Dutch ex-pro calls for “competency test” before riders enter peloton: “For Jay Vine, it could have prevented a lot of crashes”

Calls for stricter safety standards in professional cycling resurfaced this week after former Dutch rider Stef Clement argued that newcomers to the peloton should be required to pass a basic skills test before turning pro.

In quotes collected by Wielerflits from Dutch TV talk show De Laatste Etappe at the Wielergala in Utrecht, Clement laid out a blunt assessment of the current system — and why he believes it no longer meets the demands of the modern sport.

Clement opened the discussion with a self-deprecating reflection on his own bike-handling reputation, saying: “I was often told I couldn’t handle my bike properly. And looking back, they were probably right.” But he emphasised that the issue is far broader than individual riders. “There’s no sort of competency test you need to pass before you can become a pro.”

According to Clement, the pathway is too heavily weighted towards physiological numbers, with little attention paid to real-world riding skills. “You just need to prove on an ergometer that you’ve got the engine, and then you’re set loose. It’s like being allowed to drive in Formula 1 with only a tractor licence and hoping for the best. Some sort of evidence of competence, some basic bike-handling, might actually be quite useful.”

Pressed by presenter Sander Kleikers, Clement was confronted with the example of Jay Vine, whose rise to the WorldTour came via the virtual-racing talent programme Zwift Academy. Clement responded directly, saying: “Well, I reckon we could have prevented a lot of crashes. For him it would have been better to do a small crash-course first.”

The point, Clement stressed, was not to single out individuals but to highlight a structural gap. Riders can enter the sport with enormous physical potential yet limited experience in high-speed bunch racing — a mismatch he believes should no longer be left to chance.

Clement’s proposal for a formal competency test — something akin to a minimum bike-handling standard for all new professionals — adds another thread to the growing conversation around rider safety. With the sport continuing to face questions over descending speeds, bunch crashes and the increasing number of young riders entering the WorldTour at an early age, suggestions that once sounded radical are beginning to find an audience.

Whether the peloton, the teams or the UCI are willing to embrace formalised skills testing remains to be seen. But Clement’s comments reflect a wider shift: the idea that raw power is no longer enough, and that modern cycling may require a rethink of what it means to be “ready” for the professional level.