his team. Is wrong to let himself go for a split second, i dont think so. Give him a break and if he doesnt make it as a cyclist then let him become a photographer as its one of the best photos ive seen in years!
Please write out 100
Please write out 100 times
could HAVE not could OF…
would HAVE not would OF
(should HAVE not should OF)
That, to me, is way worse than taking a selfie with a stage winner…
The _Kaner wrote:Please write
Please write out a hundred times:
I am a cock if all I can mention in a forum debate is someone’s spelling or grammar.
chrisp1973 wrote:The _Kaner
Please write out a hundred times:
I am a cock if all I can mention in a forum debate is someone’s spelling or grammar.— The _Kaner
You too are a cock if all you can mention is someone else’s correction of poor grammar (not spelling) – a pet peeve of many – in a forum debate and call them a cock for it…after all you’re not adding anything useful to the debate either…sucks to be you, eh!
The _Kaner wrote:chrisp1973
Please write out a hundred times:
I am a cock if all I can mention in a forum debate is someone’s spelling or grammar.— chrisp1973
You too are a cock if all you can mention is someone else’s correction of poor grammar (not spelling) – a pet peeve of many – in a forum debate and call them a cock for it…after all you’re not adding anything useful to the debate either…sucks to be you, eh!— The _Kaner
As if my point needed further reinforcement.
Did you stop to think for a second that somebody might be dyslexic or have a learning difficulty?
As previously stated – cock.
@ chrisp1973
I could continue
@ chrisp1973
I could continue to quote back and forth to reinforce my point/opinion and continue to name call for the ‘sake of being a petty c*nt’ – much like yourself chrisp1973 – who started the name calling/argument, when in fact it had not even been directed at you, or involved you in any way up to that point – but as a champion of the underdog, you took it upon yourself to stick your nose in…you obviously troll the interweb as much as me looking for a keyboard fight
– but I’ll be a better man and not continue to be baited (after this last reply) as it really has nothing to do with the original thread.
Suffice to say the misconception that you – chrisp1973- seem to have that someone with a poor grasp of the usage of the word ‘of’ when it should in fact be ‘have’ has nothing to do with dyslexia or learning difficulties..unless you count being grammatically incorrect as a learning difficulty.
So trot on and annoy someone else with more time to play verbal insult tennis.
Apologies to the original poster/story writer and others that have been affected/offended by this shite (except chrisp1973 obviously)…feel free to delete/etc as appropriate…
The _Kaner wrote:@
I don’t go looking for a keyboard fight and I’m not a troll.
When somebody, “a petty c**t” such as you, feels the need to belittle others by picking up on grammar and the like when it doesn’t warrant it or detract from what the individual is trying to get across I do get annoyed.
I imagine you were bullied at school or were a bit of a dullard and your Microsoft software allows you to make amends for all that stupidity years ago, move on, you’ll feel better.
I think you’ll find it was your twatty comment that detracted from the original post so please, don’t try to blame shift. And I suggest it’s you that needs to trot on like a good little boy, I’m sure mummy has a kiss for you.
Keep on at this rate and
Keep on at this rate and you’ll pass that magic ‘100 posts’ by the time you reach puberty…take it offline …if you feel the need to continue making a fool of yourself….go start a thread somewhere else…
have you read ALL my comments/posts/threads…that’s stalking…
The _Kaner wrote:Keep on at
You really do have I high opinion of yourself, I called you out, deal with it boy.
I’ve better things to do with my time than read your shite lad and, quite frankly, I’m beginning to find you tedious.
As for puberty, I doubt very much your balls have dropped given your pathetic childlike yelping.
As for taking it offline, if that was some kind of thinly veiled threat you really have reached the pinnacle of twattery, well done you.
If I’ve written anything you don’t understand do tell me and I’ll take the time to school you.
@chrisp1973
You still wasting
@chrisp1973
You still wasting server space on here?
The _Kaner
Slightly less than you. Hurry up fella, you’ll be late for school!
The _Kaner
Slightly less than you. Hurry up fella, you’ll be late for school!
…yawn…anyone else bored
…yawn…anyone else bored with this pish!
any admins can clean this thread up?
Both of you STFU and move on!
Both of you STFU and move on! *pulls both by ears like a 1940’s mother angered by sibling rivalry*
Selfies are well last year anyway.
mooleur wrote:Both of you
Yeah, but it’s Ireland, they’re so far behind everyone else the fact that he’s taking a “Selfie” practically makes him a Spaceman or something.
(That should fire things up again nicely…)
farrell wrote:mooleur
Yeah, but it’s Ireland, they’re so far behind everyone else the fact that he’s taking a “Selfie” practically makes him a Spaceman or something.
(That should fire things up again nicely…)— mooleur
Hahaha, I really can’t comment, I’m Irish born living on the Isle of Man – mate I haven’t even SEEN the internet yet, I’m typing this and sending it to road.cc via telegram! ASCII selfie to follow…;)
THE most childish squabble in
THE most childish squabble in the history of the internet. Well done, chaps.