"I regret more the way I said it": Valentin Paret-Peintre doubles-down on his TV moto criticism at Romandie
Cycling
While Tadej Pogacar put in another of his convincing peformances in Tour de Romandie 2026 stage 4, winning with an authoritative 18-kilometer solo, the words of Valentin Paret-Peintre after the stage have created a much more intense reactions among fans and experts. According to the French climber, who joined the day's early breakaway, the peloton and Pogacar very given an unfair advantage my TV motorbikes while closing down the breakaway's advantage.
"I hope the motorbikes weren’t too close behind, because that was the case in the last two days," Paret-Peintre told Cycling Pro Net angrily at the finish of Saturday's stage 4. "But if the organisation wants Tadej Pogacar to win, that’s their choice."
His Soudal - Quick-Step teammate Louis Vervaeke added to the topic in a conversation with DirectVelo, prompting Tour de Romandie organizer Richard Chassot to address the criticism at a post-race press conference:
"It shows a lack of understanding of me to think I want to favor anyone. Everyone's work in the race is complex. I can understand the riders' frustration, but I don't run the TV broadcasts. They're service providers. I don't want to start a controversy about it, but it's clear we don't do that. These are false claims."
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"I said what was on my mind"
With a bit of retrospective, the emotions mellowed down a little in Paret-Peintre, who gave a more composed explanation for his outburst when speaking to DirectVelo after the final stage one day later: "It may have been misinterpreted. I regret the way I said it more than what I actually thought. I said what was on my mind, and if not everyone likes it, so be it."
The 25-year-old's best result in Romandie was a 3rd place in one of the reduced sprint stages, however he expected more of himself in the mountains. "My form improved every day, which is what I wanted. I would have liked to win or get a better result on a stage, but I'm not disappointed. (Tadej) Pogacar and (Dorian) Godon won all the stages; there was nothing more I could have done. We had fun, which is rare in cycling today, so that's the main thing."

Valentin Paret-Peintre crosses the line at the 2026 Tour de Romandie
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Rubbing is racing.
santiagobenites06-11-2026 - Throws an elbow, but crashes afterwards and he's upset.
Front24206-11-2026 - There should be nothing but praise for them: 1. Trying to make things safer, and 2. Trying something "new".acem8206-11-2026
- And a bit of a malcontent on top of it all that doesn’t help.mij06-11-2026
- Hopefully it was just a particularly bad year!Lozza05-11-2026
- He has the Twin combo of being vulnerable to germs and prone to crashes on top of not heeding the complaints from his body. Thats just crash and burn career.abstractengineer05-11-2026
- You can't complete a journey without taking next step. He has to do that or start looking for another job. I hope he can get his act together. It's a make or break next season for him. I wish him well.Cyclingsbestfan05-11-2026
- does anyone really think he is taking a next step?mij05-11-2026
- in the team’s defense, Bernal is 29. when he won his first TdF people were talking about him winning a record # of GTs. Where would they be if that crash had never happened. I’m not saying he would compete with Tadej, but he did podium Strade Bianche, and certainly could have won a GT that Tadej wasn’t in.mij05-11-2026
- "c'mon Jonas!"wrsty05-11-2026
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