Now+ how the Tour-Peloton the rider who attacked Plaspauzes learned a lesson

How the Tour-Peloton De Renner who attacked Plaspauzes learned a lesson

The Tour de France is full of stories. Every day we highlight a historical moment that can be linked to the upcoming stage. This time, stage 11: how the Tour peloton taught a lesson to a rider who kept attacking during pee breaks.

In cycling, there are a number of unwritten rules. For example, it is inappropriate to attack while part of the peloton is taking a pee break. Normally that doesn’t happen, but in the 1978 Tour, one rider disregarded that rule.

Dante Coccolo is not the strongest rider in the peloton. The Frenchman has a professional career of barely two years and does not win any races. In 1978 he did ride the Tour and in it he caused a remarkable incident.

In a transitional stage from Bordeaux to Biarritz, the peloton stops for a sanitary break. At that moment, the then 24-year-old Coccolo decides to attack. It is not the first time that the Toulouse-born rider has flouted the unwritten rule.

At one point, the peloton is fed up with Coccolo’s antics and decides to teach him a lesson. During the same stage, Coccolo also has to get off his bike for a pee break. While he is in the bushes, two riders grab his bike. They drag it along for a few kilometers and then dump the bike in a ditch.

When Coccolo returns, he has no idea where his bike has gone. He has to wait five minutes for his team car. His team leaders are also not happy with their rider’s action and decide to punish him as well. Coccolo has to sit on the hood when he is taken to his bike. He eventually finishes second to last in the Tour.

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