“Another race, another wrong turn”: Bizarre scenes as cyclists follow motorbike and go the wrong way before finish line for the second time in two weeks, as riders’ union president slams organisers

After the infamous first stage of the Volta ao Algarve last week, in which the leading riders followed a camera motorbike into the wrong lane just before the finish line, similarly outlandish scenes took place once again at the Faun-Ardèche Classic yesterday.

A breakaway of seven riders was at the head of the French classic race, including UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Juan Ayuso, who was looking to become the first rider to win the race back-to-back. However, as they crossed the roundabout for the final time — having already made their way past it twice before — Movistar’s Enric Mas and Javier Romo, along with UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Brandon McNulty followed the motorbike to take the first exit on the right, instead of going straight, coming into the way of oncoming motor vehicles.

Fortunately, they realised their mistake before it was too late and braked just in time to turn around. However, Ayuso and Tudor Pro Cycling’s Marc Hirschi, confused by the events, got caught up, with the latter even going down.

Even more bizarre was the fact that Groupama-FDJ’s Romaine Grégoire, who was one of the few riders who took the right turn at the Volta ao Algarve, even finishing second behind Filippo Ganna in a result that was controversially written off, was once again at the right place at the right time yesterday — pouncing on the chaotic scenes to have a rather breezy 350m ride to the finish line on home soil.

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INCREDIBLE SCENES AT FAUN-ARDECHE CLASSIC 😱

Romain Gregoire takes full advantage of his rivals taking a WRONG TURN at the finish and eases to victory 🤷‍♂️⚠️ pic.twitter.com/TMvbLTzyBr

— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) March 1, 2025

Speaking to the French media after the race, the 22-year-old said: “I don’t know what they did at the 350-metre mark. They took a right when we had already passed that point several times. I think they were slightly lacking lucidity on their part.

“I don’t know who was in the lead at the time. I was probably in sixth or seventh place. I didn’t even think about it. Fortunately, I was vigilant, I knew it was straight ahead. Of course, it’s a bit strange not to be able to do the sprint you were hoping for. But that’s how it is, it’s part of the race.”

Mas, one of the three riders who went the wrong way, meanwhile, told L'Équipe: “Honestly, I was at full speed with my heart rate, I followed my teammate Javier [Romo], the motorcycle was close and we followed it without any hesitation… When we turned and I saw the cars, I said to myself ‘ah, we made a mistake’.”

Adam Hansen, president of the CPA, the riders’ union, thought it was the race organisers’ fault for the riders taking the wrong turn and missing out on a shot at victory. “Another race and another wrong turn,” he wrote on social media. “Today there was a green signal telling the bike (which again was too close to the riders) to turn off the road. Last time in the Algarve, there was a red and a yellow signal (Confusing for someone trying to follow the Marshall's instructions).

"It's really upsetting for a rider turning up, racing a full day, and right in the very end. This happens. Riders crashed because of this, and a few were put onto a road with cars coming in the opposite direction... A little double-checking could avoid this.”

Farcical Algarve stage 2025 (credit: Eurosport)

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However, the race director has come out and defended himself, saying that there was a mistake made from their side, but also on the part of the cyclists. “Have we made a mistake as an organisation? Maybe, but the riders also made mistakes,” he said.

“For Enric Mas, it was his first time here, but the route is the same every year. And we will also use the same finish at the European Championships in October. We are not going to change that.”

In the aftermath of all the chaos, fans were left questioning how such a bizarre scene could happen within the space of two weeks and how Grégoire found himself in the thick of it both times.

“Interesting to note that Grégoire also managed to find the right way last week in Algarve and finished second behind Ganna,” one person commented under TNT Sports’ highlights video on YouTube. “I’d never thought pathfinding was a very useful skill in road cycling, but it’s a crazy world we’re living in.”

One fan said: “If this wasn’t cancelled, then Filippo Ganna deserves an apology and given his rights,” while another jokingly wrote: “New UCI mandate to all competitions - please cater for riders going in the wrong direction by having two finishing lines. Then we’ll pick who the winner is.”