"It could perhaps have been different": Riders react to the dangerous stage 7 at Paris-Nice

The seventh stage of Paris-Nice almost did not happen because of terrible winter weather. However, after a lot of debate and some major changes to the route, the riders finally faced the rain and snow. While the peloton managed to finish the day, the dangerous final kilometers still sparked a debate among the riders about whether the organizers made the safest choices.

Even though the race organizers (ASO) changed the route to avoid the worst weather, some riders felt they did not go far enough. Race leader Jonas Vingegaard was held up by a crash in the chaotic final kilometers and believes the stage should have ended sooner.

"It could perhaps have been different," Vingegaard said. "It was slippery and there were big crashes. It would not have been a problem to place the finish 10 kilometers earlier."

His teammate Victor Campenaerts agreed with the overall race leader. While he was happy to finish safely, he also felt the finish line was placed in a tricky spot. "In the end it went without much harm," said Victor Campenaerts afterwards. "It would have been interesting to finish just a little earlier."

While Vingegaard and Campenaerts managed to avoid hitting the ground, not everyone was so lucky. Vito Braet was one of the riders involved in a crash, but he quickly reassured his supporters that he was okay. "I have some abrasions, but it is superficial," he said.

Despite his crash, Braet still believes that changing the start of the race was a very smart move by the organizers. "I think we made the right decision not to start in Nice. There was stormy weather there. In the end it was reasonably dry along the way."

Even with the changes, the roads were still treacherous. Campenaerts explained just how scary it was to navigate the descents and corners with the freezing weather conditions. "There was a bit of melting snow. If you have to brake then, you are a sitting duck. It is good that we did not have to ride uphill anymore."

When asked if it was the right choice to race at all, Campenaerts explained that the riders had to take responsibility for their own safety in the peloton. "To the extent possible, yes. I think that as a team we also tried to keep it safe by making a statement that they shouldn't act too crazy."