When you find yourself in a moving car during a stage in the Tour de France that you're supposedly riding, you really need to expect the worst; as was the case for Bretagne-Séché Environnement rider Eduardo Sepulveda.
As the Tour de France gets set to enter the crucial final week, spare a thought for Eduardo Sepulveda.
The Bretagne-Séché Environnement rider was turfed off the race yesterday.
The sole Argentinean in the event was absolutely flying; his team’s highest-placed rider on general classification in 19th.
And he was putting in such a good shift despite being in his first Tour and riding for a team that is a wild card entry and has one of the lowest budgets of all squads in the race.
The 24 year-old didn’t fail a drug test or miss the time limit. He wasn’t injured or sick.
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Instead, he was thrown out for taking a brief lift in the support vehicle of a rival team.
To be fair to Sepulveda, he snapped his chain on a climb around 23km from the finish of stage 14 to Mende.
And with no team car in sight he sought service from French rivals Ag2r La Mondiale.
Its car was conveniently placed and promptly offered the stricken South American a wheel so he could make it to the finish.
But when it emerged he had snapped his chain and he needed a new bike, the plan changed.
He had seen his team car stop a little earlier, presumably to help another rider.
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However, that vehicle then caught him and passed him on the roadside because he was concealed behind the stopped Ag2r car trying to help him.
His own team quickly realised they had just past him and stopped.
But unable to walk the 100 metres or so up the climb to his own team vehicle because his cleats were slipping on the very steep climb, Sepulveda sat into the Ag2r car and was driven the short distance.
However, he was spotted and disqualified, not to mention fined 200 Swiss Francs. He sounded very apologetic afterwards.
"I understand that everyone is very disappointed with what happened,” he said.
“I lack experience, it's my first Tour, and I have been under a great deal of stress.
“This was the case in the final today, and when I broke my chain and I do not see my car coming, I panicked, it's true.
"I saw the car of [my directeur] Emmanuel Hubert stop a little earlier, and I made the very bad decision of getting into the AG2R-La Mondiale car. This was a huge mistake.
“But I do not want anyone to think of me as a cheater. To be disqualified from my first Tour de France, it is the worst nightmare for me."
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