"We need a change of culture" - Tour de France Femmes jury is losing patience with riders obstructing police motorcycles
Cycling
Tour de France Femmes is in full swing with riders swiftly approaching the decisive mountain stages. Huge thanks for that being possible goes to race organizers who, in cooperation with police motos ensure safety of the course. However the riders in women's peloton don't seem to appreciate their work as much as would be handy. To such extent that jury is seriously losing patience as the riders are very slow to allow police motorcyclists to pass the bunch.
"Police motorcycles often have to pass the peloton because they have to close off the road further on. But that's very difficult in this Tour," said former cyclist Marijn de Vries at Sporza in response to critique from FDJ - Suez manager Stephen Delcourt.
"Back when I was younger, it would take ages for those motorcycles to pass. I always found that incredibly annoying, because no one would move aside, and I was the wimp who did. And then I found myself right at the back again. But that seems to still be the case, especially in this Tour. Nobody wants to lose their spot. Meanwhile, those engines keep drumming and honking, but the riders don't move aside."
The organizer is visibly beginning to lose tempter with riders often obstructing a natural flow of the race. "Yesterday, they said many times on race radio that the teams should tell their riders to move aside. It was even in the jury's daily communiqué."
De Vries asked some sports directors at the race to find out what is that the case, and the answer didn't surprise her: "They kept hearing the same thing from their riders: I'm willing to step aside, but if no one else does, I won't either."
Why isn't it such a problem for men? "Two reasons were cited. First, women are a bit more nervous about doing it wrong, and that's why they stay in their position. But I think the most important reason is the culture in the peloton. Young riders see that others don't move aside and so they don't."
On contrary, we don't see this happen (at least not on such a scale) in men's races. "While young riders in the men's peloton learn to get out of the way. They even get their jerseys pulled if they don't."
Everyone agrees it has to change, but how? "The jury is threatening to stop the race so the motorcycles can pass. Until they finally learn."
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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