Two race motorbikes which blocked the road at the top of the Col de Joux Plane, stalling an attack from Tadej Pogačar, have been excluded from tomorrow’s stage of the Tour de France by the race jury.
According to the jury’s decision, one France Télévisions motorbike and a photography motorbike belonging to L’Équipe have been fined 500 Swiss Francs and will not be able to take part in tomorrow’s stage 15 to Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc following the incident, which took place just as the two-time Tour winner began to launch his sprint for the bonus seconds atop the HC-classified final climb.
Pogačar, who had briefly distanced yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard on the Joux Plane before being caught by the Dane towards the summit, was abruptly stopped in his tracks by the two race motos, whose riders struggled to negotiate both the encroaching crowds and the speed of the attacking Slovenian.
— Kyle Merber⏱️ (@TheRealMerb) July 15, 2023
The controversial incident may yet prove a decisive one in the context of this year’s Tour. With Pogačar’s long range sprint foiled, Vingegaard was able to launch his counterattack from behind – catching out the seemingly unsettled UAE Team Emirates rider – and nab three additional bonus seconds over his rival, seconds which could prove crucial in this tightest and most delicately poised of Tours.
That twist of fate hasn’t been lost on UAE Team Emirates manager Joxean Fernández Matxín, who criticised the “unacceptable” actions of the race motorbike riders after the stage.
“It’s circumstances [that can happen but] the rules from the UCI are that the car has to be 25 metres ahead. Being two metres in front is unacceptable,” he said.
“In this moment there were a lot of public and many times the motor protects the rider but from a distance… but this is cycling, this is life, we continue with the same ambition tomorrow.”
Motorbikes have always influenced the race, and today, they stole seconds….
— Adam Hansen (@HansenAdam) July 15, 2023
Pogačar, similarly, was equal parts disappointed and philosophical about the events on top of the Joux Plane.
“I was blocked by a motorbike, which was also blocked. It’s a shame, I think my first sprint was for nothing,” he said after the finish. “That’s a pity. But it wouldn’t have changed the outcome I don’t think.
“I still felt that I lost effort in my legs because I could no longer sprint for the bonus. I screwed that up. But it is what it is.”
Explaining the circumstances behind the controversial incident, the photographer involved, who will now be excluded from stage 15, told Reuters: “I told my driver to accelerate when Pogačar attacked, but he could not as there were fans in front. We should have gone away before and forgotten about the picture.”
(A.S.O./Charly Lopez)
The cat-and-mouse game over the top of the Joux Plane between the two big favourites for this year’s Tour allowed Pogačar’s teammate Adam Yates and the Ineos Grenadiers’ Carlos Rodríguez to regain contact, though they too were briefly held up as the race motorbikes struggled to navigate their way past the exuberant crowds on the climb’s plateau.
No sanctions have been made by the race jury concerning that particular incident, however.
Interfering motorbikes didn’t seem to be a problem for Rodríguez on the descent of the Joux Plane, luckily, as the precocious 22-year-old plummeted into Morzine to take the biggest win of his career, usurping Jai Hindley on the overall podium in the process.
(A.S.O./Pauline Ballet)
Things weren’t so smooth sailing for the Spaniard’s teammate Tom Pidcock, who dropped out of the top ten and down to 12th overall after a rough day in the Alps. And, according to ITV’s Dan Deakins, the British rider wasn’t too happy about the lack of moto assistance he received – compared to the front group – on the descent of the Col de la Ramaz and the valley road to the Joux Plane.
“How did you manage the descent off Ramaz and the valley?”
Pidcock: ” Well, I didn’t have any motos in front of me, did I”
— Dan Deakins (@DanDeakins) July 15, 2023
Well you can’t have it both ways, I suppose…
-1024x680.jpg "“Clear anti-cyclist bias”: Lawsuit filed against Toronto police after cop doored cyclist… before ticketing rider over incident")
9 thoughts on “Motorbikes that foiled Tadej Pogačar attack thrown off Tour de France for one day, as UAE Team Emirates blast “unacceptable” lack of distance from riders”
It’s a shame that the Tour
It’s a shame that the Tour don’t keep the mob who have no real interest in cycling and just want to get on telly, back from the cyclists. I would personally shot anyone who ran alongside the cyclists: they are nothing but total fools. As for anyone setting off smoke, bombs, a quick kick in the soft areas seems apt.
Sorry to be all ranty, but bad behaviour by the crowds: you are not important so don’t get in the way, really ruins mountain stages.
(And yes, I’ve not had my pills this morning. Think I’ll do so and then go out for a nice, calming bike ride).
Particularly those who run
Particularly those who run along with their arses out. What’s that all about?
Ah, lets solely blame the
Ah, lets solely blame the motorbikes, and let the organisers off scott free. Nothing has been learned from previous times this has happened, Ventoux 2016….
Time for the ASO to put their hands in the wallets and pay for barriers and police 1km from the top……
No other sport would accept this happening….It’s not cool, or ‘part of the sport’, it’s just amateur.
Velophaart_95 wrote:
Yes – this isn’t needed on every summit, but if you’re going to give away bonus seconds on a summit, then a GC sprint is expected so get some barriers!
Probably the right decision.
Probably the right decision. It could be that the motorbike riders thought they were doing the riders a favour, keeping the spectators back, because if they were just a couple of second further ahead the knuckle-draggers would’ve surged back into the road. But that isn’t their job, and getting the most saleable shot for the next day’s newspapers would’ve been the primary motivation. The real question is why there were no barriers in the last km before the mountain bonus sprint? If that is logicially or commercial unviable, they should scrap those bonuses.
Just a query on etiquette
Just a query on etiquette amongst cyclists: Would Vingegaard have not seen that Pogačar’s attack was foiled through such circumstance and, if that was the case, wuold it not have been a bit more ‘moral’ of him not to counter for the top-of-the climb bonus seconds?
tootsie323 wrote:
That would assume that Vingegaard would accept that Pogacar’s attack was definitely going to be successful. Had the attack not been foiled, Vingegaard would have tried to respond. I don’t think, therefore, there would be any reason for him to act as though he would definitely have lost and not compete for the bonus seconds.
tootsie323 wrote:
If Pog had crashed or been balked to a standstill it would definitely have been good etiquette to have waited for him, and I’m sure Jonas would have done (he does after all have form for good sportsmanship), but on a crowded mountain stage there are so many times the riders will be obstructed, have to swerve around people, etc etc, if they tried to take account of all of them and balance them out they would never get anywhere. It would also involve JV making the assumption that he would not have been able to counter the attack, which would be defeatist to say the least.
Pogacar would presumably have
Pogacar would presumably have had his attack baulked by the crowds, just as the bikes were.
The crowd need to respect the racing, or be kept away from the trackside with cattle prods.
Anyhow, the TT tomorrow will be interesting.