This is not the first time that a dog has entered the history of a Tour de France stage. Yves Lampaert, yellow jersey during the 1st stage of the Grande Boucle 2022 edition, paid the price yesterday. At the start of the 12th stage between Briançon and Alpes d’Huez which saw Tom Pidcock win alone, Yves Lampaert and Steven Kruijswijk fell, unbalanced by a dog present in the middle of the road.
The dog remained behind the peloton for a while, disrupting the start of the high mountain stage. The Belgian complained about this situation on social networks: “Fall because of a dog in the peloton. Having said this many times before, please keep your dog at home. »
Because, if this time the fall was anecdotal, dogs sometimes caused the worst. Like the death in 1984 of a rider in the peloton, the Portuguese Joaquim Agostinho who had fallen after hitting a dog on French roads.
A few months ago, Le Parisisen took an interest in the issue of dogs on the side of the roads during cycle races. “Even on a leash, dogs can be extremely dangerous when riders pass,” explained Thierry Gouvenou, technical director of the Tour de France. In fact, you should never come with an animal, believes the technical director of the Tour de France, Thierry Gouvenou. The noise and excitement of people can make them very nervous, and even a very calm dog moments earlier can become irrational as runners pass. »