I wonder if it’s possible to place Alpine ski race style netting on corners with extreme drop offs? While this wouldn’t prevent most crashes, it might prevent the most severe kind. Last year it took a crew of ropes/rock climbers to pull @MichaelValgren out of a deep ravine.
Jonathan Vaughters on safety of high speed descents: "I wonder if it’s possible to place Alpine ski race style netting on corners with extreme drop offs?"
CyclingSunday, 18 June 2023 at 00:08
As the cycling world is still attempting to come to terms with the tragic news of Gino Mäder's passing at the Tour de Suisse, attention has turned for some, on how to prevent anything similar happening again.
EF Education-EasyPost boss Jonathan Vaughters posted his thoughts to Twitter. "I wonder if it’s possible to place Alpine ski race style netting on corners with extreme drop offs?" Vaughters questions. "While this wouldn’t prevent most crashes, it might prevent the most severe kind. Last year it took a crew of ropes/rock climbers to pull Michael Valgren out of a deep ravine."
Judging by the replies to Vaughters' Tweet, the reaction has been mainly positive. One user replied, "to me it sounds like a good idea. But I think these long/steep downhill-finishes should be banned by UCI. It's just too much risk considering how competitive the riders are. Stages like this should always have a mountain-top finish, in my opinion."
With Mäder's death still very much in the minds of all in the cycling community, Vaughters is aware that he is perhaps commenting too soon. "Yeah. I feel I should have maybe waited a few days," he admits. "Just been thinking about this all day long."
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