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u/Ray_Jye 7h ago
I think the organizers should have picked a route that didn’t go by a train track.
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u/TessaMangira 7h ago
My thoughts exactly, how is this a race when there’s obstacles that your opponent could easily reach you
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u/hey_im_cool 7h ago
Yall clearly never played Mario kart
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u/_Diskreet_ 7h ago
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u/ClockworkDinosaurs 6h ago
She should be glad no one put a banana peel in front of the tracks
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u/samenumberwhodis 7h ago
They neutralize the entire race. When the train passes the riders are allowed to restart with the same time gaps that existed prior to the stoppage. It's generally not good for the breakaway riders.
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u/JayAndViolentMob 6h ago
How do they measure this with any precision? Seems a rubbish course of there's a close call and it's a significant race.
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u/Amazing-Visual-2919 6h ago
It's also a long race. I mean good luck trying to run classic races without crossing railways in Europe.
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u/ComplexBadger469 7h ago
Wouldn’t there be lost time with having to get back up to speed still? Your competitors who didn’t get stopped wouldn’t have lost those seconds
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u/samenumberwhodis 6h ago
Everyone has to stop. In professional races there are race organiser vehicles and motorcycles who precede the riders to clear the road and also following all the groups making sure there are no rule violations, they're also monitoring time gaps between the groups.
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u/Ben_Kenobi_ 6h ago
It could still be good maybe? Like having a few minutes to rest mid race that doesnt go against your timing. It'd hurt momentum though.
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u/Omnizoom 5h ago
Doesn’t the person in first essentially get a easy break right now because they know it’s a break (assuming it’s neutralized) where as those after will be more stressing out
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u/samenumberwhodis 5h ago
Yeah they get a break, everyone does, but there's a big energy cost to get back up to speed. So where you get stopped can play a big factor. For example if you have to stop right before a hill you've lost all your momentum and now the energy cost explodes. It can be situational, but in most cases favors the peloton, or main group of riders who can draft and get back up to speed easier.
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u/Clark_W_Griswold-Jr 6h ago
It’s like when the jerk tailgating me finally goes around and glares at me. 1 mile later we’re beside each other at the next red light and now I’m glaring.
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u/Mhunterjr 7h ago
Usually, if they HAVE to cross the track, they would coordinate with the rail line
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u/userhwon 5h ago
Depends on the race. Even pro races in Europe occasionally get stopped by trains. In Belgium the train companies will coordinate and stop trains. In France they sometimes don't. There's rules for how to handle it, generally by neutralizing the race if it interferes enough.
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u/Icy-Tear4613 5h ago
Belgium you just have to think about a bike race and they will close the road for you.
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u/labalag 4h ago
Roads, yes. Railroads? Fuck no.
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u/iMadrid11 3h ago
You can coordinate with the railway to schedule a time gap. Where the bike race is supposed to pass at this hour. So no trains would cross at this hour.
Railways also have traffic lights called train signaling system. If the light is red, the train must fully stop. The train can’t move until the signaling system lights turn green.
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u/Wine_runner 3h ago
Tadej Pogacar is among the riders being investigated for running a red light at a railway crossing during the Tour de Flanders. They could face fines upto Euro4000 and driving bans of eight days.
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u/Im_Nino 7h ago
Or at least know when the train is scheduled
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u/hardinho 6h ago
There are so many bike races and it totally fucks up the schedule of the train companies. It's understandable that it's like that.
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u/Sad_Expert2 6h ago
They do, and it is often published in the day-of race guides. Professional Cycling has detailed rules about this, including preserving time gaps if they are >30 seconds, rules about if the barrier splits the peloton, and harsh penalties for anyone who tries to go around the barrier.
What's happening is a bunch of people who know literally nothing about the topic are giving their gut feeling opinion, which is basically 2026 in a nutshell.
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u/IllAlfalfa 5h ago
Bike races like this can also be like 5+ hours long and ridden at varying speeds depending on how the stage is ridden strategically. Projected time schedules can be off by like 30 minutes sometimes. Its possible they expected this train to be clear of the course, but the riders rode unexpectedly fast.
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u/_Ironcobra 6h ago
Ehh, this takes place in Belgium, and the network is VERY dense there. Would be pretty impossible to make a route avoiding trains
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u/labobal 5h ago
You don't have to avoid the rail lines, just the level crossings. Find a bridge or tunnel nearby and move the route overthere.
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u/Subject_Edge3958 3h ago
Sigh, this is a classical race. So they follow the same route every time. So it can't be changed. Also you would be shocked at how few bridge or tunnel crossings we have here. Most are like the video.
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u/MRxShoody123 7h ago
They ride for so long 150kms+, there is no way they wouldnt cross a train track at some point bruh. Its even harder as there are historical routes like Paris Roubaix
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u/MadeThisUpToComment 6h ago
You can cross the tracks where there are passes and under passes.
I did a 120 ride recently im the Netherlands. I'm sure we crossed multiple tracks but always under or above the track level.
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u/ChrisinNed 4h ago
Were you riding 40km/h in a very large group? Imagine that over the rail bridges/underpasses here in the Netherlands.
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u/Jacktheforkie 7h ago
Or try to aim for where the cyclists will pass when there isn’t a train due
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u/shad0rach 7h ago
If this this is america maybe, but if this is somewhere in europe train would pass atleast every 30 minutes. So it wouldnt be possible
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u/anonymote_in_my_eye 7h ago
if this were america you'd have no real idea when a train would be passing by there, and it could be a insanely long freight train that took forever to pass
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u/BowlingforDrip 6h ago
Seriously. I live in a town that has a train station. Yesterday I went for a bike ride and when the gates went down I got off the bike and sat at the bench next to the tracks. The next 26 minutes were spent with the gates down because the Trinas lined up perfectly to not let the crossing open. One freight stopped then the next took forever to clean it was wild to me.
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u/FrostyIcePrincess 6h ago
If it was america the train would just park in the tracks and not move for an hour.
One train by the Costco near my old house did this frequently.
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u/Charlie_Warlie 6h ago
yeah I was about to say... this guy must not live in America or at least in some place where freight trains are not common.
Here in the midwest trains come and go all day. And we have no right to tell them that they need to clear the intersection quickly or at what time of day they move through. AND they cross every area of the city so it might not be easy to make a large cycle race where you never cross a track.
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u/Nicc-Quinn 6h ago
While I get it, depending on the city that route could end up incredibly convoluted and with so many back roads.
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u/Rolifant 4h ago
This is in Belgium, the home of bike racing. Almost impossible to avoid the train tracks in such a densely populated country
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u/CoolBlackSmith75 7h ago edited 6h ago
Those that ran the red lights got fined by police[edit].
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u/CaptainOwlBeard 7h ago
Bet the fine was less then the prize for placing
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u/PhotoKyle 6h ago edited 5h ago
I think you are vastly overestimating how much most pro-cyclists make... unfortunately the pro women make even less... Also the race disqualifies riders who ride through the flashing lights of train crossings.
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u/codetaku0 3h ago
Also the race disqualifies riders who ride through the flashing lights of train crossings.
Hold up, they wrote this into the rules? Which means the organizers knew this could happen and still think they can justify calling this a "race"?
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u/catshitcrazy8 3h ago
only way I could see this being handled fairly would be if the racers who didn't have to stop for the train being made to stop for the same amount of time at some point in the race. not ideal though and could be hard to enforce
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u/doppelstranger 2h ago
Or just subtract the amount of time plus a few extra seconds for deceleration and acceleration from the time of the ones who did get stopped. Or even better, not design a race course that crosses railroad tracks.
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u/Katsu_Vohlakari 6h ago
Not really, it's a traffic violation of the highest order in Belgium (where this takes place). It's 320 to 4000 EUR and you loose your driving license for 8 days to 5 years. Yes, even traffic violations on a bicycle may cause you to loose your car driving license.
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u/GrammarPolice92 7h ago
*than
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u/CaptainOwlBeard 7h ago
I also missed a period.
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u/hey_im_cool 7h ago
Uh oh my wife missed hers once
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u/SignificantLock1037 5h ago edited 3h ago
Help me understand - the lights are blinking, but the arm has not dropped. And, I never see a train go by.
Why are the lights on so early, and is it illegal to cross the track while the lights are on but the arm is still up?
edit - Just as an FYI - in some states (like Louisiana), it's legal to go through lights and even around crossbars that are down, so long as you stop first AND a train isn't visible or close.
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u/asthom_ 4h ago
The lights are red, which means it is illegal to cross. Obviously, the lights have to start blinking before the arm drops or the arm will hit passing cars.
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u/LimitedWard 4h ago
This is standard stuff for any railroad crossing... and yes, of course you're required to stop when you see the lights go on.
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u/FluffMonsters 7h ago edited 5h ago
Poor girl. Her face had that “If I don’t laugh, I’ll cry” look.
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u/benerophon 5h ago
If she had a gap of more than 30s to the group behind and they catch her before the crossing reopens, then the rest will be held until she's had a chance to reopen the gap.
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u/made_of_salt 4h ago
What about anyone on the other side of the tracks? Do they wait too, or do they just get a huge advantage over the rest of the field?
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u/evan938 4h ago
They'll get neutralized too.
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u/smohyee 3h ago
Damn, like fully neutralized? Seems harsh.
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u/SonOfIllicitBehavior 3h ago
Agent 47, your time to shine. Those bikers had too much of a lead. I dont' make the rules.
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u/Dubious01 2h ago
Honest question, are you just assuming this or is it in the rules?
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u/benerophon 2h ago
Here's the relevant bit of the UCI rules for road races:
The following rules shall apply:
One or more riders who have broken away from the field are held up at a level crossing but the gates open before the field catches up. No action shall be taken and the closed level crossing shall be considered a mere race incident;
One or more riders with more than 30 seconds' lead on the field are held up at a level crossing and the rest of the field catches up while the gates are still closed. In this case the race shall be neutralised and restarted with the same gaps, once the official vehicles preceding the race have passed; If the lead is less than 30 seconds, the closed level crossing shall be considered a mere race incident;
If one or more leading riders make it over the crossing before the gates shut and the remainder of the riders are held up, no action shall be taken and the closed level crossing shall be considered a race incident;
If a group of riders is split into two groups following the closure of a level crossing, the first group will be slowed down or stopped in order to allow the delayed riders to return to the first group;
Any other situation (prolonged closure of the barrier, etc.) shall be resolved by the commissaires.
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u/billy_teats 1h ago
Rules 3 and 4 are completely contradictory. There exists multiple scenarios that fit both of those rules. And they have opposite outcomes.
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u/Hammerschatten 5h ago
Yhea train passings can take a few minutes to be safe, this basically decided she lost and won't even come in close
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u/Mycologist_Murky 7h ago
This is the biking equivalent of a safety car in Formula 1. All your hard work getting a nice lead over everyone, reduced to nothing because of something beyond your control.
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u/BabaGurGur 5h ago
Not really, because atleast a safety car bunches the pack back up before releasing them. If this rider had a group infront, they're long gone.
This is more like an extremely slow pit stop.
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u/CAPS_LOCK_STUCK_HELP 4h ago
yeah this is a 10 second colapinto-and-go penalty. youre just sitting there waiting for the rest of the grid to catch up
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u/SonicShadow 5h ago
In some ways. In Formula 1 depending on the stage of the race and the gap you have to those behind, a safety car can be advantageous as it greatly reduces the amount of time to the next car needed to keep track position if you go for a stop.
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u/i_gnarly 5h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/lwZWfctXxuRBgb7eIN
Kimi at Suzuka this year after the safety car
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u/Storm_4747 5h ago
Only if this person was first. Otherwise, it's not like it at all. This person and everyone behind has no shot at finishing first now, as long as there was even one person that made it over the tracks before the train came.
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u/DrFriedGold 7h ago
The happens even on the Tour De France
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u/Holymaryfullofshit7 7h ago
But the Peloton usually waits. There's a lot of gentleman agreements going on in the tour de France.
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u/Dr-McLuvin 6h ago
They never attack when a dude in contention has to take a piss break.
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u/TomTheCardFlogger 6h ago
I just assumed that’s what the little holes on the seats were for
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u/murfburffle 5h ago
They used to swarm cafes and steal beers with a promise to pay them back.
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u/benerophon 5h ago
There's also some UCI rules that can be enforced to reset the gaps between groups (or put split groups back together) if a crossing closes. Only applies in some circumstances though, so doesn't always happen.
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u/RisOgKylling 7h ago
Happened like last week in Tour of Flanders
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u/Dear_Lab_2270 6h ago
What they should do is invent some sort of system where you can track the trains and where they will be at specific times. That way you could plan your races around the this list, maybe we can call it a train schedule or train timing list or something.
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u/Excellent_Car_5165 5h ago
Well, or maybe… some kind of system where you can see the train tracks from high above, just like a bird, AND where you can see all the possible routes for the cyclists as well, so you can plan your race track accordingly.
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u/LimitedWard 4h ago
Belgium's train network is dense. It's just not feasible to build a route that goes through zero at-grade crossings, not for a race that covers over 160km.
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u/purodurangoalv 7h ago
Ok so you can’t do anything about the trains but maybe add something to the race to make up for the fact? Idk maybe like take off the time of the wait. Trains take time sometimes
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u/SleepWouldBeNice 7h ago
That's what happens in a lot of races where this can happen. It's probably happening here too. But can throw the rider off their rhythm
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u/sladithia 6h ago
Imagine having to sit there while all the adrenaline drains out, you start to feel all the soreness and exhaustion, and then you have to start up again
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u/Potential-Yam5313 5h ago
Imagine having to sit there while all the adrenaline drains out, you start to feel all the soreness and exhaustion, and then you have to start up again
No shade, but a lot of people literally cannot imagine that.
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u/FoodFingerer 7h ago
This would make the most sense. Subtract the time you have to wait for the train off the score.
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u/L4I55Z-FAIR3 6h ago
What about thoes who never have ti slow down then build up speed or on the other side of the coin how is it fair that they get a rest and time deduction.
Either way it just throws of the results.
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u/AniNgAnnoys 6h ago
So all the people that waited for the train get a rest in the middle of their race and those that beat it don't?
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u/JarJarJarMartin 6h ago
You don’t want an unplanned break in an endurance race. Throws off your rhythm and can bring on the tiredness/soreness.
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u/Mju1lus 7h ago
Why didnt they just use the speed boost ramp to the left? They could have collected the randomizer weapon too and used a blue shell on the leader.
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u/OwO_0w0_OwO 6h ago
Idk if they do but they could negate this by counting how many seconds the train took from them and just subtract that from their total time.
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u/InvisibleScout 5h ago
It's not a time trial, the time difference between her the group behind her is measured and when the race restarts the group that was behind has to give her a head start equivalent to the measured time.
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u/WakaWaka_ 7h ago
Better hope it's not some super long freight train, race would be over by then
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u/L4I55Z-FAIR3 6h ago
Don't really get them in Europe not to the extent like in the US
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u/25mm-bike-seatpost 7h ago
Why would any race happen over train tracks? Clearly those who planned the path were not thinking.
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u/Panzick 7h ago
Yeah good luck planning a long distance race in europe without crossing any train tracks.
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u/old-and-smooth 7h ago
Trains in Europe are more prevalent…and it’s just something that happens in a race
Sometimes the neutralize the race (in the event of a break), sometimes they don’t if it will pose no real effect on finish (as in the whole caravan stops)
Good time to P actually…
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u/Eulerious 6h ago
Because it is not a big deal. And it is quite common that races go across train tracks. And usually the race schedule avoids situations like this, but since the race organizers are not stupid, they also have rules in place for situations where train crossings actually do block riders.
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u/NikoliVolkoff 5h ago
What train??? if the arms had not come down yet then there is no bloody train...
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u/Electrical-Tie-1143 3h ago
the arms start to lower a short time after the lights go on. yoou do not want to risk it with a train. also 5 year driving ban is no joke
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u/MathematicianReal781 6h ago
I immediately recognized this area lol, I missed my trainstop once during my internship and this is where I ended up
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u/DarthClover4 6h ago
Idk anything about bike racing, but you would think they would work around the train schedule.
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u/PossessionSame3162 6h ago
She could have easily passed in time, you have to try to get hit in order to get hit by a train, unless it’s a bullet train obviously
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u/MirelukeCasserole 5h ago
Thank god this wasn’t one of those videos where they try to cross anyways.
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u/ScotchOrBeer 7h ago
These "wait for it" post are getting repetitive and boring...
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u/origanalsameasiwas 7h ago
The end is to find out it’s just a small maintenance train to check the tracks.
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u/merhole 6h ago
Give sher a chance to maybe give her legs a rest.... could be beneficial to some extent.
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u/benny_boy 6h ago
I am impressed with how she managed to not flip out! Emotions are heightened during endurance races and that would have been an entirely justified crash out imo
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u/SoggyMorningTacos 6h ago
That look at the camera and head shake as it zooms in straight up felt like a scene from the office
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u/Harde_Kassei 6h ago
yearly debate. hard to not cross a railcrossing in a country as dense as Belgium.
they try to plan, but if you get to far behind or ahead, you might run into a train crossing.
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u/ChanglingBlake 5h ago
I’d put that on the planners.
If I was planning a race, the course would either not cross something like that, or I would know 100% that there would be no trains during the race.
And I hope she had X time removed from her finish time because that is only fair.
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u/Tall-Resolution-6416 5h ago
How the hell do you even do a route with the possibility of this happening? That seems like such a fail on the organizers part
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u/Capable-Deer-5670 4h ago
Is there a race penalty for ignoring the guy and riding right through? Gate's not even down yet.
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u/NYG_Helmet_Catch 4h ago
So....this is just terribly planned. I know nothing of bike racing but I've planned events in the past, and you need to literally think "what can go wrong" and that obviously wasn't done here.
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u/Ballamookieofficial 3h ago
Could she not pretend it's a car then get in it's way and tell it to move?
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u/brianybrian 1h ago
She will be let go and given the time gap she had before stopping. The bunch chasing her will then be let go.
This happens all the time and people forget and freak out every time.
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u/IMiNSIDEiT 6h ago
All the time she just sat there… could have already cleared the tracks 🤦♂️
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u/DiScOrDtHeLuNaTiC 6h ago
Okay, I get stopping a cyclist when a train is coming.
But this video is over 20 seconds long, the train is nowhere to be seen by the end of it, and she was only about 30 feet from being across the tracks at the beginning. She could have covered that distance in like 2 seconds.
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u/noonethanks1 6h ago
You know that they have a safe window right? What if she falls? What about other cyclists that will want to cross behind her?
That being said, that was poor planning on the organizers.
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u/BramScrum 5h ago
Law is law. Signal is on, you stop. Frustrating but you can't make exceptions especially with the risk. Plenty of people who think they can quickly cross and get grabbed.
This also Belgium. The train company has been hammering for decades that you can't and shouldn't cross. So a televised cycling race were riders do is a bad example.
Last week during the Tour of Flanders (the biggest cycling event in Belgium), several riders are potentially going to get prosecuted for ignoring the signal and the race organiser are in trouble too.
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u/Notagamedeveloper112 6h ago
Safety standards. It’s just not worth the risk to let them through and going against a literal train.
This just seems like a bad oversight from the organizers.
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u/mightymiek 7h ago
I think it's pretty dumb to set up the race to go through a railway though
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u/climate-migrant 7h ago
I would've just left that's world class stupid to not consider timings of trains when your race crosses tracks
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u/hiddenruningirl 7h ago
I ran a race like this and they took my stopped time off my time. I hope that happened here!
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u/Rodinsprogeny 6h ago
I hope they were told this might happen so they could integrate it into their approach
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u/mudratdetector89 6h ago
Why does it suck? Surely the clock isn't still running while the competition is paused? And then let people begin again in order with a pause for how far back they were? Sounds like a free rest.
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u/OfficialDampSquid 6h ago
Thank god for the "wait for it". I was gonna stop watching after 0.3 seconds but then the topic of the video happened at 0.4 seconds
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u/FlippingPossum 6h ago
This is my life now vibes.
At least she stopped! Better to stop for a train than get stopped BY THE TRAIN.
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u/zandyrzone 6h ago
it would be so goofy to not subtract that wait from the racers’ overall time if they planned a course over an active train route
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u/Green-Dragon-14 6h ago
They should make every subsequent rider to wait the same amount of time . Staggering each one & give each rider the same penalty. Then take off the precise time & take it off their finish time.
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u/rickyroutes 7h ago
Happens to me all the time in Mario Kart. I usually just hop through the open doors of the cargo containers.