Baloise Belgium Tour introduces new safety measure on the week of Gino Mader’s anniversary: “We hope that it will never have to happen”

This week marked two years since the tragic death of Gino Mäder at the 2023 Tour de Suisse, a sombre reminder that no matter how far the sport advances, road cycling remains unforgiving. His crash, which occurred on a high speed descent of the Albula Pass during Stage 5, brought renewed attention to rider safety.

Now, during the very same week on the calendar, attention has turned to a promising safety innovation at the Baloise Belgium Tour. Organiser Golazo has introduced what it calls the “Safe Cycling Finish Barrier,” an inflatable, air-cushioned barrier designed to offer a softer landing in the event of a crash during a sprint finish.

“We have developed this Safe Cycling Finish Barrier together in recent months,” Christophe Impens of Golazo told Wielerflits. “As the word itself says, it is an installation to make the finish, especially in mass sprints, even safer.”

What sets this solution apart is not just its design, but its portability. “It is about 250 meters of safety equipment, all of which fits in the trunk of a car,” said Impens. “With a station wagon or small van and two people, you can now secure the entire finish line of a cycling race.”

That compactness is crucial. Many current safety installations, whether metal barriers, fencing, or traditional padding, require significant manpower and time to set up. This barrier, by contrast, can be deployed quickly, offering logistical convenience without sacrificing protective value.

Impens acknowledged the harsh realities of high-speed crashes, stating: “Of course we hope that it will never have to happen, but if you do fall into the barriers, you will end up in a very thick air mattress, so to speak. You fall a bit softer, although hitting the ground in a mass sprint at 70 kilometers per hour will never be comfortable.”

The technology was quietly tested earlier this week in Knokke-Heist and Putte. "We only picked up the equipment from customs on Tuesday. But the first test upon arrival in Putte went very well," Impens said.

The larger question is whether innovations like these will become standard across WorldTour events. The sport has a mixed track record when it comes to rapidly adopting safety improvements. While there have been changes, more netting on descents, better helmet standards, revised sprint regulations, fatal crashes continue to occur in road races and sometimes training too.

Golazo’s ambitions extend beyond the finish line. “Perhaps that large air mattress is the start of many more inflatable developments that can increase the safety of the riders,” Impens added. “It is our intention to also apply that at dangerous bends, at a crossroads with obstacles or in descents. All you need is a generator.”

Inflatable barriers at descent apexes or urban intersections may sound ambitious, but they could represent the next logical step. When riders descend at over 80km/h, a split second misjudgment or mechanical failure can be fatal. Foam padding and netting can only do so much; better solutions are needed.

But as always in cycling, safety innovations often hinge on visibility and cost, and a high profile crash can catalyse change. The death of Wouter Weylandt in 2011 led to improved race neutralisation procedures and medical access, and Fabio Jakobsen’s horror crash in 2020 prompted a rethink on finish line barriers.

The real test for Golazo’s inflatable system will come when it is used in a top-tier race and, perhaps inevitably, in a real crash. Jasper Philipsen was close to a nasty crash on stage 1 of the Baloise Belgium Tour, but just managed to stay upright. Whilst no one wishes any crashes upon the riders, we will not know how effective this system is until we see it in use.