Thomas Voeckler, a former professional rider and now a commentator for a French television station, has been suspended from the Tour de France, along with bike driver Joel Chary, for obstructing race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) on the Col de la Rose. stage suspension from the Tour de France for obstructing race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).

The incident occurred on stage 17, just before the summit of the Col de la Rose, the Tour de France's highest peak, with 8.4 km to go, and the pair were also fined CHF 500.

Voeckler's bike stalled near a steep 24% gradient, blocking the race commissaire's car, which was in front of the maillot jaune.

As a result, the crowd swarmed around the accident, causing momentary confusion. However, the chaos hamstrung the following riders, including Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ).

Vingegaard's lead was not threatened by the accident, and by the end of the stage he had extended his lead to 7:35 over Tadej Pogachar.

"It was definitely crazy and there were a lot of people. At one point I even had to stop because of the machine.

This is the second time in the Tour de France that bikes have interfered with the race on a big climb. On stage 14, a photographer's bike was blocked by spectators, preventing an attack by Tadey Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) on the Col de Joux Plane. The driver and cameraman were also fined and suspended.

At Mont Ventoux in 2016, a bike stopped suddenly, causing race leader Chris Froome, Richie Porte, and Bauke Mollema to crash. Needing a new bike, Froome had to run up Mont Ventoux on foot until he could get a spare from Neutral Service.