Riders fined at 3 Days of De Panne for riding on footpaths and endangering spectators and officials

Former world champion Philippe Gilbert is among 15 riders fined for riding on bike lanes and footpaths at yesterday’s opening stage of the Three Days of De Panne, which the Quick Step Floors rider won with a solo attack on the Muur van Geraardsbergen, also known as the Kapelmuur.

Television footage showed riders taking to pavements to avoid some of the cobbles on the approach to the climb, with one, Marco Haller of Katusha-Alpecin, narrowly avoiding colliding with a spectator.

Gilbert – who almost hit a marshal at another point in the race as he weaved in and out of parked cars to try and take advantage of crosswinds as he led the break – and Haller were fined 200 Swiss Francs each for their transgression there, as were 12 other riders.

> Talking points at 3 Days of De Panne as Philippe Gilbert zig-zags through cars - and past a marshal - at head of break

All 14 of those riders, plus another one who had been in the break at that point, were fined the same amount for the earlier incident involving the parked cars.

UCI head commissaire Joel Alies told Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad: “There’s not much we can do, too many riders were in the wrong. 

“We can’t throw all of them out of the race.”

He said however that ahead of today’s stage, a communiqué would be issued to team managers “in which we will make it clear that all riders are banned from footpaths.”

One of the other riders fined was stage runner-up Luke Durbridge.

His sports director at Orica-Scott, Laurenzo Lapage, told the newspaper: “It’s too dangerous for the riders and the spectators but when someone is riding on the limit, they think about things differently. There needs to be a change in mentality.”

The issue is a perennial one in Belgium, particularly during Classics season when the cobbles come into play and riders seek an edge by avoiding them whenever possible.

Walter Planckaert, winner of the 1976 Tour of Flanders and now sports director with Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise, questioned whether the UCI had the desire to deal with the issue properly. 

"As long as the commissaires just issue threats, the game will go on," he said. "I think the jury is simply afraid of throwing a big-name rider out of the race.”

The Kapelmuur returns to the Tour of Flanders this Sunday after a five-year absence, though there’s unlikely to be a repeat on the approach to it of yesterday’s pavement cycling – as the biggest race on the Belgian calendar, it attracts huge crowds with barriers deployed which will remove any temptation among the pros to take the easy option.

> Muur van Geraardsbergen returns to Tour of Flanders

The race concludes tomorrow with a 118.5km road stage followed by a 14.2km individual time trial.

Gilbert, who finished today's Stage 2 in the front group, has a lead of 50 seconds over Trek-Segafredo's Matthias Brandle.