"It's an impossible task" - Matej Mohoric does not see way to significantly improve safety in cycling without ruining the spectacle

Safety in cycling is increasingly necessary. Matej Mohoric has sadly lost a teammate to a crash in recent years and as one of the best bike handlers in the sport he is often asked about how to improve this. The Slovenian has some ideas, but knows that realistically the effect will either be small or it will bring down the sport's image.

"It's an impossible task. I think limiting the gearing is an option, though not the most efficient option," Mohoric said to CyclingWeekly. Bigger punishments (such as the newly introduced 'yellow card'), bigger focus on riders and staff being appointed as spokespeople in the peloton, changes in handlebar width and gear restrictions are some of the ideas that have been circling around for years. The next step could be the latter, according to the Slovenian.

However not even that would assure more safety and less crashes. "Because by limiting the gears you're also going to limit the time the riders spend spread out, so there's more contact. They're going to bunch up before important corners because you can't go any faster.

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Cycling is going through a crisis. As the years progress, teams more and more focus on every single detail in order to have the best possible performance and results. This often means much bigger fights for positioning, in all kinds of races and terrains, than what we had in previous years.

The number of mass crashes that has already happened in 2025 is astonishing, as it seems every other day several riders crash at speed in any race. The recent UAE Tour was yet another example of a race that usually does not have technical roads or features, yet there have been three mass crashes in the space of three days - the likes of Chris Froome, Arvid de Kleijn, Niklas Behrens, Fernando Gaviria and Dylan Groenewegen all coming away with injuries.

Besides the large amount of mass crashes, there have also been plenty of shocking incidents such as the Etoile de Bessèges situation where on two consecutive stages cars rode onto the race course head-on, and the recent Volta ao Algarve where the peloton literally sprinted on an open road - miraculously avoiding what could've been not only a disastrous situation, but a large scandal that could have dire consequences. This also applies to the women's peloton, where for example at the UAE Tour there was a large crash in the middle of a high-speed sprint.

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Mohoric does think of a certain change that could be put to place, but he seriously doubts it could be considered for obvious reasons. "I think the more efficient option would be to oblige everyone to regulate the tyres we're on. Make everyone run the same slow, draggy tyres. That would bring the speed down. But it would also kill the spectacle and it would also benefit heavier, stronger riders. There's never a good solution."

All-in-all it's an ever-moving question. The fact is that some positive changes are taking place in the peloton, but equally racing keeps getting more and more dangerous, and the fault is never one-sided. Mohoric is a supporter of safer racing but he knows perfectly that it's not realistic in a sport where every detail matters. "We are always going to be bike racers. Nobody's going to give an extra centimeter to make the race safer."

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