In the world of cycling, it is accepted that a rider who has been the victim of a fall or an unfortunate mechanical incident can benefit from a little help from his team's car.
The athlete can then stall behind the vehicle while being protected from the wind and thus taking advantage of the suction effect generated to perform part of his delay on the peloton.
But the scene seen in a stage of the Tour of Asturias this weekend seems to go far beyond the framework of this tolerance.
In a short video posted on social networks, we see Dani Navarro, held by a member of the Burgos-BH team, out of the window of the vehicle in full ascent, two kilometers from the finish.
The mechanic seems to be busy on the bike of the rider who then benefits from the speed of the car without having to produce the slightest effort.
A staggering pace that allowed the Spaniard to drop struggling opponents around him.
The Burgos-BH team justifies itself
Was Navarro the victim of a real mechanical problem or is it gross cheating?
The Spanish rider has not, for the moment, been penalized by the marshals of the event, perhaps also because that day, he only took 21st place in the stage (11th in the classification). general).
The daily
Marca
contacted the team to try to shed light on this surreal scene.
Burgos-BH officials replied that the team employee was simply trying to repair Dani Navarro's derailleur, which was stuck on the smallest sprocket on the climb.
An incident which, according to
Marca
, caused the 38-year-old athlete to fall while losing places in the standings.