New organisation SafeR that will focus on race safety will be officially presented at Grand Départ in Bilbao

The theme of safety in the race has become even more prominent in last days and has led to concrete actions, as an independent body will be presented to the outside world at the Grand Départ in Bilbao. This institution, with the working name SafeR, should make professional cycling safer, according to the Algemeen Dagblad, among others.

BEAT Cycling Club rider and AD columnist Thijs Zonneveld opens his article with a sneer at the UCI, organizers of races and cycling teams. "Whereas other sports such as Formula 1 already started working seriously decades ago to make races safer, cycling seemed to accept that deaths and injuries are simply part of it. The subject of safety was never a priority, the UCI excelled in its absence, it was not an issue for most organizers and the riders and teams did not manage to make a fist together," is one of Zonneveld's sharp quotes.

Zonneveld also provides text and explanation about the creation of SafeR, which stands for Safe Road Cycling. "The project was launched at the initiative of a number of teams, in the aftermath of Fabio Jakobsen's near-fatal crash in the 2020 Tour of Poland. Quick-Step, Team DSM and INEOS Grenadiers converted into decisiveness."

Several analyzes have shown that cycling accidents can be divided into two equal halves. "One half is caused by the course, the other by the behavior of riders, team leaders' cars and motards," says Zonneveld, who immediately suggests a number of potential measures.

"In the future, courses will have to be checked well in advance by professionals employed by SafeR, not just part-time UCI commissaires who allow themselves to be driven around the course at the last minute."

In that context, many cycling fans will probably also wonder how an organization such as SafeR is financed. "The costs of SafeR will be borne by contributions from teams, UCI and organizers of competitions."