It is not really a strike, as Flemish media announced on Tuesday morning. But the riders of the Tour de France have well planned a symbolic action in the aftermath of the chaotic stage which brought them to Pontivy and punctuated by numerous falls, including those of the leaders Pogacar and Roglic. The peloton will indeed set foot on land after the fictitious start of the 4th stage, between Redon and Fougères. The start of the stage is at 13:25. The runners are calling for a relaxation of the 3 kilometer rule, which allows a runner who has fallen in the last 3,000 meters to be classified at the same time as the winners, and to increase it by a few kilometers.
"This could avoid endings of races like yesterday," explains a statement released by the CPA, the runners' union. The runners and the CPA are determined to lead the changes necessary for the safety and protection of the physical integrity of the athletes. These changes are needed more than ever. The riders explained their position on Tuesday morning in Redon. “We are especially unhappy after the UCI (Editor's note: the International Federation) which refused to neutralize the times at 8 km from the finish, underlines Pierre Rolland (B&B Hotels). We must mark the occasion. "We do not want to penalize the public who did not ask to see it, so we will set foot on the ground for a minute in a symbolic way", adds the Belgian Philippe Gilbert (Lotto Soudal). Pierre-Luc Pérrichon (Cofidis) abounds:“We want to preserve the beauty of our sport and that the public continue to watch the Tour, but there must be as few runners as possible in the hospital. It is a gesture for safety. When we talked about neutralizing the first 50 kilometers, I don't agree, it's unrealistic and it would have too much of an impact. The public and the organizers don't deserve this. "