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Video: It’s a bum rap – Bahrain-Merida cyclist slaps mooning Tour de France fan on rear

Footage of rider's response to cheeky fan viewed more than a million times on Twitter...

A cheeky fan who mooned the Tour de France peloton during Sunday’s Bastille Day stage got more than he bargained for when a Bahrain-Merida rider slapped him on the behind as he rode past.

The spectator was one of a trio who turned their backs, pants down, on the race as it passed by them during Stage 9 from Saint-Etienne to Brioude.

The footage, now viewed more than 1 million times,  was posted to Twitter by Tricotte69 who said: “Surely the video of the year.”

The unnamed rider could have been thrown out of the race under Article 29.2 of its rules, which relate to "indecent appearance or inappropriate behaviour" – although it appears no action has been taken against him.

 

As in previous years, this edition of the race has seen organisers remind fans via social media to respect the riders competing in the race.

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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5 comments

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jollygoodvelo | 4 years ago
1 like

Part of the TDF, maybe it is, but all these goons running along with the riders and cavorting for their own amusement are forgetting - or actually, failing to consider at all - that these riders are professionals, they're literally *at work*, doing the job they're paid for, and always at risk of a career threatening injury. 

Would you go into a shop and moon at the staff?  Would you run along next to a bus driver waving a flag? It's completely ridiculous. Don't do it, people.

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jthef | 4 years ago
0 likes

For me that is part of the TDF. I love it.

Some people running at the side is good (as long as they are not being idiots and getting too close)

and some of the costumes I love. ( The doctor and the the syringe I though was good).

Chucking stuf at the riders is just so wrong and booing at the winner (unless he so his sportsmanship was so bad, and I don't class riding for sky as bad sportmanship)

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HarryTrauts | 4 years ago
1 like

It looks like the lads loved it and will probably dine out on it forever!

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handlebarcam | 4 years ago
3 likes

Good for him. And by him I mean Sonny Colbrelli, which is obviously who the rider is. If you watch on Freeview, you get so used to the fuzziness of ITV4 that eventually you can identify riders from just a few dozen pixels (the bit rate is about half that of BBC channels, but then for 46 weeks of the year they show nothing but ancient episodes of Kojak and The Professionals, so who cares.)

Also, the mooner nearest the camera (the one who didn't get slapped) should get a doctor to check out those weird, small breasts he seems to be growing on his back.

 

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ktache | 4 years ago
1 like

I'm glad the rider could not be identified.

 

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