Etixx boss says cars and motorbikes helped Froome and Sagan in breakaway
Patrick Lefevere complains that the motorbikes and organisation car in front of the break on stage 11 of the Tour de France aided the winning group
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Etixx-Quick Step manager Patrick Lefevere described the positioning of motorbikes and an organiser's car in front of the decisive four-man break on stage 11 of the Tour de France as 'outrageous'.
On paper, the stage looked to be one for the sprinters, with Etixx's Marcel Kittel looking for his second victory of the race, but in reality crosswinds and a late attack by Tinkoff and Team Sky riders ended the chances for the fast men.
But Lefevere believes Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, Peter Sagan and Macej Bodnar were aided by the motorbikes and car in front of them as the peloton couldn't close the gap.
"Why did those ten motorbikes and the red car of the Tour organisation get so close to the four?" he said, quoted in Het Laatste Nieuws.
"The whole peloton sat on their gums, but if they try to ride around in hot pursuit it should be at least fair. And sorry, that was not the case.
"The red car should [set a] good example and it was barely 50 metres for the leading group.
"I have ridden a bicycle a bit myself and I can tell you: that soon saves 20 kph. Certainly with such a four strong riders. I find no excuses, they certainly deserved it. But that behavior of the engines was outrageous."
Lefevere had a similar complaint when Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) almost soloed to victory in the final kilometres of Dwars door Vlaanderen in March. People on Twitter pointed out that Etixx had benefited from a similar situation in the same race when Niki Terpstra won in 2014.
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Stuart Clarke is a News Associates trained journalist who has worked for the likes of the British Olympic Associate, British Rowing and the England and Wales Cricket Board, and of course Cycling Weekly. His work at Cycling Weekly has focused upon professional racing, following the World Tour races and its characters.
-
-
Eying the Olympic mountain bike race in Paris, Peter Sagan will retire from WorldTour racing at season's end
Finishing how he started, the former road world champion will race one last mountain bike-focused year in 2024
By Anne-Marije Rook • Published
-
Academics pen rebuttal to trans women in sport report - Fierce global debate raises complex issues of fairness vs inclusion
When it comes to the issue of inclusion and fairness in sport, the academic and scientific communities find themselves divided
By Anne-Marije Rook • Published
-
Chris Froome highlights dangers of long Covid after battle with virus
Four-time Tour de France champion warns of cardiovascular impact and says his VO2 max took a hit after illness
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Wout van Aert moots building gravel world championships into 2023 programme
Belgian rider says gravel racing has a ‘great future’ as he considers worlds participation next year
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Chris Froome labels WorldTour relegation a ‘death sentence for many teams’
Four-time Tour de France winner says UCI points system needs overhaul as Israel-PremierTech face relegation from the WorldTour
By Tom Thewlis • Last updated
-
Chris Froome still holds out hope for fifth Tour de France win
Israel-Premier Tech rider says the dream is "always there"
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Peter Sagan to ride the UCI Gravel World Championships to ‘give back to the people’
‘I still have much more to give’ says Sagan on the decision to head to Italy for the competition
By Tom Thewlis • Last updated
-
Peter Sagan has day to forget at E-MTB Worlds, crashing twice
The Slovakian came off his bike and finished in 16th
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Peter Sagan set to compete in the electric mountain bike World Championships
TotalEnergies rider will compete in competition in Les Gets, France in late-August
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Chris Froome out of Tour de France after positive Covid-19 test result
Four-time winner and third on Alpe d’Huez stage forced to abandon on stage 18
By Tom Thewlis • Published