"He accepted the punishment" : Alexandre Pasteur returns with unreleased footage of Thomas Voeckler, who was removed from the Tour de France (VIDEO)

This is one of the stunning images from the Tour de France 2023. On Wednesday 19 July, during the queen stage of the Grande Boucle, which connects Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc to Courchevel, there was a traffic jam with many vehicles on the way up the slope. Col de la Loze. Reason ? A motorcycle broke down and could not start again, creating a huge traffic jam. Some drivers’ exits slowed, including Yellow Jersey’s Jonas Vingegaard and France’s Thibaut Pinot. The motorcycle at the origin of this incident was none other than the motorcycle Thomas Voeckler was on. Due to the very strict rules of the race, the organizers of the Tour de France have chosen France Télévisions’ star advisor and driver to be the 18th.^to The stage, which will take place on Thursday, July 20, between Moutiers and Bourg-en-Bresse. The two men were also fined 500 Swiss francs, or about 520 euros, for the crime of “”.violation of regulations or directives regarding vehicle circulation in the race (non-compliance with press specifications prior to the Col de la Loze summit).“

Before the start of the stage on Thursday 20 July, France Télévisions commentators returned to this discussion, which included Thomas Voeckler: “Thomas was not in an illegal place regarding the regulation of vehicles.“, says Alexandre Pasteur, before explaining the reasons: “The problem is that in front of him was a funnel, a bottleneck. The motorcycle stalled, could not start again. We were on a 24% turn at the height of the slope. Clutch is tired because it is a mountain road. The motorcycle could not start. As a result, a race management car stalled behind and blocked several drivers, including Yellow Jersey Jonas Vingegaard. It is an unfortunate event. Thomas accepted the punishment, no problem. So today he is not allowed to ride a bike.“The sound of the bike later revealed an exchange with his assistant: “Thomas left me a little message this morning. “It’s over there. We have nothing to blame ourselves, but it’s our fault. »“

Later, Laurent Jalabert, who is well aware of this role of motorcycle consultant, relativized the responsibility of motorcycles in this particular case, having held that role in the past:It had gone well until the moment when he could no longer move forward. Suddenly, it becomes irritating. He is penalized for interfering with the progress of the race. Of course completely unintentional. (…) It is very difficult for cyclists on these steep slopes. Motorcycles weigh 400 kilos with their men and equipment… On such slopes, drivers move at 14 or 15 km/h. And on a motorcycle, you’re on the verge of stopping, you almost broke your pipe! You press the clutch and it is enough to press the brake that is blocking you and you will never let go.“

Laurent Luyat, on the other hand, wondered about the responsibility of bystanders, who could sometimes slow down oncoming vehicles. Thus, Alexandre Pasteur felt that the public also played a role in the good performance of the race: “There’s a phenomenon on the Tour this year, which is that we have a bigger, younger, more jovial and overflowing audience. Sometimes we are at the limit. We are on very narrow roads there. The end of the Col de la Loze is not a road but a bike path. Of course, it’s hard to channel the public and get all the cars in and out of the race.Note that Laurent Luyat announced on the show that Thomas Voeckler will explain this event. Cycling Club broadcasting France 2 after 18^to Tour de France stage.