Ineos Grenadiers rider Luke Rowe has hit out at fans who blamed him for bringing down former world champion Mads Pedersen of Trek-Segafredo at Paris-Roubaix yesterday – inviting them to ride through the Arenberg Forest with a flat front tyre and see how they got on.
The Welsh rider was one of the early protagonists of what turned out to be an edition of the race that will live long in the memory as, returning after a two and a half year absence due to COVID-19 and in an unfamiliar October slot, it was ridden in the rain for the first time since 2002.
Rowe had been brought back into the main group by the time the race entered the Arenberg, one of the toughest of the 30 secteurs of pavé that are its signature, and swung over to the middle of the road from the right as his front tyre flatted.
One rider behind Rowe managed to avoid him but Pedersen couldn’t, and crashed into the Ineos Grenadiers rider – who subsequently became the target of posts on social media blaming him for the crash.
In an Instagram video that now appears to have been deleted, Rowe said: “I’ve been bombarded with messages about causing a crash on Mads Pedersen in the forest in Arenberg, you’re nuts, you are nuts.
“If you’re one of them who sent me a message you are nuts. I had a front wheel puncture, I had no control on the bike.
“If you’re one of those who sent me a message try riding a f*cking bike through the forest of Arenberg with a front wheel puncture. I was trying to stay to the right, the front wheel started to go, I swung to the left, Mads hit me at 40 kilometres an hour.”
He added: “If you’re one of those who sent me a message I’m going to try and say it as politely as I can, go f*ck yourself.”
The 31-year-old, who finished 67th yesterday, has raced every edition of Paris-Roubaix since his debut in the Monument in 2013, his best finish coming two years later when he finished eighth.
> Sonny Colbrelli thrives on chaos of mud splattered Paris-Roubaix to take memorable victory
23 thoughts on ““Go f*ck yourself” – Luke Rowe hits out at fans blaming him for Paris-Roubaix crash”
Well said Luke (not that I
Well said Luke (not that I think for one minute that you will read my comment on this website), I just hope that your sponsors dont have a bit of a downer on you for your choice of language on the all important social media.
No not well said. I am sure
No not well said. I am sure it could have been said much better.
No fan of armchair critics but really you are a public figure on an international stage representing your team and your sport.
Sorry, but that kind of
Sorry, but that kind of response is just cobblers. Ineos have paid representatives, an entire army of PR people. Luke Rowe isn’t one of them. Rowe is hired to ride, not to do PR. DOn’t believe me? Try a thought experiment. If youre bad at PR but a great rider, will you get a job in the peloton? Probably. If you’re great at PR but not a great rider will you get ajob in the peloton? Probably not.
If Luke wants to swear, that’s him being authentic to who he is, and it will win him the respect of a segment of the audience. Every one of us who’s sworn at the muppet who brings you down in a sportive because he tries to overtake on a wet bend, or who’s thought WTAF when your minute man in a TT tries the same trick on a wet roundabout and goes bouncing across the road in front of you will think ‘yeah, actually, that’s the level of emotion when it all goes pop in that one moment…’
Any time now along will come an Ineos PR man to pour oil on troubled waters and guess what? At the end of the month the key metric, how many time s Ineos are mentioned on social media, will have ticked up, not down. You may not approve, but audience segmentation means that broad brush standards of decorum are dead, and channel multiplication means that Rowe’s authenticity can be monetized. How may subscribers do you have for your cycling podcast?
Er so it’s all about
Er so it’s all about publicity and money? I was aiming more for decency and civility.
Since you ask I dont have or want a cycling podcast. I just believe that the small things we say and do can make the world a better or worse place and the greater the audience the greater the responsibility to be an influence for good.
Ride On wrote:
Sorry, I must have missed your election as commissioner of the tone police and the passage of the ‘People on the Internet Get To Regulate Language for Everyone’ bill through Parliament.
Seriously, I know you think your view matters, and that your crusade for decency and civility will change the world for the better, but it sounds a lot like censorship, and it seems to be the wrong problem in the wrong place at the wrong time.I mean, I don’t want to worry you, but if a few f bombs (which is pretty much everyday speech in many places) get you agitated, I’d seriously advise you to stay out of any of the forum threads about trans people in sport, because the real live hate speech that goes on there would make your hea d melt. Or maybe not – one of the things I’ve learned about people who prowl the interweb commenting on what offends their standards of decency and civility is that they’re rarely proportionate or universal in their concerns.
‘ they’re rarely
‘ they’re rarely proportionate or universal in their concerns.’
Pot. Kettle.
Hell ohhhhhh!
Bit of an astonishing media
Bit of an astonishing media blurt from a professional in any profession. When will folks learn that deleting stuff from social meejah doesn’t make it disappear, and that the best response is sometimes none at all. If in doubt, sit on your hands!
bobbinogs wrote:
Or gain respect from saying what deserves to be said!! 🙂
Wasn’t even deleted, don’t
Wasn’t even deleted, don’t know what this writer is on about. It’s on his Instagram story
MASSIVE respect to Luke Rowe
MASSIVE respect to Luke Rowe here, and I’d like to add you can go fuck yourself too if you disagree ;P
Luke Rowe is becoming the
Luke Rowe is becoming the peloton’s Mr Angry/Sweary. I’m not convinced it’s something to aim for.
agreed, obv I dont know what
agreed, obv I dont know what kind of grief he was getting on social media from it, but sometimes its better not to engage in the same terms, a simple look it looked alot worse on the tv coverage than it was, as it joined after Id lost control and was recovering & none of the riders involved blamed me, its just bike racing in those conditions, probably would have sufficed IMO
Who wrote this…?
Who wrote this…?
“one rider behind” that was MVDP mashing it on the front with Colbrelli in the wheel, not just some rider….
also, video not deleted, it’s on his Instagram story.
Classy response that.
Classy response that.
Well if he doesn’t like the
Well if he doesn’t like the hassle, maybe he should look where he’s going and not bring down other riders due to his ineptitude
DrS wrote:
You’re seriously accusing Luke Rowe, INEOS Grenadiers road captain, key player in five Tour victories, rider of every Paris Roubaix since 2013, of ineptitude and not looking where he’s going because he skidded across the road with a front wheel puncture on what is notoriously the most difficult stretch of road in pro cycling in conditions that would have made Noah pack it in? No wonder he feels like telling people to fuck off.
Yes
Yes
Well you’re being just a tiny
Well you’re being just a tiny bit silly then, aren’t you.
If that’s your third post I
If that’s your third post I shudder to think what your first two must have been like.
On the other hand, we shouldn’t encourage you. If we do you might go through all six hours of tape of an enthralling, brilliant race, and send endless posts calling out as inept every rider who fell or had a mechanical resulting in someone else getting involved in their incident.
Oh dear, are you one of those
Oh dear, are you one of those silly little trolls who got told to fuck off. Clearly you’ve never ridden a bike in your life Mr Muppet!
Clown!
Clown!
Hi Dr S.
Hi Dr S.
When did you last ride the P-R. You sound like you know what you’re talking about….
Nice to see an authentic
Nice to see an authentic response from someone based on what they are feeling at that time. He’s right as well, who in their right mind would go out of their way to message a sportsman like that. That is nuts.
He had a chance on Sunday and although there was nothing he could have done, it still must have been gutting to lose that chance on the Arenberg.