"Monkeys in a circus" - Mass exodus from Etoile de Besseges as protest for lack of safety; INEOS, Red Bull, Quick-Step and more leave French race

Every single day so far at the Etoile de Bessèges there have been issues with traffic on course, but on stage 2 a moving car actually caused a crash. This morning at the start of stage 3 another moving car incident happened, and there has been a mass exodus from the race in protest.

It was another shocking situation this morning, when in a roundabout, a car again steered onto the peloton. There was no crash luckily but immediately the riders forced the race to stop and went to talk to commissaires. Despite very negative first signs, the race was resumed after some minutes of discussion.

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UPDATE 2 | INEOS, Lidl-Trek and EF Education reportedly leave Etoile de Besseges after car controversy

However as we'd learn later, it wouldn't resume in it's normal format. It would resume with eight teams less in the peloton, as almost every single World Tour team decided to abandon the race in protest of the outrageous situation. Several of these teams have also issued statements on social media. Thomas de Gendt, one of the vocal voices on the matter, wrote: "Maybe now the organisers and UCI will start to listen. Otherwise we just stay monkeys in a circus".

The following teams have abandoned (alongside a message on social media):

INEOS Grenadiers - The safety of our riders and staff is of paramount importance. Following multiple incidents of public vehicles entering the race course our riders, together with other teams, have decided not to complete today’s stage at Etoile de Bessèges. 

Soudal - Quick-Step - Our team is one of the several that have decided to retire from today’s Etoile de Bessèges stage due to several incidents over motor vehicles being allowed onto the race course. We find this unacceptable and decided not to rejoin the stage as we prioritise the safety of our rides and staff.

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale - Following several incidents during the race involving motor vehicles, and due to unsafe safety conditions for all riders, the team has decided to retire from today's stage of Etoile de Besseges.

EF Education-EasyPost - Our team, along with several others, has decided to retire from the Étoile de Bessèges due to safety concerns, including the presence of moving vehicles on the race course. The safety of our riders and staff is our top priority.

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe - Due to the continuing unsafe conditions, especially the vehicles on the course, our team, along with others, has decided to withdraw from today's stage at Etoile de Bessèges. The safety of our riders and staff is our first priority.

Unibet Tietema Rockets - After discussions within our team, our riders, along with several others, felt that continuing today was not the right choice because of safety concerns. So Unibet Tietema Rockets unfortunately will not finish in today’s stage of Etoile de Bessèges… We remain committed to the race and look forward to returning.

Uno-X Mobility

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