Tour de France 2019, stage nine verdict: French top bill on Bastille Day as moto-pacing row rumbles on
Nothing was going to deprive the French of the chance to a bit of flag-waving on Bastille Day on Sunday. With Julian Alaphilippe in the maillot jaune and Thibaut Pinot top of the virtual general classification following their brilliant breakaway on Saturday, L’Equipe set the tone for the home coverage with a picture of the two musketeers of French cycling beside the headline Les Frères Pétard. Translation: The Firecracker Brothers.
Alaphilippe, who even sports a d’Artagnan-style goatee, and Pinot, who for the first time since finishing third in 2014 seems finally to be riding without the weight of a nation on his shoulders, can do no wrong in the eyes of the public.
They can, however, do wrong in the eyes of their rivals. Or rather, the manner in which they have secured their advantage has come under scrutiny. A bubbling row over the proximity of a camera motorbike to the two men after they attacked 15km from the finish of Saturday’s stage threatened to put a bit of a dampener on Sunday's festivities.
The issue is not new in cycling. At the recent Giro d’Italia there were also complaints that the motos were far too close to certain riders on flat or downhill sections, giving them the benefit of their draft. This time, with Alaphilippe and Pinot two home riders the organisers would naturally love to see do well, the allegations are that much more provocative.
And the fact that the dissenting voices are coming from their GC rivals has only added to the intrigue.
“The motorbikes should be more in front, they are way too close now,” said Trek-Segafredo’s Dutch star Bauke Mollema. “Not only here, but also in the Giro it was the same problem. I think there should be rules for this. A certain distance. On a steep climb, it's not so bad, but on a flat or downhill, the motorbike should be way more in front."
Mollema, who said that drones with cameras would likely be the solution in years to come, added: “The CPA [the riders’ union] has already been complaining to the UCI. I also went to the car yesterday, my DS [sporting director] went there. But nothing really changes. The televisions are more in control of the race and don't listen to the UCI.”
“Only 1sec in a downhill is nothing, it's 15m to 20m, and then [the rider behind has] a big advantage. The moto should be a minimum 3-4 sec ahead.”
“Yesterday [the Belgian Thomas] De Gendt won by only six seconds, imagine if [Alaphilippe and Pinot overtook him] if they would've been motor pacing more? Imagine if he was going for his only grand tour stage win of his career. It could change the career of a rider or of the race completely.”
Mollema’s complaints were echoed by Astana leader Jakob Fuglsang, who added: “I don't blame the riders. For me it's the motorcyclists that need to get out of the way. They have the engine to do that. The riders just try to go as fast as possible.”
Alaphilippe, who looked a little irked to be asked about the issue on Saturday, denying that he had received any benefit from the moto, successfully held on to his maillot jaune on Bastille Day as Daryl Impey of Mitchelton-Scott won Sunday's ninth stage from Saint-Etienne to Brioude from the breakaway. Impey became the first South African winner of a Tour stage since 2007.
Geraint Thomas remains in fifth, 1min12sec down on Alaphilippe and 19secs behind Pinot.
The Welshman reported that he felt no ill effects from his dramatic crash towards the end of Saturday’s stage, when he lost a chunk of time to the two Frenchmen, although he did confess that he feared his race might be over when he was sent flying through the air due to a pile-up ahead of him.
“I’m not really going on social media [during the Tour] but one of my mate’s sent me a video of [the crash],” admitted Thomas, who landed on team mate Gianni Moscon’s bike, snapping it completely in two, after a crash caused by EF Education First's Michael Woods. “It all just happened so fast, I kind of did that left and then before I knew it I was up the arse of Gianni.”
Woods, a Canadian runner-turned-cyclist, held his hands up, saying he would apologise to Thomas in due course. "If I was Ineos I wouldn't be too happy with Mike Woods right now," he said. "But every pro cyclist has made that mistake. It's just crap that I did it and ended up affecting someone else's race."
Monday's 10th stage from Saint-Flour to Albi should end in a regulation bunch sprint before the peloton finally get a rest day on Tuesday.
