Rider takes fist to face sending glasses flying in Tour de France cock-up
Tour de France rider Thibaut Pinot had a moment to forget as he was accidentally whacked in the face by a member of a rival team during stage eight.
The French cyclist had just recovered from a crash in the peloton when he got caught up in another incident. It happened as he was riding past a feed zone – where staff member dish out food and drink to riders.
Having just remounted his bike, the 32-year-old then rode straight into the outstretched arm of a Trek-Segafredo soigneur who was attempting to pass some refreshments to one of his riders.
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Pinot got caught right in the middle and went straight into the soigneur's wrist, spinning his sunglasses around the side of his head. What with the earlier crash and this incident, it all became a bit too much for Pinot, who dismounted his bicycle and fell into the arms of a passerby, believed to be EF Pro Cycling communication and marketing director, Matthew Beaudin.
Reacting to the incident, the Eurosport commentator said: "They [the soigneur] will be apologising profusely because that is a no-no – you don’t reach across a rider. No matter how much of an emergency, you don’t reach across a rider."
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Speaking to velonews about the dramatic incident afterwards, Pinot said: "I was in the heat of the action and took a fist to my face. It happened right in front of me, I couldn’t avoid it.
"There are no real marks, but I had to chase hard to get back into the bunch. It was really a bad day from start to finish."
Belgian rider Wout van Aert went on to win the stage, coming home just ahead of current yellow jersey holder and Tour de France favourite Tadej Pogacar.
Pogacar is clear at the top of the general classification, with Dane Jonas Vingegaard 39 seconds behind in second. Britain's Geraint Thomas completes the podium places in third, one minute and 17 seconds behind Pogacar.
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