20th February 2025.
We haven’t even made it to opening weekend, and the men’s peloton has already experienced two significant incidents with race safety so far this season. At Étoile de Bessèges, both stationary and moving traffic on the course due to inadequate levels of police support led to one crash, though it could have been much worse. Maxim Van Gils was the only rider directly affected, and he’s already bounced back to winning ways – on the same day that the second incident occurred.
By now you’ll have seen the footage of said incident, at the Volta Algarve yesterday. Yet again, the sport of pro cycling loses credibility with ridiculous scenes of riders passing their bikes over barriers and fighting through crowds after the majority of the peloton took the wrong turn at the final deviation heading to the finish line at yesterday’s first stage of the race. My first instinct was to laugh. Looking back at the footage, it’s comical – in a slapstick, facepalm kind of way, as Filippo Ganna sprints full pelt for the line as on the other side of the barriers, the flying peloton slowly come to the collective realisation that they have squandered their opportunity for victory, after a long, hard day in the saddle.
It's really not funny though. Far from it. Quite apart from the complete waste of a day's racing for all the riders and staff involved in the race, it’s absolutely miraculous that no-one was hurt. The bunch were wound up to full speed, heading towards the crowds of people at the finish line, with no separation whatsoever. Had someone in the crowd stepped back unwittingly, or had there been a touch of wheels, this footage would be stripped of its comedy value instantly.
Whether or not the race should have been annulled is not really the issue here; there’s probably no right answer in this situation. The fact is that once again, this organisers of this sport that treads the desperately fine line between life and death so regularly, have let down everyone involved. Of course, we can smile knowing it could have been a whole lot worse. Even feel relieved. But we shouldn’t have to.
In France following the unfortunate incidents with traffic on the course, the riders clumsily attempted to take a stand. But with UCI points at stake, and conflicting advice (or demands) from team managers and DSs, the resulting lack of unity undermined the potential for the collective to take action. Regardless of how it played out, the point is that they shouldn’t have to. There should be people there, taking action for them. Making the decisions that they are unable to make, either in the heat of the moment during a race, or later, pressured into action by circumstances beyond their control. Elite level sports people should simply not be in a position where they are forced to make decisions about whether or not to participate in their sport, due to inadequate safety measures. A governing body should be stepping in and making the call, however difficult or awkward or disappointing it might be. Or preferably, instituting a far more rigorous system by which these incidents could be avoided in the first place.
There are no easy answers. With no centralised organisation responsible for running the various races throughout the season, maintaining standards is clearly not straightforward. It’s obvious that having sprint finishes in town centres is replete with logistical challenges, and throwing in roundabouts, road furniture, sharp turns or narrowing roads all compound the already considerable risk involved, but races rely on the financial support from host towns to be able to run. Situating finishes in busy cities brings in audiences, and ensures visibility for sponsors, in a sport that relies heavily on the financial support of these sponsors. Cycling already carries so much inherent risk though, that mitigating against adding complexity seems like a logical step to take.
There was disagreement and confusion after the race as the various parties sought to assign blame. However, it’s fair to say that laying any blame at the door of a bunch of riders travelling at 50km/h, depleted of energy and oxygen, fighting for position, already making split second decisions about where to place themselves, whose wheel to fight for, where their teammates are and when to switch gears, is not justified. Ultimately, the UCI must take a firmer hand in proactively ensuring that these situations do not arise in the first place. It really is a matter of life and death.
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