Porn and podium hostesses - former yellow jersey reveals Tour de France survival strategy

A former wearer of the yellow jersey at the Tour de France may get more than he bargained for should he step onto the podium at the end of a stage during this year’s race – possibly starting with a slap round the face should the hostesses hear what he’s been saying about them.

In an interview with Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, Jan Bakelants, who when he rode with RadioShack-Leopard won Stage 2 of the 2013 race on Corsica to get into the overall lead, said that would get through the prospect of three weeks’ racing without sex by watching porn movies.

The AG2R-La Mondiale rider added that “there are the podium hostesses” – in Dutch, ‘podiummissen’ – too.”

Asked what he would take along with him for his free moments, he said, laughing loudly: “A packet of condoms, for sure. You never know where those podiummissen hang out!”

The 31-year-old revealed his family side too, however. Asked whom he would miss the most, he said, “Julia, my cute little daughter. But we’ll see each other every day via Skype.”

But when asked when he would call his parents for the first time during the race, he said: “If I’m through porn movies, they can bring new ones,” adding, “joke!”

He also told Het Laatste Nieuws that he and Romain Bardet fought to be the rider from the team of nine who got the single room at the team hotel, rather than having to share.

You could be forgiven for wondering whether he might be spending some time alone in the spare room once he gets back from the Tour should his partner notice his comments.

It’s possible, of course, that Bakelants’ comments were meant light-heartedly – and certainly Het Laaste Nieuws highlights where he is laughing as he gives his replies (“loudly,” in one instance)

His interests as listed on the AG2R-La Mondiale website are rather less risqué, too – “walking, cooking, oenology,” the study of wine.

But in a sport where gender inequality is still rife, where races such as the Tour Down Under are moving away from employing female podium hostesses and using young riders instead, and where athletes do receive media awareness training, they will strike many as, well, antediluvian.

> Young riders to replace podium hostesses at Tour Downnder

So, basically, @Jan_Bakelants thinks the podium girls at the #TdF are whores: cycling, still a c19th sport.https://t.co/og6UKiQtfy pic.twitter.com/oIrpC2dXBb

— Feargal McKay (@fmk_RoI) June 28, 2017