The Tour de France will “question itself” and “think about solutions” to avoid incidents created by motorcycles in the passes where a “new” public takes place, the technical director of the Grand Boucle, Thierry Gouvenou, told AFP on Thursday.
While two motorcycles had already slowed down Tadej Pogacar at the top of Joux Plane last Saturday, a new incident occurred on Wednesday in the Col de la Loze where yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard and other riders were delayed by a motorcycle blocked by the public which caused a traffic jam.
That of Thomas Voeckler, coach of the France team and consultant for France Télévisions, was excluded with his pilot from Thursday’s stage by the commissioners of the International Cycling Union (UCI). “We are overwhelmed by a new audience that we did not expect, estimated Thierry Gouvenou. It must be the Netflix effect (which has just devoted a series to the Big Loop) or the intensity of the Pogacar-Vingegaard duel, but we find ourselves a little helpless. We had hard points before like Alpe d’Huez and Ventoux. But there it is everywhere, everywhere.”
“We will have to ask ourselves to find solutions, perhaps review the size of the race level (rules which govern the operation of follower vehicles in the race, editor’s note). We will have to question ourselves,” added the architect of the Tour route.
“It was shameful. I got stuck for at least 30 seconds, I had the motorcycles almost falling on me, it was nonsense, ”Thibaut Pinot lamented on Wednesday after having to dismount in Loze. “We let the cars pass when there are 15 seconds between the groups, there are things I don’t understand,” he added.
Since the start of the Tour, many riders and officials have mentioned a younger but also more virulent and sometimes very alcoholic public along the roads. 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 among 1,000 people.
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