"He doesn't care about others" - Hugo Hofstetter condemns Laurence Pithie's dangerous behaviour in sprints

In addition to Tim Merlier's relegation Giro d'Italia stage 11 due to a dangerous maneuver which hindered Sebastian Molano's sprint, Laurence Pithie has also take a shower of criticism over his behavior in the final. According to Hugo Hofstetter, the New Zealander from Groupama - FDJ has no respect for other riders in the peloton.

"When the road narrows five kilometers from the finish, he is the only one who does not brake and steers inwards. He doesn't care about others," Hofstetter said in conversation with Eurosport after the eleventh stage. "At some point we have to respond to this and punish these types of movements. If I say something to him, he says it's not his fault."

In addition to Hofstetter's criticism about that moment in the run-up to the bunch sprint, TV images also show Pithie hindering David Dekker in a full sprint. In the last 200 meters Dekker is on the right, but Pithie dives in front of him. As a result, the Dutchman has to swerve and keep his legs still to avoid hitting the fences. You can also see how Dekker's chain comes loose.

Pithie ultimately finished fifth, but due to Merlier's penalty he finished fourth in the day's results. Although Pithie was not relegated, he was fined for incorrect behavior.