Marc Madiot refuses to attack Etoile de Besseges organizers for car controversy - "The car that was incriminated on Thursday had been stopped twice by the police. It nevertheless took off"

The Etoile de Besèges is currently a race at risk, with it's reputation severely damaged after it's 2025 edition where half the peloton left the race in protest of the safety conditions. It is undeniable that the shocking incidents with cars on the race course deserve criticism, but veteran DS Marc Madiot argues that this was largely cause of the irresponsibility of the drivers and not the fault of the race organizers.

On stage 2 a vehicle moved to the race course heading towards the peloton. The slowdown led to a small crash that caused headliner Maxim van Gils to abandon the race. It is said from the peloton that there were serious discussions that day, and that if the incident was to repeat itself there would be serious coincidences. Unfortunately, less than 24 hours after, at the start of stage 3, it did happen again.

A car was present in a roundabout right in the first kilometers of the stage, and the peloton stopped riding, neutralizing the race and talking to organizers. Seven teams fully abandoned the race with immediate effect, with the majority of two others following as well. In the meantime, more riders (and the whole Equipo Kern Pharma) have also left the race, which had only 64 riders finishing the queen stage.

"We must also recognize that there is a little contempt from certain teams, even certain riders, in relation to the race organizations. I don't blame anyone. I want to say that it's no one's fault and at the same time everyone's fault," Madiot shared with RMC. The manager of Groupama - FDJ, one of the few teams that didn't leave the race, was adamant that it was neither exclusively the riders or organizers' fault, but a combination. It is believed that the small amount of policemen closing roads, together with the difficulty of some overtaking the peloton to do their job, led to the unfortunate incidents.

"The organizer does his best to make his event safe, it also has financial constraints, particularly concerning the cost of the police. You have to pay to have the presence of motorcyclists. The police are not there for free. We must also recognize that there is a little contempt from certain teams, even certain riders, compared to the race organizations," Madiot argues, criticizing the mass withdraw of teams from the French race, who finds itself very much at risk of not continuing into 2026.

"Twenty years ago, this kind of situation would never have happened. When there was an incident, there was respect from the organizer and the volunteers. It's less obvious today for a certain number of teams with the World Tour". But Madiot is specially critical of the drivers that got themselves in the way of the peloton despite the warnings that had been given by the policemen:

"The other point is the lack of respect from motorists regarding events. We see it every day in the news, refusals to comply are rare. There are sometimes very serious incidents between motorists and the police. We find ourselves in a competition where the car that was incriminated on Thursday had been stopped twice by the police. It nevertheless took off again in the wrong direction," he reveals.

"There is a problem of education. I knew a time when we respected the decision of the police officer. I support the organizers, who keep professional sport alive. They are not obliged to hold bike races, they try to showcase their region, that is respected."