“The big problem lies with the UCI” – Johan Bruyneel spares no sympathy for the organisers after nasty crash at the Tour de la Provence

At the Tour de la Provence yesterday, Sam Bennett claimed victory in the stage, while Mads Pedersen secured the overall title. However, the final sprint was overshadowed by a nasty crash in the peloton at the end of the race.

As the race entered its final few hundred metres, the sprinters were preparing to build to maximum speed to compete for the race win. Unfortunately, Pascal Ackermann suffered a disastrous moment as he tried to accelerate, as his front wheel lost grip on a speed bump, sending him crashing hard onto the tarmac.

The situation worsened as riders behind him had no space to react, leading to a pile-up involving multiple other competitors, some of which went over their handle bars.

This incident once again raises concerns over the current safety standards in professional cycling. Over the past few months, multiple junior riders have tragically lost their lives in training accidents. Additionally, at the 2024 World Championships in Zurich, Muriel Furrer’s fatal fall prompted serious questions about course design, race safety, and the handling of riders who have crashed.

Among those speaking out on social media following the crash was Johan Bruyneel, a former professional who won two stages at the Tour de France and one at the Vuelta a Espana. Now 60, Bruyneel was highly critical of the race’s organisation and the role of the UCI in ensuring rider safety.

“My opinion on this? A speed bump in the last stretch and so close to the finish line should never be allowed, ever. We have to ask the question: who designs these courses? This isn’t rocket science, depending on the profile these courses have a reasonably predictable outcome.

“In this case, high probability for a bunch sprint, so a speed bump in the last few meters is almost a guaranteed disaster. So the first question really is: who designs the course? Next question is: who approves the course? I realize it’s not as simple of a process as we might think, but ultimately for me, the big problem lies with the UCI.”

Bruyneel did not hold back in his criticism of UCI President David Lappartient, stating that the organisation prioritises shifting blame onto riders rather than addressing preventable dangers.

“Their president, David Lappartient keeps pushing the news that rider safety is one of their priorities, but whenever he has the opportunity, he blames the riders’ behaviour for crashes and accidents. Sometimes that’s true, but many, many times there are circumstances that can be avoided, like today.

“Lappartient also keeps boasting about ‘SafeR,’ what he calls an external and independent entity responsible for analyzing safety situations and making recommendations for improvements. I just want to take the opportunity here to remind everyone, including Lappartient himself, that ‘SafeR’ was initially an initiative of the teams.

“The teams came up with the idea of contracting an external and really independent organization which was supposed to study the situations and work on improvements for rider safety. It is my understanding that Lappartient has listened to the teams' proposal but (and this happens often with sporting federations) turned it into his idea and forced the teams to let the UCI do the talking.

“Now SafeR is working directly for the UCI and not for the teams and their riders. It is absolutely not independent, and their reports are monitored and published by the UCI. What the UCI does usually is punish either riders, DS, or organizers for incidents in races. They prefer to punish small organizations; they will never punish ASO, for example, even if sometimes in the Tour de France there are courses or finish stretches that could be a lot safer.

“Richard Plugge, or any other team manager, tell me if I’m wrong. (I realize I may have missed some details along the way about the creation of SafeR, but I don’t think I’m far off.)”

The crash at the Tour de la Provence has once again highlighted the need for greater oversight in race safety. While cycling remains the sport that we love, the risks involved continue to be a major talking point and the handling of these situations simply must improve.

With figures like Bruyneel speaking out, the conversation around rider safety is unlikely to fade anytime soon and it is time now for action. Whether the UCI will take meaningful action in response to these concerns remains to be seen.