“The Netflix Effect”: With Bystander-Crashes Becoming a Concerning Trend, Tour-De-France Race Director Takes a Jab at Billion Dollar Giant

The Tour de France 2023 has announced its 19th stage winner. Filled with talented athletes from all around the world, the Danish cyclist Matej Mohoric beat Kasper Asgreen by seconds to win the 19th stage. Mohiric’s win counts as the third win for the Bharian Victorious Team in this 21-stage event, making the team one step closer to their championship.

While the yellow jersey team lead Jonas Vingegaard keeps on showcasing the talent on the peloton despite being the victim of yet another crash on the peloton of Paris this year. After the second bystander crash faced by the Jumbo-Visma, Race director Thierry Gouvenou rebuked the Netflix series for overcrowding the peloton and causing bystanders to create difficulty for the athletes.

Thierry Gouvenou takes a jab at Netflix.

After last week’s accident, the Jumbo-Visma team faced another bystander issue. The leader of the yellow team, Jonas Vingegaard, had to stop on the peloton due to small children walking on the road. The holdup created a lot of chaos as the athlete who was maintaining a lead had to wait at the steeple for a few minutes. Thierry Gouvenou, a former cyclist and Tour de France director, blamed the crowd on the multibillion-dollar streaming company Netflix.

The former cyclist calls these crashes “The Netflix effect.” According to Gouvenou, after the release of Tour de France: Unchained, an eight-episode Netflix series, the race has gained more attention and caused chaos at the peloton. Gouvenou thinks this year’s crowd has been disrespectful toward the athletes and doesn’t know how to be good supporters of the event as well.

Further, while talking about the effect of the Netflix series, Gouvenou, rebuked Netflix, stating that he doesn’t know if the Netflix effect is to blame for the crowd’s behavior. But he knows that this year’s crowd wants to take pictures while attending the event. In an interview with the Guardian, Thierry Geouvenou stated, “I don’t know if it’s the Netflix effect. I know the viewer wants to be with his phone, and he wants to put himself in the picture, in the Tour de France. That’s the way it is.” The lack of discipline has also upset many others, including a member of the management of Jumbo Vista. In the interview, he stated that he was “Very angry” at the lack of control in the race. The Jumbo-Visma has suffered the most in this year’s event due to this bystander havoc. From their top-tier athletes being forced to stop at narrow climbs to facing a horrifying crash

Crash on the 15th stage of the Tour de France

On July 16, three of Vingegaard ’s team members crashed into the peloton. On the 15th stage of the Tour de France, Jumbo-Visma’s three cyclists crashed after a bystander tried to contact one of the team members. While traveling through the small Outskirts of Les Gets les Portes du Soleil, a bystander capturing a selfie tried to contact North American Cyclist Sepp Kuss. The slight touch of the fan caused chaos as the North American lost his balance and fell on the peloton. The cycles accumulated on the road as the domino effect caused Jumbi-Visma’s two other team members, Van Hooydonck and Dylan Van Baarle, to fall as well.

Also read: Slovenian Cyclist Wins Race With a Special New Modification to His Bike That Could Change the Cycling Landscape

After this crash, seven cyclists also left the Tour de France. The raging crowd has certainly caused huge difficulty for the cyclists as this event is a free, non-ticket race with little control over the crowd. Last week, the cycling event authorities also tweeted to ask the supporters to be more respectful towards the event.

Watch this story: After Back-to-Back Wins of Jasper Philipsen, Australian Cyclist Jai Hindley Takes Charge in the Stage 5 of Tour de France