“Teams go on strike when solutions are proposed" – UCI boss David Lappartient calls out peloton resistance to new safety measures

UCI president David Lappartient has raised fresh concerns over the sport’s fractured internal politics on rider safety, warning that too many teams are actively resisting reforms designed to make racing less dangerous. The remarks come from an interview he gave to Ouest-France.

Lappartient made clear that several recent safety initiatives have faced organised opposition from multiple squads. His frustration was obvious as he outlined just how often test scenarios are blocked or undermined. “When we conduct a test without radios, the teams are against it; when we conduct a test to limit gear ratios, we get taken to court and the teams are against it; when we wanted to run SafeR tests with GPS trackers at the Women's Tour de Romandie, five teams did not start,” he said.

For the UCI, this pattern is beginning to raise existential questions. “Too many teams go on strike when solutions are proposed. Where is the common interest? I am not convinced that the safety is as widely supported as some would have us believe. I banned race radios at the World Championships, European Championships and the Olympic Games; it is better tactically and for safety, but the teams are against it.”

The repeated standoffs paint a troubling picture at a time when speeds continue to rise and the race environment becomes more complex with every technological leap.

Lappartient also turned his attention to the growing emotional and psychological pressure inside the peloton. While discussions around extreme thinness in womens cycling have dominated headlines for years, he sees a deeper systemic issue emerging.

Using Pauline Ferrand-Prevot as an example, he stressed that body composition itself is not the danger when properly supervised.

“As long as everything is under the control of nutritionists and dieticians, and weight is not lost too quickly, there is a certain level of control,” he said. “I am more worried about the burnout that can develop.”

For him, the mental load is now the bigger red flag. “The mental health of riders is concerning because in the peloton there is pressure and tension: everyone wants to be at the front, everyone receives the same instructions at the same time. We are seeing nervous breakdowns that we did not see before. Riders earn more in the peloton, but they are less happy. I see fewer riders laughing.”

In contrast to the worrying signs he sees elsewhere, Lappartient described the exponential rise in womens cycling as one of the sport’s greatest successes in the last decade. He highlighted figures that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

“Viewing figures for womens cycling are constantly increasing and this makes us happy,” he said. “The viewing numbers for the final stage of the womens Tour were higher than those of all the mountain stages of the mens Tour.”

He emphasised that the final stage in Chatel recorded the second-highest audience rating of the entire cycling year — beaten only by the men’s Montmartre finish. “Who would have thought that five years ago, when the womens Tour did not even exist? We have created something valuable. In terms of viewing figures, th Tour de France Femmes did double the numbers of Roland Garros.”

Lappartient dismissed the idea that Tadej Pogacar’s supremacy is harming the sport, noting that cycling has always swung through eras defined by one exceptional rider.

“Yes, Pogacar is at the peak of his career, just as Merckx was at the same age, or Hinault. There have always been periods of absolute dominance and we know this is not ideal for suspense,” he said.

Yet he pointed to thrilling battles at Paris-Roubaix and Milano-Sanremo as evidence that unpredictability remains alive. “When champions do not win, that is fine too.”

Lappartient closed by stressing that cycling cannot afford complacency in any area of rider welfare or sporting integrity.

“As an organisation, you must always have doubts. Being too certain is dangerous. Cycling is improving, but we must not be naive.”