Peloton Flats

I could have sworn that I was watching a pro race somewhere in Europe and almost the entire Peloton all flatted at the same time. Can anyone remember this? Do you have any sorts of references?

When I was in France and was walking up the bottom section of l'Alpe d'Huez the fans would allow their favorite riders to get past and then break beer or whiskey bottles all over the road. I don't remember much about that other than the motorcycle cops who lead the peloton to push the crowds out of the way in the lower sections didn't seem in the least bothered by it so I assumed that it was SOP.

When we drove through Belgium we were on a road that parallels a section of the cobblestone sections of Paris-Roubaix. These roads are never driven on with cars and so they are relatively virgin with deep spaces between the cobbles and the cobbles have sharp edges still after all these years. The cobblestone sections in the other Belgium races are used by normal traffic and so are pushed down into the mud and worn fairly round. Still must knock your teeth out to ride them but not like the Paris-Roubaix of which I've heard said that you either crash or have flats or both and only the lucky get through it in one piece to win.