Tour de France: Fight for position 'just getting ridiculous' says Eisel

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35-year-old laments GC teams' protective tactics on sprint stages

Bernhard Eisel will be a key rider for Dimension Data

Bernhard Eisel will be a key rider for Dimension Data (Image credit: Sadhbh O'Shea)

Despite winning Sunday's uphill sprint to Cherbourg on Sunday, Peter Sagan lamented that many riders at the Tour de France had "lost their brains" and were taking too many risks, especially in the finales of stages. Dimension Data's Bernhard Eisel, one of the most experienced riders in the race and one of the senators in the peloton, agrees with the world champion, telling Cyclingnews on Monday that the situation "is just getting ridiculous".

Sagan finished third on stage 1 to Utah Beach and won Sunday's stage 2 on the climb above Cherbourg, pulling on the yellow jersey, but he took time to explain how a lack of respect amongst teams and riders has raised the risk of crashes.

Stephen Farrand
Stephen Farrand
Editor-at-large

Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).