Teams call for minimum hotel standards after difficult Tour de France rest day
After an attritional opening nine stages of the Tour de France, made all the more challenging by the stifling heat that has gripped the race, Monday’s first rest day served as an important period of recovery. However, one of the main talking points from the rest day in the Massif Central was the standard of hotels, with both riders and staff raising concerns and calling for an increase in the minimum level of quality.
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Uno-X Mobility were one of the teams that showcased their undesirable hotel conditions, and speaking ahead of stage 10, Tobias Halland Johannessen reflected to Sporza on the situation.
“The Tour is an adventure, and we certainly turned it into a bit more of one,” said Johannessen. “We enjoyed a night under the stars. The hotel certainly wasn't luxurious, but sleeping outside was a bit better. There were fewer insects and mosquitoes out there than in our rooms.”
Hotels during the Tour are allocated to the teams by the race organisers, meaning teams cannot simply book alternative accommodation. This ultimately means that on each stage, some teams will simply draw a better hotel than others.
Adrie van der Poel, working for Alpecin-Premier Tech, also shared with In de Leiderstrui the details on the unfavourable conditions that the Belgian team drew during the rest day.
“We bring our own mattresses and portable air conditioning units, but there were plenty of other things wrong,” said Van der Poel. "Mould, cockroaches, the food for the staff... The team arranges meals for the riders, but not for the support staff.”
Van der Poel said the issue was not about a lack of luxury but rather a lack of basic standards required during a three-week event such as the Tour, being a guarantee, rather than a lottery.
“Hotel locations are often good, but the rest-day hotel was outdated and run-down; there was even mould under the bed in my room. Some riders got a good cross-breeze with their windows open, but staff members whose rooms lacked windows had to sleep outside. This has nothing to do with a level playing field; some hotels are simply bad.”
Fellow Alpecin-Premier Tech staff member and general manager Christoph Roodhooft, told Sporza that the situation highlighted the need for a consistent standard across the race.
“It needs to be better, and not just on rest days. There has to be a sort of reasonable minimum standard for quality, cleanliness, and location,” said Roodhooft. “You arrive at a place like that, and it is what it is. You can't just leave. It was completely unacceptable, but complaining doesn't help in that situation.”
Meanwhile, Soudal Quick-Step sports director Tom Steels suggested that teams should not have to sacrifice recovery for convenience, and most would rather travel further to secure better conditions.
“I think a team would rather drive an extra hour after the stage to get to a good hotel than sleep poorly somewhere close by,” Steels told Sporza. “Every team deserves a good hotel on the rest day. I see that as a sign of respect, and it ought to be the golden rule.”
Ultimately, the riders and staff believe a basic standard of quality should be guaranteed during cycling’s biggest and most prestigious event.
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