The conduct of race motorbikes has once again been called into question at the Tour de Romandie, with two riders expressing grievances on the same day, for different reasons.
The issue of drafting has long been a controversial one when it comes to the motorbikes that make up the race convoy, most notably the television motos, which often sit in front of the peloton and the breakaway to capture footage.
The controversy comes when there is a perceived difference in the proximity of the motos to one group compared to another, therefore giving certain riders an aerodynamic advantage.
That's how Valentin Paret-Peintre felt after stage 4 of the Tour de Romandie, where he'd been in the day-long breakaway that was caught on the final climb, just as Tadej Pogačar was striking out for victory.
"It’s disappointing but there you go…. I’ll have to look at the footage, I hope the motos were not too close [in the peloton] behind, because that was the case the two previous days," Paret-Peintre told the CyclingProNet cameras.
"Well, if the organisation wants to make Pogačar win, that’s their choice," he added. "We’ve said it several times before. That’s life."
Cyclingnews contacted the race organisation about Paret-Peintre's comments and received the following response: "The Tour de Romandie does not have to comment on such statements."
Rodríguez
Elsewhere, there was a complaint for Ineos Grenadiers' Carlos Rodgríguez, who blamed a race motorbike for the crash he suffered on the descent to the finish after that final climb on the same stage.
Rodrîguez went down at high-speed but was able to remount quickly, even if his jersey and skin were badly torn and his race radio was flapping in the wind.
"Not ideal to be descending full gas and have a motorbike braking on the racing line," Rodríguez wrote in a social media post.
"But at least looks like nothing is too severe, thanks everyone for the messages and the team for the support."
Rodríguez didn't quite make it back to the chase group he was in, losing several seconds and dropping out of the top 10 overall.
