Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) was disqualified from Paris-Roubaix after being towed from his team car due to mechanical problems.

The young British rider was an outsider looking for a top finish in Paris-Roubaix after impressive performances in the Dwars door Hlaanderen and Tour of Flanders. However, with 130km to go, he was disqualified by the race commissaire and told to fall back from the peloton.

Tarling was part of a select 30-man lead group that formed after Alpecin Deceuninck pushed the pace to champion and race favorite Mathieu Van Der Pol with 150km to go.

He then had bike trouble and lost contact with the group on an exposed road. He was able to quickly catch up, but was later seen being towed a sticky bottle at high speed by Ineos Grenadiers. He was witnessed by motorcycle officials and television.

The tow only lasted a few seconds, but clearly accelerated before jumping into the slipstream

The bike commissaire and video assistant referee (VAR) quickly intervened and disqualified Tarling for the incident, which was broadcast live on television.

Tarling was disqualified over the team radio and gradually lost ground. After failing to make his case, Tarling, the European time trial champion, angrily shook off the TV bike in front of him.

Tarling was subsequently disqualified from the official results and fined 500 Swiss francs and 100 UCI ranking points. Sport director Christian Nies was also fined 500 Swiss francs.

Ineos Grenadiers director Sportif debriefed with new performance manager Scott Drewer after the race. Tom Pidcock's 17th place was a good result, but Tarling's disqualification cast a shadow over their race.

Tarling did not speak after the race, but Ian Stannard answered questions about the incident from Cycling News and GCN. The former professional rider hinted that the punishment was harsh and inconsistent, especially in a hectic race like Paris-Roubaix. No doubt other riders used similar traction during the race, but perhaps not so close to the lead pack.

"We made our decision on the road and it's done," Stannard said.

Stannard did not say who provided the sticky bottle to Tarling or whether Tarling was right to be disqualified.

"It was a racing situation. He switched bikes. After all, it was the commissaire's decision.

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