Motorcycles on the Tour de France are like the referee in a football match: if we start talking about it, there is a problem. While two motorbikes had already prevented Tadej Pogacar from attacking Jonas Vingegaard at the top of Joux Plane last Saturday, the 17th stage on Wednesday was the scene of even more damaging incidents.
In the diabolical Col de la Loze, in a hairpin bend followed by a steep slope of more than 20%, a real traffic jam was created because of several vehicles that remained in the roads. As a result, many riders who arrived behind had to dismount, including the yellow jersey and Thibaut Pinot, who got a little upset at the finish. “It was shameful. I got stuck for at least 30 seconds, I had the bikes almost falling on me, it was nonsense, ”said the darling of the people.
Thursday evening, after the stage, the France TV consultant Thomas Voeckler, whose motorcycle was concerned in the first place (it was suspended for the day) returned to the course of events. “We did not stall. There is a motorcycle which stopped, a neutral recovery car which stopped, there was another motorcycle from the organization, a three-wheeler which stopped and so we, inevitably, had to stop behind, reported the former runner. Our fault is that we couldn’t start again, so we hampered the race (…) But it’s not just us. It was a very complicated moment. »
“We are overwhelmed by a new audience that we did not expect”
Well, that’s what we need to talk about now. Because the fact is that between the public and all the following vehicles, there were far too many people for a steep and narrow ascent like that of Loze, the last kilometers of which consist of a simple cycle path. The organizers have apparently come to realize this when they see this great mess.
“We will have to sit down to find solutions, perhaps review the size of the “race echelon” (the rules which govern the operation of follower vehicles in the race). We will have to question ourselves, admitted Thursday the technical director of the Tour, Thierry Gouvenou. We are overwhelmed by a new audience that we did not expect. Maybe it’s the Netflix effect, or the intensity of the Pogacar-Vingegaard duel. In any case, we find ourselves a little deprived. We had hot spots before like Alpe d’Huez and Ventoux. But there it is everywhere, everywhere. »
Runners, sports directors and followers have indeed noted this year the presence of a larger and more festive public, as this paper from the colleagues of The Team. Several runners were sent to the ground by the fault of spectators and the passes regularly turn into an open-air nightclub. Long seen as old-fashioned, cycling has regenerated in recent years and is attracting a new audience. 21% of 18-24 year olds followed all the stages of the last Tour and up to 27% of 25-34 year olds, according to a study carried out by Cofidis and Dentsu Data Labs. A new fact to take into account.