"It was complete chaos today... UCI cannot continue with this radio ban" - Visma CEO Richard Plugge furious at UCI's experiment
Cycling
This year's Tour de Pologne is marked by UCI's test of racing without radios. For every supporter of the less controlled racing, there is a hater pointing out disadvantages. Today, there has been another incident fueling Richard Plugge's narrative against radio ban.
"It was chaos today, without radios. UCI cannot continue with this radio ban. It turns the race into a complete farce like we saw in the olympics where riders cannot call the car for basic assistance (in case of a mechanical)," Plugge complains on X.
Today we saw Cofidis' Nicolas Debeaumarché crash hard on a descent in latter parts of the stage. The French rider clearly wasn't in a very good shape, however it has taken a substantial amount of time before he was treated. "Hopefully no one was too badly hurt today," Plugge added.
In the meantime, Cofidis confirmed Debeaumarché to be in a stable condition, with initial examination indicating at several vertebral fractures from the crash. The 26-year-old was transported to a hospital where his condition will be further re-assessed. We hope for a swift recovery.
The UCI president David Lappartient briefly reponded to Plugge's comments, noting that the manager of Visma | Lease a Bike isn't as concerned about rider safety as he makes it sound: "Hi Richard,
You are caught in the act of fake news! Today's crashes at the Tour de Pologne have nothing to do with the absence of radios and you know it. The riders were taken care of according to standards.
Our priority at the UCI is safety. You want to keep the radios on to give instructions, not for safety. Take responsibility for it!
Let’s continue working together!"
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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It was chaos today, without radios. @UCI_cycling cannot continue with this radio ban. It turns the race into a complete farce like we saw in the olympics where riders cannot call the car for basic assistance (in case of a mechanical). Hopefully no one was too badly hurt today.
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