Tour de France stage 6: Lotto-Intermarché’s Huub Artz reprimanded for hand position 

Lotto-Intermarché’s Huub Artz has been reprimanded for his hand position during today’s stage 6 of the Tour de France.

Artz escaped from the peloton in a three-man break with Victor Campenaerts and Mads Pedersen. But TV coverage showed the Dutch cyclist had two conversations with the race commissaires’ car.

The race commissaire was unhappy with Artz’s position, as he had his hands inside the bar and underneath the brake lever.

The UCI implemented restrictions on the aero position in 2021 to prioritise rider safety. The rule states: “The rider shall normally assume a sitting position on the bicycle. This position requires that the only points of support are the following: the feet on the pedals, the hands on the handlebars and the seat on the saddle.”

This outlaws positions where riders place their forearms in contact with the handlebar to assume a more aero position. 

After his discussion with the commissaire, Artz dropped back to the peloton, leaving Campenaerts and Pedersen as a duo up the road. 

Whether or not Artz will be disqualified or receive a yellow card for his riding position is yet to be seen. But the interaction spurred objections from TNT Sport’s commentator Adam Blythe.

Blythe pointed out that after the incident Campenaerts was riding with his forearms flat on his handlebar. “I think they’re kind of, by the sounds of it, making rules up,” he queried. 

Pro Cycling Stats, which was threatened with legal action during last year's race, posted on X and said that if Artz was Jan-Willem van Schip “he’d probably be packing his bags already”.

Yesterday, Artz’s teammate, Baptiste Veistroffer survived 144km in a solo break. “I wanted to enjoy myself,” he said.