“It can’t go on like this, otherwise we will have dead”
Stand: 11:10 a.m.
During the tour there were many bad falls in the first few days. A team boss is now demanding drastic consequences
Source: dpa / Pool Anne-Christine Poujoulat
At the Tour de France, after many falls, a discussion about the safety of the riders broke out. With Geraint Thomas and Primoz Roglic it also got two favorites. A team boss demands quick change and finds drastic words in the process. Jens Voigt also criticizes sharply.
TTop favorite Primoz Roglic rolled over the finish line with a tattered jersey, ex-winner Geraint Thomas dislocated his shoulder, and for sprint star Caleb Ewan the stage ended in the ambulance. In the Tour de France, which is increasingly becoming a fall festival, the stars of the scene and the contenders for the overall victory were caught for the first time on the third stage from Lorient to Pontivy, surprisingly won by the Belgian Tim Merlier.
Tour of Sorrows: Primoz Roglic fought his way to the finish line injured
Source: Pool via REUTERS
“Fortunately everything is fine, nothing is broken. I’ve got abrasions all over my body, ”said Roglic after the X-ray and looked ahead:“ As long as we’re in the race, we’ll fight. ”The yellow jersey is out of reach for the Slovenian for the time being, Mathieu van der Poel still has that. Merlier’s team-mate successfully defended the overall lead and is eight seconds ahead of France’s favorite Julian Alaphilippe and 31 seconds ahead of Richard Carapaz from Ecuador.
The big loser of the day was Roglic, who landed in the ditch ten kilometers from the finish and lost 1:21 minutes on Merlier. In the overall standings, Roglic is 1:35 minutes behind van der Poel in 20th place. However, Carapaz is the most dangerous competitor for the overall victory due to his excellent climbing skills. In addition to Roglic, his teammate Steven Kruijswijk had to be sewn on the finger. “It was very stressful and not the best day for us, but we will continue,” emphasized Roglic.
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His fall was only one episode on the chaotic stage. After only 36 kilometers, co-favorite Geraint Thomas fell and dislocated his right shoulder. After a short treatment, however, the 2018 winner got back on his bike. Sprinter Ewan was no longer able to do that after falling a few meters from the finish at immense speed and clearing Bora captain Peter Sagan in the process. “It’s the tour, it’s dangerous. It was tight, there is not enough space for everyone, ”said Ewan’s driver Roger Kluge. “We can be happy that it was dry. Unfortunately, it happens again and again. It doesn’t have to be. “
The Australian Ewan was treated directly in the target zone in the ambulance, a little later his team Lotto-Soudal confirmed the end due to a broken collarbone. Defending champion Tadej Pogacar was spared falls, but was stopped by a crash four kilometers from the finish and lost 26 seconds to the top.
“That could have been solved more intelligently”
Falls are the order of the day in the first week of the tour, but the discussion about rider safety has now picked up speed. “I’m not looking forward to calling the drivers’ families. We can’t go on like this, “said FDJ team boss Marc Madiot and added:” This is no longer cycling. We have to change that, it can’t go on like this. If we don’t do it, we will have dead. “
Marc Hirschi from UAE Team Emirates had a hard crash on the first stage
Source: dpa / Pool Anne-Christine Poujoulat
There had already been two mass falls on the first stage. Tony Martin had involuntarily played the leading role when he was brought down by a cardboard sign of a spectator. Martin was also hit on Monday when Thomas fell. The Cottbus native was able to continue the race, but his team-mate Robert Gesink retired. “The streets are narrow, every team wants to be at the front. But then there is not always enough space, ”said Martin’s team-mate Sepp Kuss.
After the many falls, the former professional Jens Voigt criticized the route of the Tour of France. “You could certainly have avoided one or two falls if you had chosen the route differently: no descent for the last five kilometers into the destination and wider roads,” said the expert from the TV station Eurosport. The 49-year-old criticized the organizers: “That could have been solved more intelligently and harmoniously.”
The jury declined the driver’s request
Race director Thierry Gouvenou rejected the criticism of the route. “It is always easy to say that it is dangerous, but you have to recognize that it is becoming more and more difficult to find destinations,” Gouvenou told the sports newspaper “L’Equipe”, referring to the bad falls on the third stage on Monday .
“For this stage we had to cross Lorient, Lanester, Hennebont and Plouay from the list, which seemed too dangerous to us. We no longer have a medium-sized city without a traffic island, roundabout or narrowing, ”says Gouvenou. Ten years ago there were 1,100 dangerous points in the Tour de France. “This year we’re at 2300.”
As the Cologne cyclist Nils Politt explained, the riders presented to the race management before the stage and asked that the three-kilometer rule be applied eight kilometers before the finish. This means that within this range all drivers are scored with the same time, even if they are stopped by a fall. This was rejected by the jury. “You can see the result. It’s just criminal. It’s a shame to see so many drivers lying on the ground, ”Politt told ZDF.
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