"The cycling industry should have taken action at a much earlier stage" - Jan Bakelants calls for action to prevent future tragic accidents in cycling
Cycling
The debate among safety conditions in pro cycling is an everlasting one, one in which some argue the work is being done, whilst others believe otherwise. The possibility of a reduction or ban of downhill finishes is also possibly on the table after Gino Mäder's tragic accident.
“There is a lot to argue against that. Because what should we do with Milan-San Remo, for example?” Jan Bakelants told Sporza regarding the possible ban of downhill finales. “You can ask this question if the race wasn't difficult enough along the way, but now the descent was after a very tough stage, in which the peloton had completely split up and riders trickled in one by one . You cannot accuse the organization of negligence.”
Whilst the finish took place in a very fast descent, a few riders argued it was not particularly technical and had good road surface. Much would then have to be thought of the descents that are far from the finish, where unfortunately riders face close to the same odds of experiencing a bad fall.
“In addition, riders are paid to take risks. That is inherent to the sport. Less serious injuries such as a broken collarbone are too often dismissed with the idea: Well, after an operation, the rider will be fit again within six weeks. While people need to think much more about prevention.”
Unfortunately, there is no clear answer yet on what actions should or can be taken after the passing of the Bahrain - Victorious rider, the circumstances of the crash are also not clear. “The debate about safety in cycling far too often stops at the quip that there is not much you can do about it. The little that one can do, one should do," former pro Serge Pauwels argued.
"A change of mentality is necessary, but also difficult. Nowadays the riders do everything to gain even one watt. Also look at the example of disc brakes. They give more braking control and are therefore safer in principle, but as a result, riders also start braking later, which in turn entails more risk.”
“With a strong cycling federation, things could have been pushed in the right direction much earlier, but I, along with many others, note that that strong federation is not there, and never has been. Something must always happen first before measures are taken.”
The UCI will ultimately carry the responsibility to organize some type of change within cycling so as to act on this issue, but it is expected that whatever debate comes to light it will heavily rely on the requests and needs of the riders and race organizers themselves. “The cycling industry should have taken action at a much earlier stage. Bring the stakeholders together and see how you can maximize the security of cycling. That is a shared responsibility of the federations, the organizations and the teams," Bakelants concluded.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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After an emotional day and a very touching ride in memory of Gino Mäder, it was decided in consultation with the family of Gino Mäder that the Tour de Suisse Men 2023 will continue. The 3rd Tour de Suisse Women will also go ahead. tourdesuisse.ch/en/featured-en…
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