British rider Josh Tarling was thrown out of the grueling Paris-Roubaix cycle race on Sunday after being adjudged to have been clinging onto his team car after a puncture.
Tarling was riding along one of the iconic old mining roads in the race known as the “Hell of the North” when he was informed of his disqualification via a race radio in his saddle, clearly distressed. It looked like he was there.
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British rider Josh Tarling was thrown out of the grueling Paris-Roubaix cycle race on Sunday after being adjudged to have been clinging onto his team car after a puncture.
Tarling was riding along one of the iconic old mining roads in the race known as the “Hell of the North” when he was informed of his disqualification via a race radio in his saddle, clearly distressed. It looked like he was there.
The 20-year-old Welshman is a European time trial champion and world championship bronze medalist and is aiming for gold at this year's Paris Olympics.
He was providing vital support to Ineos star Tom Pidcock at his first Paris-Roubaix. Pidcock appeared to be as dissatisfied as his teammate when he learned that Tarling was out of the race.
There are no hard and fast rules for bicycle racing, and race officials make decisions on the spot.
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One of the people involved was right behind the Ineo steam car when Tarling remounted his horse after the puncture and picked up the so-called “sticky bottle”. The rider stops next to the car and grabs the water bidon from the team and the team. The car accelerates while the rider clings to the bottle.
The thick cobblestones that make up around 57km of the 260km route of the one-day Paris-Roubaix race cause countless punctures, broken wheels and falls.
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