"The organization is crap nine times out of ten": Dutch former pro cyclist slams Italian races after Women's Strade Bianche mistake

During Strade Bianche Donne, a large group of chasing riders took a wrong turn, ruining the race for big names like Demi Vollering and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. In the cycling podcast In Het Wiel, former pro rider Roxane Knetemann shared her honest thoughts about the situation.

Knetemann did not hold back when talking about the wrong turn that ruined the race for many top riders. She explained that this is not a surprise when racing in Italy. "That wrong turn is so ugly. It makes it so clear once again that Italy is lagging behind in cycling."

She explained that while the fans in Italy are great, the behind-the-scenes organization is usually very poor. "Just ask all the riders: racing in Italy is fun, because it is so alive among the people. But the organization is crap nine times out of ten. We often do not see that on screen, but think of routes and hotel lists that are shared late, routes that are still being changed, and so on."

The mistake happened when a race motorbike drove onto a gravel road on the right, instead of staying on the asphalt to the left. Some people, including the UCI, often say riders should know the route. Knetemann completely disagrees with this excuse.

"The UCI has its answer ready quickly then, that riders must know the course by heart. But as a rider, you do not know a 130-kilometer course completely by heart. The motorbike driver riding in front has a heavy responsibility, because they simply have to know that route."

During the podcast, journalist Marijn Abbenhuijs argued that Strade Bianche is simply too dangerous because of the gravel, stones, and steep downhills. However, Knetemann strongly disagreed with him. She believes the risk is part of the sport.

"Then Strade Bianche must be taken off the calendar, just like Paris-Roubaix. That is simply what clings to this race. The fate of crashes and bad luck, which have a big influence on who is part of the race. That's just the way it is."

She pointed out that you cannot avoid the dangerous downhills if you want to race on the famous white roads of Tuscany.

"If you have a flat tire at the wrong time, it can mean you are out of the race. That is also the beauty of this race, otherwise we cannot race over those white roads. You can choose sectors that only go up, but they simply do not exist in Tuscany. You always have to go down, also on Le Tolfe."

Even though she defends the race, Knetemann does think the organization can make one easy change to make it safer for the women. Right now, the women start very early in the morning. "The women start early and the race is in March, which means the roads are still wetter in the morning from the night. But the danger of Strade Bianche simply hangs on this race."

She believes that moving the start time would solve this problem and give the women better racing conditions.

"Why is the gap between the men's and women's start so big, while the men finish quite on time? You could easily choose to let the women start a bit later in the day. Now the women just really have a different surface."