Bissell’s Baldwin goes down on Swan Mountain.

//Bissell’s Baldwin goes down on Swan Mountain.

Bissell’s Baldwin goes down on Swan Mountain.

Baldwin still smiling after crash on Swan Mountain.

Chris Baldwin of the Bissell Cycling team was 200 meters from the top of Swan Mountain on stage five of the US Pro Cycling Challenge when the insanity of the huge crowd got to him.

He went down.

TS: I didn’t see you go down, but I saw you down. What happened?

CB: It’s insane, it’s a double edged sword. It’s thrilling to have all those fans there but it’s completely unsafe. In America I think fans don’t’ understand the situation, I think they need to put a fence in for the last kilometer.

TS: The crowds were wild, there was no room for anybody coming up.

CB: The guy in the KOPM jersey had no chance to sprint for the KOM because he couldn’t pass.

TS: And you got nailed.

CB: A fan just jumped out in front of me. There was no time to react, you can’t see straight. Like I said the last thing I want to do is complain. It’s thrilling to have those crowds in America and in Colorado but you need fencing. It was the same gong over Independence. You couldn’t move past.

TS: Were you worried that you’d lose your place on GC??

CB: I thought it was game over. But I got up and got into a group that BMC had chasing back to the front group.

TS: It took you awhile to get going again …

CB: I was pretty upset. I was dying a thousand deaths. I was cursing. It’s crazy and your adrenaline is up and you can’t see straight, trying to get back in the game. I don’t’ know if the Tour de France is like this but that was my Tour de France.

TS: Swan was like a stage in the Pyrenees with the crazy Basque fans.

CB: It was an absolute thrill. My knee is a little banged up but we got one stage to go. I’m having the time of my life — it;s so cool.

By |2019-02-03T16:16:01-08:00August 27th, 2011|Uncategorized|3 Comments

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3 Comments

  1. cmurphy August 28, 2011 at 10:42 am - Reply

    It's a circular problem. Allow spectators to collect without any infrastructure, and a small number of narcissistic assholes will be there to fuck something up occasionally and in spectacular fashion. I don't even think massively fines for such fake fans would work. These people are either drunk, egotistical, or stupid to the point only physical restraint will work.

    • TwistedSpoke August 29, 2011 at 7:21 pm - Reply

      I think there's some sort of self-policing has to happen. It people want the thrill of no barriers, then there has to be some censure within the cycling community to put some pressure on the bad eggs who wreck in for everybody, racers included. How you put that in place in a question I can't answer. Matt

  2. Chris August 28, 2011 at 11:06 am - Reply

    Hi. We have some footage on this incident. Two riders to your right moved in and pinched you toward the crowd. The guy you hit was looking in his view finder and should have paid a bit more attention. It seemed that you had no where to go. Sorry for the crash. Colorado fans were excited to see you. Good Luck

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