Richard Plugge was one of the supporting voices over the change in the run-up to the Trouée d'Arenberg at
Paris-Roubaix. The CEO of Team Visma | Lease a Bike further dives into the topic in a recent interview where he talks about safety regulations within cycling.
“An organization is ready with SafeR, but it has not yet been successful. That could not have prevented the massive fall in the Basque Country, but it is the start of a solution by looking at the course and the behavior of everyone - riders, teams, organizers and UCI - with an independent body," Plugge said in an interview with Sporza. “We must implement those recommendations as quickly as possible. It has now become too much of a political process. You just have to stand up for the people and also think about the business. This is harmful to our sport.”
Many reasons could be behind the increase in dramatic crashes over the past few years, but it can be argued that the increased speed; combined with the addition of disk brakes and the added risks taken by riders to fight for positioning has been having this as a consequence. At Itzulia Basque Country for example riders crashed in a location that was known to be a risk by Jonas Vingegaard himself. In other events, race organizers or in this case the CPA has requested a small change so as to prevent the riders from hitting the cobbles of the five-star sector at very high speeds, something most riders and team managers were in agreement.
“I would applaud. And if you're wondering if it's a joke, have a conversation and make it better," he said of the topic. "It is very brave that they are thinking about one of the icons of the race after 100 years. They deserve all the praise for that. Is it the right solution? I do not know. Should you shoot it? I wouldn't do that either."
