2003 Tour de France – stage 3
The Tour and protests go hand in hand. Sometimes it’s the riders making their opinions clear to the organisers, but more often, the French public blocks the road to gain airtime for their cause of choice. Woe betide anyone daring to bar the way of Bernard Hinault, such as the shipyard workers at Paris-Nice in 1984, one of whom famously caught a left hook from the short-fused champion for his troubles.
This relatively inoffensive protest from 2003 appears to be in support of French culture, although judging by the poor effort made by their banner makers, they are not artists. Ivan Basso does the sensible thing and skirts round the back of the crowd on the verge.
Your photo suggestions to follow on from this story for issue 17.7 please. An off-road excursion, perhaps? A moment of bike-handling genius from a cyclo-cross rider, maybe? Email the connection and the story to link@rouleur.cc
THE LINK SO FAR
17.1 – Stybar slips on the Carrefour de l’Arbre, 2013
17.2 – Cancellara outwits the sprinters in Compiègne, 2007
17.3 – Tony Martin’s amazing 175km solo break, 2013
17.4 – Philippe Tesnière and the battle for lanterne rouge, 1980
17.5 – Lance Armstrong’s bully tactics, 2004
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