Tour official defends use of road whitewash criticized by Pidcock
Tom Pidcock was one of several riders to criticize the use of a lime whitewash on the Tour de France route after he crashed in a lefthand switchback on a descent in Tuesday's stage.
But a Tour official on Thursday rejected that criticism on several counts, saying that the practice was essential to keeping road surfaces from dangerously softening in the heat, and that the low number of crashes simply suggested rider error.
The coating – lime mixed with water – is applied to reflect sunlight, ASO road coordinator Andre Bancala told RTBF Sport. "The aim is to keep the temperature below 50° Celsius, which is a critical temperature for some surfaces,” he said. When asphalt softens in the heat it can cause major traction issues; Tour fans of a certain age will recall a horrific crash in the 2003 Tour de France when Joseba Beloki, then in second overall, lost control in a switchback on a hot day in the Pyrenees and broke his femur.
But Pidcock and others weren't fans, with the Olympic mountain bike champion criticizing what he called "white shit" organizers had laid down because it made the surface slippery. Bancala was having none of it, saying riders should not assume the course is a pristine F1 track. “When only one or two riders crash, it may simply be that their line was not ideal," he said, although Pidcock at least is one of the best descenders in the sport. "We did not see a general wave of crashes.”
