Luke Plapp joins Tour de Romandie motorbike controversy: ‘It was just ridiculous’

Speaking on the Stanley St. Social podcast, the 25-year-old Australian rider did not hold back when asked about the role of the race convoy during a week in which several riders felt the motorbikes had changed the dynamic between the breakaway and the peloton.

“It was just ridiculous, sort of the difference they were making this week,” he continued. “I mean, when the break established itself, the UAE boys would control, keep the break pretty in check. You had one or two UAE boys chase in a break, and they were managing to keep it pretty similar.”

According to Plapp, the situation changed once the motorbikes moved ahead of the peloton.

“And then the motorbikes came in front of our bunch, and the speed was just unbelievable in the peloton,” he said. “We were just lined out sprinting out of every corner, and the time gaps just raced down. It was probably the most effect I’ve ever seen motorbikes have on a bike race.”

The Jayco AlUla rider said the pattern was clear on several stages.

“There were some stages where it was just a bit of a joke how fast we were going and how much the motorbikes influenced it,” Plapp said.

Plapp’s comments follow criticism that had already surfaced during the Tour de Romandie. Valentin Paret Peintre had questioned the role of the motorbikes after spending much of stage 4 in the breakaway, only to see the advantage come down as Tadej Pogačar and the favourites closed in behind.

The Soudal Quick-Step rider had been part of a strong move that was later joined by Primož Roglič, but said the break never gained enough room to truly threaten the peloton.

“We rode really hard,” Paret Peintre said after the stage. “There was good cooperation and we did everything we could in the break. But we couldn’t keep enough of a gap. It’s disappointing.”

His frustration then turned to the convoy, with Paret Peintre saying the position of the motorbikes had already been a concern earlier in the race. “If the organisation wants Tadej Pogačar to win, that’s their choice,” he said after the stage. “We have said it several times, but that’s life.”

Teammate Louis Vervaeke also pointed to a sudden drop in the breakaway’s advantage.

“We lost 50 seconds in five kilometres,” he told DirectVelo. “I imagine that was when the TV broadcast started. It’s the same as usual. As soon as they go on air, the motorbikes are there and sometimes, for me, that changes the race.”

With criticism from inside the peloton growing louder, including after Paris-Roubaix, it seems only a matter of time before the issue comes under closer scrutiny from race organisers and governing bodies.