The second stage of the 2023 Tour de France gave riders epic hills, which they expected, but also tacks on the road, which was an unpleasant surprise. At approximately 40 km. to go in the 209 km. race, several riders experienced abrupt punctures.
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Luke Durbridge (Jayco-AlUla), Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), and Lilian Calmejane (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) were among upwards of 20 riders impacted by the tacks.
Calmejane posted a video to Twitter showing his front tire packed with at least 5 of the metal thorns. He called whoever is responsible for the tacks a “moron,” saying that riders could get legitimately hurt by such an act.
Some athletes were forced to stop and change their wheels, while others managed to crawl to the finish on slow-leaks. Jayco AlUla performance director Matt White told Cyclingweekly, “It’s a shame…We’re lucky that Simon [Yates] didn’t puncture, but a lot of guys punctured at a pretty important time in the race.”
It’s not the first time tacks have put a damper on the tour. In 2012 a similar act nearly halted the race with about 30 riders experiencing punctures, including the leader, Bradley Wiggins. Cyclingnews reported, “It was obviously done on purpose,” the then race director Jean-François Pescheux said at the time. “We have the tacks but we don’t know who spread them.”
And last year Road.cc reported that tacks and nails were found near the summit of the Aubisque climb in the Pyrenees and removed by fans.
It’s not yet clear who spread the tacks, or if police are pursuing leads, but both the riders and the fans are upset by the act, and hope to not see a repeat in the coming weeks.
Writer
Micah Ling is a freelance writer who lives in the mountains of Colorado. She splits her free time between mountain biking and trail running.
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July 03, 2023 at 06:32PM
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Stage 2 of the Tour de France Was Plagued By Tacks on the Road - Bicycling
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