'If the organisers want Pogačar to win, that's their choice' – rivals miffed about moto influence at Romandie

On Saturday, Tadej Pogačar won his third stage and extended his race lead at the Tour de Romandie, by attacking on the final climb, dropping all his rivals, and soloing to the finish 14 seconds before Florian Lipowitz, and almost two minutes ahead of the next group. However, a few riders have since voiced their disappointment at the perceived influence of motorbikes on the race's outcome.

"I hope the motorbikes weren't too close, because that was the case for the past two days,” Valentin Paret-Peintre, one of the last survivors of the day's break, told Eurosport at the stage 4 finish. “But anyway, if the organisers want Pogačar to win, that is their choice. We have said it several times already, but that is life."

His disgruntlement was echoed by Soudal-QuickStep teammate Louis Vervaeke, who had also played a role in the day's breakaway, hoping to set up a rare outsider stage win – Dorian Godon and Pogačar have shared the Tour de Romandie spoils exclusively among themselves.

"When the TV broadcast started, we lost almost a minute in five kilometers. That is starting to become a habit," Vervaeke told DirectVelo on the morning of the final stage. "If you are part of a breakaway, there is a motorbike behind the leading group and a motorbike in front of the peloton. With a headwind, that makes a huge difference. Yesterday we rode full throttle on the flat, but the gap still dropped significantly."