“Don’t be in this situation”
Motorcycle Photographer Regrets Pogacar’s Disability
07/16/2023 3:16 p.m
Tadej Pogacar has to abandon his attack on the final climb of the 14th stage of the Tour de France because motorcycles block the path. It costs him valuable seconds in the fight for the yellow jersey. The motorcycle crews are punished – and one of the photographers on board apologizes.
After the braking maneuver against cycling star Tadej Pogacar on the 14th stage of the Tour de France, the motorcycle photographer apologized. “I will not defend the untenable. We shouldn’t be in this situation. I should have asked my biker to distance me faster and earlier,” said Bernard Papon, a contributor to French sports daily L’Équipe.
At the Col de Joux Plane, Pogacar attacked leader Jonas Vingegaard a good 500 meters before the pass on Saturday, but had to brake a few meters later because two motorcycles blocked the road. Papon, who was on one of the bikes, explained the incident to the crowds at the top of the pass. “When I saw Tadej Pogacar accelerating, I immediately said it to my driver, who replied that he could not drive away,” said the photographer.
In the dense line of fans on the narrow road of the Col de la Joux Plane, the last climb on Saturday, the motorcyclist couldn’t make room fast enough. On the one hand, there are breathtaking TV pictures and an incomparable atmosphere for the drivers too – the defeated Frenchman Benoit Cosnefroy even got off his bike on Saturday, had a drink handed to him and danced exuberantly across the asphalt with his fan club. On the other hand, the competition is influenced and there are always dangerous situations – especially last weekend.
This Sunday, Vingegaard’s team Jumbo-Visma felt the effects: Edelhelfer Sepp Kuss got caught on the arm of a careless spectator at high speed, fell and also cleared his teammate Nathan van Hooydonck. Behind them, numerous other drivers fell in the mass crash.
The tour organization ASO blocked the motorcycle crews who were obstructing the 15th stage on Saturday and also fined them 500 Swiss francs (around 515 euros). Pogacar downplayed the incident at the finish but admitted he wasted power unnecessarily. His manager Joxean Matxin found clearer words: “Of course it can happen, but the rules of the UCI are clear. Driving two meters away is unacceptable.”