Thumbtacks thrown in the road at the foot of the Jaizkibel climb triggered a series of sudden tire failures on stage two of the Tour de France. Between 15 and 20 riders had to stop to change wheels with a creeping puncture or flat tire, or drive to the finish with stickiness stuck in their tire.
It’s unclear who threw the thumbtacks into the street and why. There was no sign of protest during the stage as cycling-mad Basque fans cheered on the riders throughout the 208km route from Vitoria to San Sebastian.
Race organizer ASO told Cyclingnews they were aware of the thumbtacks on the road but had no further information.
Race radio reported a series of punctures in the last 20 kilometers of the stage and teams struggled to service their riders at a crucial moment in the race.
French rider Lilian Calmejane vented his anger at the tacks on the road on social media, where he posted a video of himself counting the five tacks on his front wheel: “Thank you for that kind of human bullshit… Me don’t think it was me.’ the only one who had a puncture in the final…you should know that we can fall through your crap and really hurt ourselves, you idiots!’
The Jayco ALUla team confirmed that Luke Durbridge was the victim of a flat tire and revealed a wheel with two nails in it. Cofidis also apparently suffered several punctures, but Victor Lafay was unaffected and won the stage for the French team.
Tom Pidcock said he suffered a gradual puncture but made it to the finish despite losing some control. Ineos Grenadiers use tubeless tires and the sealant that slowed his puncture was visible in his rear wheel as he warmed up on the rollers.
“I had a gradual puncture and could feel it coming down Jaizkibel, but I had to go into it. I could feel it slipping a bit in the corners,” Pidcock told Cyclingnews and ITV-TV’s Grenadiers team bus in the shadow of the Ineos.
Matt White, Jayco AlUla’s head of performance, confirmed that the turns had caused significant problems in the peloton.
“Someone sprayed some thumbtacks on the road in one of the towns because we saw 15/20 punctures. For some, the image became visible immediately, for others, a slow leak occurred. It’s a shame,” he said. “We’re lucky that Simon Yates didn’t have a puncture, but a lot of drivers had punctures at an important point in the race.”
Merci pour ce connerie humanaine … I do not think that the last victim of the Crevaison is dans le final … It may be that you are tomber and you are no longer coping so well with your Conneries on the edge of the abyss … 🤬 pic. twitter.com/IoTMolFKgOJuly 2, 2023
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