Points classification leader Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) was seemingly told off but avoided any formal punishment or relegation for a potentially suspect move at the intermediate sprint point of stage 12 of the Tour de France – despite commissaires telling his team that he would be.
With only one breakaway rider up the road at the time of the sprint, there were still plenty of sprint points available – crucial for Pedersen who is trying to win the competition – and therefore a fairly fierce sprint for the line.
After a solid lead-out, Pedersen was able to sprint well, but swept to the right to close the door on Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), forcing him towards the barriers and meaning he had to stop pedalling. Pedersen went on to win the sprint and 20 points on the line.
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He and Philipsen were seen talking and then shaking hands after the line.
The Tour's official channels then stated that the sprint was "under review" and the results were therefore not confirmed.
After the sprint, the Lidl-Trek team car was called up to the commissaires car, and Pedersen himself was called to the judges' car, too, and looked to be in discussion with the commissaires about the sprint.
The sports directors in the car were reportedly told that Pedersen would be relegated, but once the results were finally confirmed, the Dane was allowed to keep his result and the points.
"I don't know what the commissaire is doing," Pedersen was heard saying on team radio, as broadcast on the Tour television coverage.
"No, they say to us that you will be relegated," came the response from the team car. "But now in the radio, I didn't hear anything."
Pedersen's teammate Quinn Simmons also seemed to chime in, saying "[I saw] the whole thing, he did not move, that is completely untrue."
The to and fro with Pedersen and Lidl-Trek comes hot on the heels of another relegation saga which plated out on Wednesday, with Philipsen being relegated and then reinstated as the race jury overturned their original decision.
In this case, Pedersen avoided relegation all together, but it is clear that the commissaires are keeping a close eye on sprints at this stage in the race.
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