Friday, April 5, 2024 at 8:34 AM
A few months ago, Jonas Vingegaard expressed his concerns about the deliberate descent in the Tour of the Basque Country, where part of the peloton suffered a serious crash. The two-time Tour winner shared his concerns with the safety agency Safe Cycling, which in turn – in vain – approached the organization of the Tour of the Basque Country.
Safe Cycling is a company that specializes in racing safety. For example, it regularly talks to riders and organizations in search of safe solutions for certain race situations, and it also specializes in signaling at potentially dangerous points.
During a constructive consultation at the beginning of the season, Jonas Vingegaard’s concerns were raised about the dangerous descent in the Basque Country, where Vingegaard would ultimately break his collarbone and several ribs. “We passed this on to the organization, but we never received an answer,” Safe Cycling CEO Markus Laerum tells Sporza.
“Vingegaard shared many insights with us in January. About the general dangers of the race, but also about specific rides. And that’s where the Basque Country and this descent came up. Do you now understand why it was so frustrating to watch the race today? Really just shit.”
Laerum also knows what the organization could have done to prevent falls like this. “Crashes will always happen in the race, but we can still improve many things. The communication between the organizers and the riders, for example. But good signaling is also important. If the road surface was uneven, isn’t it strange that this is not indicated? It is often difficult as an organization to change your course, but you can help your riders yourself by warning them, of course.”
