Davitamon/Lotto Official Protest Paris-Roubaix

Davitamon/Lotto Lodge Protest
After the finish of the race in which the finish order was:
Results (Provisional) 
1. Cancellara (CSC)
2. Hoste (Discovery)
3. Van Petegem (Davitamon/Lotto)
4. Gusev (Discovery)
5. Boonen (Quick Step/Innergetic),
6. Ballan (Lampre)
7. Flecha (Rabobank)
8. Eisel (FDJeux)
9. Wesemann (T-Mobile)
10. Guisdon (FDJeux)

Hoste, Van Petegem and Gusev were disqualified for crossing a railroad track barrier in the chase of Cancellara in the last ten kms of the race. At the time Cancellara led by 40 seconds and had dropped Gusev in his last attack to to solo to the finish with only 15 kms left in the race.

There was no official at the rail crossing with the safety gates down when Hoste, Van Petegem and Gusev slipped around the rails and attempted to chase Cancellara's attack down.
By the time Tom Boonen, Flecha and Ballan arrived at the level crossing a race official stopped them from crossing and the three riders were held while the train passed causing them a little less than a minute in time delay.

Although it would not likely have changed the out come of Cancellara's tremendous victory; although the finish order and official results changes the alignment of points in the Pro Tour.
The alteration of the finish order by the race jury has caused some controversy as it became the subject of debate following the race. I can only think at this point why the train schedules might not have been changed for the "Queen of Classics" to avoid this unfortunate confrontation and choice for the riders... then again it is not the best example for thousands of young riders watching pro riders weaving between a safety barriers risking their lives to continue a race. You can join in the debate on the Daily Peloton Forums,  Message Board and Chat Room.

The Davitamon/Lotto Press release:

Official Protest Paris-Roubaix
After a repeated study of press photos as well as of the television films of the VRT and the French Television, and in agreement with other involved parties, the sports management of Davitamon-Lotto has decided this afternoon to lodge an official written protest by the UCI against the result of yesterdays Paris-Roubaix.

Several mistakes have been clearly done by various parties during and after the race, with the result that Peter Van Petegem has lost a fine place on the podium, and also Bert Roesems has been deprive of a fine 5th place.

Besides the individual Pro Tour points lost by Peter and / of by Bert, these decisions also influence the teams classification, and the position of the coaches for the coming Pro Tour events.

Officiële klacht Parijs-Roubaix
Na het meermaals herbekijken van persfotos, televisiebeelden van de VRT en de Franse TV en eveneens, na overleg met een aantal andere betrokken partijen, werd deze namiddag door de sportieve leiding van Davitamon-Lotto, beslist om officieel en schriftelijk protest, in te dienen bij het UCI tegen de uitslag van Paris-Roubaix van gisteren.

Er zijn duidelijk een aantal fouten gemaakt door meerdere partijen, tijdens en na de wedstrijd, waardoor enerzijds Peter Van Petegem een mooie podiumplaats verliest, en waardoor anderzijds ook Bert Roesems een vijfde plaats wordt ontnomen.

Naast de individuele Pro Tour punten die Peter en/of Bert op die manier verliezen, heeft deze beslissing ook invloed op het ploegenklassement en op de volgorde van de volgwagens van de sportdirecteurs in de volgende Pro-Tour wedstrijden.

Réclamation officielle Paris-Roubaix
Après une étude répétée des photos de presse et des images télévisées de la VRT et de la TV Française, et après concertation avec d'autres parties concernée, la direction sportive de Davitamon-Lotto a décidé de déposer une réclamation officielle écrite auprès de l'UCI à l'encontre du résultat de la course Paris-Roubaix d'hier.

Il y a eu clairement un certain nombre d'erreurs commises pendant et après la course par diverses parties, à cause desquelles, d'une part Peter Van Petegem a perdu une belle place sur le podium, et d'autre part Bert Roesems a également été privé de sa cinquième place.

Outre les points individuels du Pro Tour dont Peter et/ou Bert ainsi privées, ces décisions ont également une influence sur le classement interéquipes, et sur la position des voitures des directeurs sportifs lors des épreuves Pro Tour à venir.