“This was really one big mess” – Zonneveld slams ASO and UCI after messy Tour de France stage 3

Stage 3 of the 2025 Tour de France descended into turmoil, with a series of crashes that sparked fierce criticism from journalist Thijs Zonneveld. Speaking on the podcast In De Waaier, Zonneveld placed the blame squarely on race organiser ASO and governing body UCI, describing the stage as predictably dangerous and irresponsibly planned.

Jasper Philipsen was forced to abandon the race after going down during the intermediate sprint. The carnage didn’t end there, Jordi Meeus and Remco Evenepoel were also caught up in the chaos during a disorderly final stretch.

“This was really one big mess,” Zonneveld said. “Unfortunately, it was a mess that you could see coming for two or three days. On paper it already looked like crap and in reality it was even crappier. I can't say anything else.”

Zonneveld pointed to a narrowing in the road with three kilometers to go as a key hazard. “A narrowing three kilometres from the finish, where they just threw some fences on the road and riders suddenly have to go from two lanes to one lane. You know that the peloton has to go through there eight, nine wide,” he said. The final kilometre was even more treacherous, with a chicane that left no margin for error.

“You can draw where it happens,” he continued. “When they cross, through the chicane, from right to left... Then you're going to have a crash on the left. I find it very sad to say, but this is just: f*ck around and find out. Make a fucking mess of it and this is the result.”

In Zonneveld’s view, the organisers are failing in their duty to protect riders, pushing teams to consider legal action.

“Teams have already taken matters into their own hands more in the past year. That is the only way it can be done. The ASO will not do it, the UCI will not do it, they actually just don't give a damn about the riders. Just keep throwing down those fences everywhere. I fear that the next step is that the teams will take measures and perhaps even sue the ASO.”

He acknowledged the likely consequences of such action, including exclusion from future editions. “Then the ASO will say next year: man, don't come. Then you are actually going to make war. But I don't know anymore. I don't know what should spark the changes.”

Responsibility, Zonneveld argued, lies with both the organiser and the governing body. “There are simply two parties that are responsible for this. The ASO is not allowed to just put it that way and the UCI has to approve it. They both just don't give a shit, I can't say it any other way.”

The recurring nature of such incidents is taking its toll. “I notice myself... It's really a repetitive record,” he said. “You get angrier and angrier about it. Everyone says the same thing: unbelievable, they get desperate, they do it again.”

Despite the risks, riders are caught in a bind, especially in a Tour with limited sprint opportunities. “There are four real sprint opportunities in this Tour. Stage one was a fan stage, so there are only three. If today is an easy stage with that headwind, should you say as a professional athlete: we are not participating? That is of course essentially exactly what you do not do in sports, namely give up in advance. It is very bad that that choice is put in the shoes of athletes. That is intrinsically wrong.”

His final point: the people with the most power in the sport seem unwilling to act. “If the richest and most powerful party in cycling and the party that makes the rules both... Yes, today they are just looking at the birds and the leaves, instead of: guys, this sprint is not possible.”