Like any sporting event the Tour de France has its officials, its referees, who are tasked with ensuring the rules are followed and those who break them get caught and sanctioned. In cycling these arbiters are called commissaires, a French word.
They can exclude riders and rule on whether a bike is appropriate for the race but most of their day is spent in a car or on a motorbike whilst the officiate during the race. Every evening a summary of misdemeanours committed is released by the race organisers. Here’s Sunday night’s version.
