The Tour de Guadalupe is once again making headlines, but unfortunately not for sporting results, but for what happened to Benjamin Le Ny. In the final kilometers of the fifth stage - the Baie-Mahault - Gourbeyre of 158.2 km - the French athlete from Team Cama CCD - winner of the race in 2023 and at that moment leader of the mountain classification and second in the general classification - suffered a puncture. He dropped back from the group, pulled over to the right side of the road and, having dismounted, waited for his team car to provide assistance.

Benjamin waited, waited several seconds. On his face, an interrogative expression of someone trying to understand why those who should help him were not intervening. A gesture to the television motorcycle and then the answer: the team car was behind the group of breakaway leaders where Kendric Clavier, another standard-bearer of Team Cama CCD, was present. Meanwhile, understanding the situation, Ronald Gera dropped back from the main group and literally turned around, returning to help his team captain by handing over his own bicycle.

Moments of indecision and total confusion followed: the two riders wanted to change the wheel but did not have the necessary tools to do so. Le Ny restarted with his teammate's bike but after a few dozen meters reversed course and went back, probably because the pedals on Gera's bike were not compatible with his cycling shoes (it's hard to think of another explanation).

Meanwhile, a neutral service vehicle arrived on the scene, and with frenzy - which often extends the time - changed Le Ny's bike wheel, and he finally restarted on his bicycle at the back of the ambulance escorting one of the many delayed groups. Ben is running, he must recover ground, while his team car has left the breakaway and is waiting for him a few kilometers ahead.

Ben and his Sports Director meet, exchange a few words, and then continue in the slipstream of the team car. The result of all this? It can be read in the jury's communications: "1-minute time penalty, 6-point deduction in the points classification, 1 in the mountain classification, and 2 in the UCI ranking, plus a 50 Swiss franc fine".

For the record, stage victory went to Colombian Jhonatan Chaves of Nu Colombia, while leading the general classification is his teammate and compatriot Camilo Ardila. And our good Le Ny? Eleventh at the finish line and not in the general classification, 1'44" behind the leader.

Images taken from the live stage broadcast