Spikes hurled in the road near the foot of the Jezekiel climb triggered a number of sudden punctures on stage two of the Tour de France, forcing between 15 and 20 riders to stop to change wheels or ride to the finish with a slow puncture or tack stuck in their tyre.
It is unclear who threw nails on the road and why. There were no signs of protest during the podium, as cycling-obsessed Basque fans cheered during the 208km ride from Vitoria to San Sebastián.
Race organizer ASO said cycling news They knew about the mistakes in the way but they didn’t have any other information.
Race radio announced a number of punctures in the final 20km of the stage, as teams scramble to serve their riders at a key moment in the race.
French racer Lillian Calmejan vented his rage about the spikes on the road on social media, posting a video counting five bolts on his front wheel: “Thank you for that kind of human nonsense… I don’t think I was the only one with a puncture.” In the final… You should know that we can fall and get really hurt by your nonsense, you fools!”
The Jayco-ALUla team confirmed Luke Durbridge was a puncture victim and showed a wheel with pins on it. Cofidis also apparently suffered a number of punctures, but Victor Lafayé was unaffected and went on to win the French team stage.
Tom Pidcock said he had a slow puncture but rode to the finish despite some loss of control. Ineos Grenadiers use tubeless tires and the sealant that helped slow his puncture was visible in the rear wheel as it heated up on the cylinders.
“I had a slow puncture and I felt it coming off the Jeezciple but I had to ride it. I felt it slipping on the corners a little bit,” said Bidcock. cycling news and ITV TV, in the shadow of the Ineos Grenadiers team bus.
Jayco AlUla Head of Performance Matt White confirmed that the spikes have created major problems in the peloton.
“Someone sprayed some screws on the road in a town because we saw a 15/20 hole. Some shot right away and some rode with a slow dropout,” he said. Important time in the race.”
Merci for this type of human connerie…je pense ne pas avir été the seul victime of crevaison dans le final…sachez qu’on peut tomber and se faire tres mal avec vos conneries bande d’abrutis… 🤬 pic.twitter.com /IoTMolFKgOJuly 2, 2023
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