Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ) walked away from a hard-fought Critérium du Dauphiné stage 2 sprint with a 500 CHF fine, relegation to 116th and a yellow card for an "irregular sprint".
The stage to Issoire was the first opportunity for the sprinters at the event and Lidl-Trek controlled the run to the line, dropping off Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) with 400m to go before he neatly finished it off to claim victory. There was, however, a considerable battle going on behind to capture prime position on his wheel.
Penhoët said the tension was high as is "always the case in the WorldTour. But it's even more so when there's a guy who stands out from the crowd like here. There's a real battle to get on his wheel."
The French rider did not manage to secure that sought-after spot behind Milan, but was fifth over the line. However, his actions during the sprint attracted the attention of the race jury and his yellow card entry cites, "deviation from the chosen line that obstructs or endangers another rider or irregular sprint".
It was not a call his team thought was justified.
"We take note of the decision even if we have difficulty understanding it because he was mainly trying to defend his position," said team DS Benoît Vaugrenard in a statement.
"We're disappointed because he doesn't deserve this. We'll keep the positives, namely the good work of the teammates, and the fact that Paul didn't have any problems on a course with a 3,000-meter elevation gain."
Penhoët had also finished in tenth on stage 1, when Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) claimed the win from a favourite-packed breakaway that turned what had been anticipated as a sprint day into a GC battle.
"He's going well, the coin just needs to fall in the right direction, and we believe in it," said Vaugrenard of Penhoët. "He finished fifth on the pedals. We're staying the course, there are some great stages left on difficult courses, and we'll try to get our revenge tomorrow."
The 203km stage 3 to Charantonnay is expected to be a battle between the break and sprint specialists, with early climbs and a steep ramp in the closing part of the stage.
Penhoët was not the only rider to be fined and receive a yellow card on stage 2 of the Critérium du Dauphiné, with Per Strand Hagenes (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates XRG) both cited for "improper conduct (including elbow and shoulder) between riders".
Subscribe to Cyclingnews and gear up for the Tour de France with unlimited access to our coverage of the Critérium du Dauphiné - including breaking news, analysis and more, reported by our journalists on the ground and across the globe. Find out more.
