It was a manic finish that saw fourth-placed Robbie McEwen’s right arm slashed by a spectator’s camera . . . . McEwen indicated he will start Wednesday’s second stage; however, Katusha team physiotherapist Victor Popov said that due to the trauma suffered, it’s uncertain how hard he’ll be able to grip the handlebars.
Last year at the Amgen Tour of California, I was a course marshall at the intersection of Piedmont and Sierra, where I was tremendously outnumbered by an unruly crowd. I had to ask the same few spectators over and over again to please step off the road, and I felt sick to my stomach when a small child threw a toy out into the street just before the racers arrived.
I love cycling photography too, but please consider if you will be watching the Amgen Tour that unwise spectator behavior can injure racers, can injure fans, and can change the course of the race. Please, please follow the instructions of course marshalls! We are fans too.
