"Today the rider is constantly being remotely controlled" - Marc Madiot sees removal of earpieces crucial to making cycling safer

The safety in cycling peloton has once again become a frequent topic following the UCI board meeting last week. Among some other discutable decisions, what catches attention is the proposed gear restriction that should be tested this year at Tour of Guangxi. In certain scenarios, definitely a step in the right direction, but will that be enough to prevent another cycling tragedy?

"There are deaths, there will inevitably be more, and you'll see, we'll start again overnight. So I think we need to look into slowing down the evolution of cyclists. That's obvious, we need to fight for it," says Marc Madiot, manager of Groupama - FDJ, in the Crash, peloton sous tension documentary series by L'Equipe.

For the Frenchman, a simple solution to the issue exists. "There are very simple solutions to take. Get rid of earpieces, hide power meters, and ban GPS. If you do all that, there will be less danger, fewer people taking risks at the same time."

Madiot knows that a percentage of crashes is caused by pressure built by the voice in their ears. Especially if hectic moments, a mistake then happens quite easily. "We are constantly in contact with the cyclist, through the headset, which is a kind of telephone, the GPS and the power sensors," he continues.

According to the manager, the level of involvement of the man in team car needs to be restricted drastically. If riders need to race for themselves, using their own heads, maybe we could evade handful crashes, Madiot suggests.

"Today, the rider, I'm sorry to say, is constantly being remotely controlled. We tell him: 'Watch out, danger, we're going through a village, there are speed bumps and roundabouts. You have to be in front.' But there isn't room for everyone in front! We're going in the direction of going faster to be in front of the others. And that's no longer happening."