"Rider error accounts for just 29 percent of incidents" - Richard Plugge tells UCI to look in the mirror

Just ahead of the 2025 Tour de France, the UCI managed to get on the nerve of riders, teams and cycling journalists alike. In a press statement where the cycling's governing body attempts to highlight the positive influence of their safety measurements, there is a clear lack of self-reflection which didn't escape attention of key cycling figures.

Thijs Zonneveld didn't go far for a harsher expression in his reaction: "Once again, you're placing the responsibility for safety on the riders. What about that other 71 percent? What about the role and accountability of race organizers and the governing body itself?"

Richard Plugge, general manager of Visma | Lease a Bike, back those concerns with some numbers from the UCI communiqué. "Let me rephrase: the most common cause - or most significant contributing factor - is the race environment (71%), while rider error accounts for just 29 percent of incidents."

We don't have to browse too far into past to find examples of race organizers failing to properly secure the race and/or prepare course that wouldn't push riders and their bikes beyond their limits.

We can think of incidents where "not much" happened such as Alex Aranburu victory - disqualification - victory at Itzulia Basque Country. But there were also times when riders couldn't walk away due to organizer's negligence, such as Mikel Landa's crash during Giro d'Italia's Grande Partenza in Albania - a crash whose consequences could've been cushioned if a skiing safety net was put in the dangerous spot in descent...