Adam Hansen has been a prominent presence on social media since becoming the new head of the CPA riders' union. This week he has investigated and spoken out about an incident that saw a rider hit by a team car at Tro-Bro Léon.
On Tuesday, the Australian former rider who was elected as Gianni Bugno's successor as CPA president in March, published a series of screen-grabbed communications with riders and UCI commissaires.
He did not specify the rider, race, or drive in question, but it would appear to be AG2R Citroën's Lawrence Naesen, who claimed he was hit by a Groupama-FDJ car at Sunday's Tro Bro Leon, naming sport director Frederic Guesdon as the culprit.
Hansen asked for action, explaining that he understood the rider was hit 40km from the finish and was lucky not to fall underneath the car. The reply does not appear to have been received well, with Hansen suggesting the issue was "brushed off as if it's part of racing, and it's been like this forever."
The CPA has been heavily criticized in recent years as issues over rider safety have ramped up, with some riders joining a breakaway union. Hansen appears to be aiming to add transparency and proactivity to the organization, having been very vocal recently on several safety issues.
Among the ideas generating support are the increase of the 3km-to-go safety net - where GC times are neutralised in case of crashes or mechanicals - to 5km, along with a yellow and red card system for punishing dangerous riding, a red card meaning a rider would be banned for the next WorldTour race.
I really don't know what upsets me more. A rider of mine gets hit by a car in a race. Then it's brushed off as it's part of racing, and it's been like this forever. Or not a single person came up to apologise to the rider that was hit by a car. I had 8 guys contact me regarding…
