Uncharacteristically losing his cool, Jonas Vingegaard gestured angrily at a television motorbike to move along and leave him alone. A late incident on stage five of this year's Tour de France, had left the two-time champion scrabbling for a bike change, and his desire to avoid the camera’s gaze while drafting cars back to the peloton was understandable. But that flash of frustration served as a reminder that motorcycles have become an enveloping swarm around the Tour de France peloton.
There are as many as 100 motos on the road on each stage – an armada that has expanded to feed the demand for multi-angle live broadcasting, with around 45 camera bikes, and at least as many police escort and support motos. Conflict is inevitable. While they haven’t caused any major controversies so far in this year’s race, this sheer number of motos presents hazards, influences aerodynamics – and you wouldn’t bet against such incidents cropping up in the days to come.
